SATURDAY 21 FEBRUARY 2026
SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m002rf11)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 00:30 Other by Leïla Slimani (m002rdzs)
Episode 5: The myths of motherhood
In a series of five essays, award-winning novelist Leïla Slimani reflects on otherness. From her arrival in Paris as an immigrant from Morocco to her experience of motherhood, it’s an exploration that is central to her identity and writing. She examines the wide-ranging influence of the theme on her life, her thinking and her engagement with the world.
In her final essay, Leïla tackles motherhood, which she describes as one of the most vertiginous encounters with otherness. She considers her own conflicts with the demands of motherhood – from the loss of freedom to the expectations of society – and how she has explored the subject in her novels, questioning the myths of being a mother. It is a revealing meditation on the physical, social and political experiences of motherhood.
Leïla Slimani was awarded the Prix Goncourt, France’s most prestigious literary award, in 2016 for her novel Lullaby. Her other novels include The Country of Others and Adèle.
Presenter: Leïla Slimani
Producer: Jo Glanville
Editor: Sara Davies
Sound Engineer: Jon Calver
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002rf13)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002rf15)
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 (m002rf17)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002rf19)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002rf1c)
Bedtime or Wake-up time?
Good morning – whether it’s the start of your day, or the end of a long night. Whether your shift is just over or just begun.
I’ve had jobs where it could be either. As a stand-up comedian, it’s lots of late nights and driving cross-country. I once performed at a student ball, where my stage-time was
3am. And I was one of the early acts! The headliner went on at
4:30am – not your standard comedy show, to have the rising sun add to your stage lighting.
I got home from that gig at about
5am, and while that was a rarity, it’s quite usual for me to quietly sneak up the stairs at 1 or 2 in the morning, trying not to wake the kids.
But I wear other hats. For a while I presented an early morning live radio show, an hour’s drive away. For that shift, I’d leave home at about
3am. My wife found it highly confusing. Sometimes, middle of the night, she’d hear me on the landing, and sleepily ask if I was just getting in or just going out.
So if that’s you, if you don’t know whether you’re coming or going, or even if you know full well that this is always your wake-up call or your bedtime, I pray that God looks out for you as you rise, as you rest, off to work or done with work. May you be blessed in all you do in the day ahead, whether your next hours are full of chores or snores. And I give thanks for all who keep the world ticking over, thanks to early alarms or late pillows. Bless you today.
Amen
SAT 05:45 Life Without (m002rf05)
Life Without Rats
Surely a world without the rodents we look to exterminate anyway would be fine? In this episode of Life Without, our host Alan Davies thinks about how our cities might look if all the rats were removed.
From the sewers in mega cities to the barren countryside, rats are highly adaptable, but what happens when we remove them from their hiding spots? Are we pest-free and will hygiene ratings in restaurants go up? Or will losing them have an impact on all our major scientific break throughs, as rats are regularly used to test drugs that we may consume.
This episode features Steven Belmain a Professor of Ecology and the Centre Leader for Sustainable Agriculture at the Natural Resources Institute; and Joe Shute, a nature writer, journalist, and the author of Stowaway: The Disreputable Exploits of the Rat.
An ITN production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m002rq5q)
The news headlines, including a look at the newspapers.
SAT 06:07 Open Country (m002rghr)
The Mourne Mountain Fires
The Mourne Mountains in County Down are home to Northern Ireland’s highest and most dramatic peaks - a landscape often shrouded in cloud and rain. Yet in recent years thousands of fires have broken out across the range, the majority believed to have been started deliberately. Dry weather and hotter summers linked to climate change have made conditions even more hazardous, alongside the degradation of peat bogs and increased soil erosion.
Martha Kearney visits County Down to hear how local people have been affected, including farmer Sam McConnell and mountain rescue volunteers Neville Watson and Alwynne Shannon. She also discovers what is being done to mitigate the devastation, meeting lead ranger James Fisher and wildfire recovery ranger Linus Voksepp from the National Trust to learn about their vital restoration work.
Producer: Eliza Lomas
SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m002rq5s)
This week marks the 25th anniversary of the 2001 Foot and Mouth outbreak, which caused devastation to thousands of farms across the country. Around 6.5 million animals were culled, with a cost to the UK economy of £8 billion. Charlotte Smith meets a farmer whose animals were destroyed in the outbreak, and speaks to UK Chief Vet Christine Middlemiss about the risk of another outbreak - and whether the response would be different.
The issue of biosecurity at our ports has been in the spotlight in recent months. Dover Port Health Authority announced its highest ever monthly total of seizures of illegal meat - finding 34 tonnes of it in January. We hear from chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs select committee Alistair Carmichael MP, who gives us his reaction to the latest figures.
Sheep shearing is an international business, with skilled shearers travelling the world to work across different countries. Many shearers who come to the UK are from Australia and New Zealand and have previously been allowed entry into the country each year via a special concession for highly skilled workers. This year, the UK Home Office has decided not to give this special temporary access. The National Association of Agricultural Contractors say these shearers are essential to the farming industry, and are warning that sheep welfare may be compromised without them.
Farm vets are vital to any livestock business, but there's a shortage of vets wanting to work on farms. We join a cattle vet on a visit to a Wiltshire farm to hear about her role and Charlotte speaks to BVA president Rob Williams, who explains some of the reasons behind the shortage.
Farming Today This Week was presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Jo Peacey. A BBC Audio Bristol production.
SAT 06:57 Weather (m002rq5v)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SAT 07:00 Today (m002rq5x)
Today (Saturday)
SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m002rq5z)
Jack Thorne, Hostage Negotiation, Family History, and the Inheritance Tracks of Marian Keyes
Today we’re in the company of a billionaire, a hostage negotiator and the most sought after screenwriter in the business.
The screenwriter in question is Jack Thorne who’s now turned his considerable talent to a brilliant TV adaptation of Lord of the Flies.
Nicky Perfect says hostage negotiation is all about empathy, and less about talking than listening. And we’ll be all ears as she tells us what we can all learn from the techniques police negotiators use.
And we’ll certainly be paying close attention to what Welsh born billionaire Michael Moritz has to say to us, about his own story, and his telling of the story of his family which is fascinating, harrowing and inspiring in equal measure.
Also today the firefighter who spends his spare time being a Viking - and the Inheritance Tracks of Marian Keyes.
Presenter: Adrian Chiles
Producer: Ben Mitchell
Assistant Producers: Catherine Powell, Ribika Moktan, Imy Harper
Researchers: Angharad Butler, Jesse Edwards
Editor: Glyn Tansley
SAT 10:00 You're Dead to Me (m002rq61)
History of Spices: commerce, colonialism and culinary innovation
Greg Jenner is joined by historian Dr David Veevers and comedian and quizzer Paul Sinha to learn all about the global history of spices and the spice trade. Nowadays, we take spices for granted, and our kitchen cabinets are full of ginger and cinnamon, cumin and coriander, pepper and nutmeg. But despite their contemporary status as a staple of diets around the world, the majority of spices are native only to Asia (barring notable exceptions like chilli peppers). In this episode, we tell the story of how spices went global, from the very earliest days of the spice trade within Asia, through the empires of Alexander the Great and Rome as spices made their way into Europe, and into the colonial period, as the Dutch and British East India Companies vied to monopolise this lucrative trade. Along the way, we focus on five of the most commonly traded spices – pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and chilli – asking how their use changed across time, and as they were traded from place to place. From pharaohs possibly being embalmed with cinnamon, to medieval kings demanding rent in peppercorns, and nutmeg as a cure for plague, we look at the varied uses to which people all over the world have put these precious and expensive commodities.
If you’re a fan of food fads of the past, histories of globalisation and cultural exchange, and surprising ancient beliefs, you’ll love our episode on the History of Spices.
If you want to learn more about the history of commodities, listen to our episodes on the history of chocolate or coffee. And for more on global trade, check out our episode on the Columbian Exchange.
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: Emma Mitchell and Adam Simcox
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 The Kitchen Cabinet (m002rq63)
Series 51
University College London
Jay Rayner and the panel are at the Institute of Making at University College London. Joining Jay to answer questions from an audience of keen home cooks are chefs and food writers Melissa Thompson, Jocky Petrie, Tim Anderson and, on home turf, materials expert Dr Zoe Laughlin.
The panel discuss the trials and tribulations of fermentation at home, the Peruvian delicacy involving bacteria from feet, and whether Jocky's knife collection is excessive. Later in the show, Zoe puts the noisiest of foods to the test with her very own UCL food 'choir' to assess which lunches make the loudest crunches.
Produced by Dan Cocker
Assistant Producer: William Norton
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 11:00 Radical with Amol Rajan (m002rgj9)
Social Mobility: How to Break the Link Between Background and Opportunity (Joe Seddon)
Joe Seddon, founder of Zero Gravity, thinks “geography is destiny in the UK” which is why he has built a tech platform to do something about it.
In this week’s episode, Amol and Joe dig into the barriers facing young people across the country, from stalled social mobility to uneven access to opportunity.
Growing up in a single‑parent household in Morley, West Yorkshire, he went on to study at the University of Oxford, but he thinks those opportunities are still too rare for people from a similar background. That’s why his platform connects people from low-opportunity areas with top universities and employers.
But Joe argues that there needs to be “radical transparency” in how university degrees are advertised so people know the value of the course they’re applying to.
And in a blunt message to ambitious people from disadvantaged backgrounds, he admits that the economic reality means that “you should think seriously about leaving your hometown.”
TIMECODES
(
00:03:46) Social mobility in the UK
(
00:11:24) The impact of AI on social mobility
(
00:16:49) Can government policy improve social mobility?
(
00:18:14) The broken social contract for Gen Z
(
00:21:00) Student loan repayments
(
00:27:24) Are too many people going to university?
(
00:30:49) Joe’s RADICAL ideas
(
00:36:19) Joe’s journey from West Yorkshire to Oxford University
(
00:40:37) Accent bias
(
00:46:55) Why “geography is destiny” in the UK
(
00:54:36) What is Zero Gravity?
(
01:36:44) 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 James Piper. The editor is Sam Bonham. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.
SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002rq66)
Ukraine: Four years of war
Kate Adie introduces stories from Ukraine, Iran, the United States and India.
February marks four years since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Around 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in that time and a large number are considered officially missing. Sarah Rainsford has witnessed the war since the beginning, and on her latest visit to Ukraine she met soldiers and civilians who shared stories of grief, resistance and a desire for peace.
The Iranian government recently put on a show of strength to mark the anniversary of the revolution that saw the return from exile of Ayatollah Khomeini - and the dawn of the Islamic Republic. But 47 years on, Iran has once again experienced widespread unrest, as millions of people took to the streets in nationwide anti-government protests. Lyse Doucet was recently given rare permission to report from Tehran, on condition that none of her material is used on the BBC's Persian Service.
February is traditionally Black History Month in the United States, and this year marks 100 years since the country’s first black history commemorations. Lindsay Johns recently embarked on a road trip across the Deep South, beginning at the Alma Mater of Martin Luther King in Atlanta.
BBC Budapest correspondent Nick Thorpe found himself in northern India recently when he got the news that Sir Mark Tully – long-regarded as 'the voice of the BBC' in India, had passed away. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Sir Mark as a 'towering voice of journalism'. Here, Nick pays his own tribute to Mark – and his interest in human fate, and faith.
Producer: Emma Close
Production coordinators: Katie Morrison and Sophie Hill
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
SAT 12:00 News Summary (m002rq68)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 12:04 Money Box (m002rq6b)
Motor Finance Claims and Pay by Bank
Claims management firms have been warned by regulators to treat their customers fairly over compensation claims for mis-sold car finance. The financial regulator is set to announce its own free-to-use scheme for the millions of people who could be due compensation because the car finance deals they signed up to were mis-sold.
Private claims management firms, which have already taken on many claims, can take as much as 40% of any compensation eventually paid out.
The warning from the regulator includes telling consumers to guard against large charges to pull out of their claim, so-called exit fees, if they wish to switch to the free scheme.
And, if you've been shopping online recently you may have been asked to eschew your usual credit-card payment in favour of a new way to hand over your money: pay by bank. By cutting out the credit or debit card middlemen, you'll be saving the retailer some cost from payment fees. But what's in it for the online shopper - apart from having to put up with weaker consumer protection?
Also, the savings and investment divide between those who are, and aren't, using the tax-free benefits of a junior ISA and the new figures which show how online scammers are targeting those who are trying to improve their personal finances.
Photo credit: Tim Goode/PA Wire
SAT 12:30 The News Quiz (m002rf0k)
Series 119
7. The worst birthday ever
Top of the agenda this week is some royal breaking news - who got a special birthday visit from the police? We’ll be analysing yet another government U-turn and see who’s emerged from the shadows for Nigel Farage’s proposed ‘shadow cabinet'. Plus a couple of stories on robots and aliens - something for everyone.
Joining Andy this week is Mark Steel, Daliso Chaponda, Coco Khan and Bella Hull.
Written by Andy Zaltzman.
With additional material by: Jade Gebbie, Ruth Husko and Peter Tellouche.
Producer: Georgia Keating
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Production Coordinator: Giulia Lopes Mazzu
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.
SAT 12:57 Weather (m002rq6d)
The latest weather forecast
SAT 13:00 News (m002rq6g)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m002rf0r)
Simon Hoare MP, Anne McElvoy, Layla Moran MP, Luke Pollard MP
Alex Forsyth presents political debate from Chittlehampton Village Hall in North Devon with the Conservative MP Simon Hoare, who chairs the Commons public administration & constitutional affairs committee; the executive editor of Politico and host of its Politics At Sam and Anne's podcast, Anne McElvoy; Liberal Democrat MP and chair of the health & social care committee of MPs, Layla Moran; and the defence minister, Labour's Luke Pollard MP.
Producer: Paul Martin
Assistant producer: Lowri Morgan
Production co-ordinator: Ishmael Soriano
Lead broadcast engineer: Caitlin Gazeley
Editor: Glyn Tansley
SAT 14:05 Any Answers? (m002rq6j)
Listeners respond to the issues raised in the preceding edition of Any Questions?
SAT 14:45 The Archers (m002rf0m)
It’s early doors at the engagement party when Zach joins Stella, who makes him apologise to Josh for stirring things up over the pre-nup. Josh accepts he went too far having a go at Pip, but says he’s not staying for the party. Pip hopes Rex might meet a prospective girlfriend tonight, but Rex suggests that issue might already be settled, though it’s complicated and could still go badly wrong… Pip thinks Rex should go for it anyway. Pip and Josh then have an awkward exchange about Carol Tregorran’s tenancy at Glebe Cottage, before Josh apologises for taking out his feelings on Pip. He tells her he’s going to look for work on a farm overseas. Pip’s stunned and thinks David and Ruth will be devastated. Josh points out they’ve both worked abroad in the past, hoping they’ll understand. But it’s his life and he feels he’s got nothing to lose.
Zach teases unamused Lynda about her Speedwatch activities, before she puts him in his place. Ruth makes a speech welcoming Stella into the family, raising a toast to the happy couple. Later, Pip and Stella tell Zach that Josh is leaving. Stella feels Zach is partly to blame for stirring things up, but unrepentant Zach feels it could be good for Josh, even if he hasn’t completely made up with Pip.
Rex and Alice have an awkward dance together, Pip and Stella a better one, agreeing to set a date for their wedding. Inspired by this Rex and Alice clear up their misunderstanding and agree to go on a date.
SAT 15:00 Secrets and Lies (m002rq6l)
Double Exposure
Ernest Withers was a key photographer in the Civil Rights movement. During the Emmet Till trial, Withers took the photo that was said to inspire Rosa Parks. He took those first photos of Martin Luther King on a desegregated Montgomery bus, he photographed the Little Rock Nine, the March Against Fear and the Sanitation Workers Strike. His photos carried the story, he was at the heart of the movement...everywhere. He was also working for The FBI.
Sol B River’s documentary drama explores the man, the motivations and key images in the history of the movement, reflecting light on the volatile world of Southern USA in the 1950s and 60s.
GUIDANCE: with language that may offend
CAST
Ernest Withers - Steve Toussaint
Dorothy Withers- Ayesha Antoine
Agent Lawrence - John Schwab
Clarence Strider - Nathan Osgood
Alex Wilson - Patrick Robinson
Charles Cabbage - Andre Revels
Coby Smith - Gabin Kongolo
Margaret Lawrence - Ashleigh Haddad
Betty Lawrence - Dakota Jueguen
Production Co-ordinator: Lindsay Rees
Sound Design: Rhys Morris and Catherine Robinson
Producer: John Norton
A BBC Audio Wales Production
SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m002rq6n)
Weekend Woman’s Hour: Rosamund Pike, Nadiya Hussain, Gisele Pelicot memoir, Dr Punam Krishan, Ketamine & young people
Rosamund Pike, the Emmy and Golden Globe winner, is known for standout roles in Saltburn, her Oscar nominated lead in Gone Girl, and Made in Dagenham. Next month she stars on the West End stage, coming back to the role of Jessica Parks, the maverick judge at the heart of the National Theatre’s hit play Inter Alia, also filmed for NT Live screenings. She joined Anita Rani to discuss her role that explores motherhood, masculinity and the complexities of justice.
It’s more than a decade since Nadiya Hussain became a household name after winning the Great British Bake Off. Since then, she’s fronted her own cookery shows, written more than a dozen cookbooks and a series of children’s books. Her latest collection of recipes is called Quick Comforts, and Nadiya joined presenter Clare McDonnell to talk about finding comfort in food, her career so far and lots more.
In December 2024, Dominque Pelicot and 46 other men were found guilty of the aggravated rape of his wife Gisèle. Another two were found guilty of attempted rape and a further two were found guilty of sexual assault. Dominque had drugged Gisèle with medication without her knowledge, raped her and invited other men to rape her, filming as they did so. At least another 20 men who took part in these rapes could not be identified. Waving her right to anonymity, Gisèle Pelicot declared that shame has to change sides. Despite her becoming a household name, not only in her native France but around the world, very little was known about Gisèle herself. She has written her memoir, A Hymn to Life, with writer Judith Perrignon and Judith joins Nuala McGovern to discuss.
Dr Punam Krishan is a Glasgow based NHS GP and the resident doctor on the BBC’s Morning Live programme. Back in 2024 she was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing where she was the first dancer to perform a Bollywood routine. But six months ago, at the age of 42, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and has since gone through treatment. She has recently written about how being a doctor didn’t prepare her for the experience of being a patient. Dr Punam joined Anita to discuss.
Ketamine has become a worryingly popular recreational drug among young people, and the consequences can be devastating. That's according to a specialist NHS clinic which reports that some teenagers suffer such severe bladder damage from taking it, that some rely on incontinence pads. To discuss the implications, Anita was joined by Dr Alison Downey, Consultant Urologist at Mid Staffs NHS Foundation Trust, who is treating young people with ketamine related bladder problems. Also joining them is Eva, who has stopped using ketamine and is receiving support from the hub.
The award-winning internationally renowned Welsh harpist and composer Catrin Finch first came to prominence in her early 20s as the official Royal Harpist to King Charles, the-then Prince of Wales. She achieved chart success with her No. 1 recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations and has performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras. Catrin, who began playing the harp at just six years old, has a new album, Notes to Self, a series of reflective and deeply personal new tracks she has composed for Katy, her 13-year-old-self. She joined Nuala and performed live in the studio.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Annette Wells
SAT 17:00 PM (m002rq6q)
Full coverage of the day's news
SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m002rq6s)
'We're appeasing the tech bros': Beeban Kidron, from film-maker to lawmaker
What links Bridget Jones to social media regulation?
The answer: Baroness Beeban Kidron. In 2004 she directed the Bridget Jones sequal. 20 years later, she became one of the most vocal campaigners for regulation of social media and tech in the UK.
She joins Nick in the Political Thinking studio to tell her story, from joining Marxist dinner parties in her childhood home, to filming and living with the protesters of Greenham Common in the 1980s.
Today, she has strong words for Keir Starmer's government, and is pushing for law-changes from her seat in the House of Lords.
Producers: Daniel Kraemer and Flora Murray
Editor: Giles Edwards
SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002rq6v)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 17:57 Weather (m002rq6x)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002rq6z)
President Trump announces 15% global tariffs
President Trump has announced he is increasing his global tariff rate to 15%, in response to the ruling by the US Supreme Court that struck down his original import duties on global partners. The court decided yesterday that he had exceeded his powers by using emergency laws to implement his original tariffs last year. His response was to call some of the justices 'fools' and confirm a ten per cent tax on all imported goods. Democrat governors have called for refunds on levies already paid.
SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m002rq71)
Lucy Beaumont, Gizzi Erskine, Alasdair Beckett-King, Jonny Balchandani, Jesca Hoop & Lail Arad with The Songs of Joni Mitchell
Joining Stuart for this week's Loose Ends are...
Comedian and actress Lucy Beaumont on the play that, 40 years ago, inspired her mum to become a writer. It also features a chip-eating Alsatian.
Chef and broadcaster Gizzi Erskine with tales of members of The Damned being left with Courtney Love's baby.
Comedian Alasdair Beckett-King on the good old days of landline phones and pop tarts.
Jonny Balchandani, known to his huge social media following as the Bearded Plantaholic, tells us how he covertly turned his wife's office into a living, breathing jungle.
And there's music from Jesca Hoop and Lail Arad as they perform Morning Morgantown and Big Yellow Taxi from their show The Songs of Joni Mitchell.
Presenter: Stuart Maconie
Producer: Elizabeth Foster
SAT 19:00 Profile (m002rq73)
Gavin Newsom
California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, has long clashed with US President Donald Trump - filing more than 50 lawsuits against the administration to date.
Now, with a new memoir coming out, all signs seem to be pointing at Newsom himself running for the top job in 2028.
Born in San Francisco in 1967, Newsom lived in two worlds - the first, among the wealth and glamour of his father’s friends, the billionaire Getty family, often joining them on luxury trips abroad. The second was a modest home provided by his working single mother, attending the local public school where he struggled with dyslexia.
After launching a successful wine and hospitality business, with backing from the Gettys, Newsom now has two stints as Mayor of San Francisco and two as Governor of California under his belt, and looks to be eyeing up a possible presidential run for the Democrats.
So who exactly is the man once known as ‘Mayor McHottie’ by his fans and ‘Newscum’ by the Trump administration?
Production Team:
Presenter: Mark Coles
Producers: Keiligh Baker and Katie Solleveld
Production Coordinators: Maria Ogundele, Katie Morrison and Gemma Ashman
Sound: Neil Churchill
Editor: Justine Lang
Archive
CNN
Middle East Eye
AP
NBC
LA Times
CBS
SAT 19:15 The Body Politic (m0026v8g)
Surrogacy
The politics of the human body is at the centre of intense debate in the UK and beyond. Thanks to science, technology and a fast-moving political landscape, humans are increasingly able to intervene in the natural processes of life – how we are conceived, how we are born and how and when we die. But what are the limits to this intervention, how should we decide and who should decide?
Broadcaster and columnist Sonia Sodha gets behind divides and polarisation to discover nuance, complexity and compelling stories, often involving a fascinating clash of competing rights and interests.
The first episode focuses on surrogacy, where a woman gestates and gives birth to a baby for a couple or and individual. The UK surrogacy debate is at a crossroads - the practice is legal but limited, with reforms on the table to create new routes and attract more surrogates to come forward. Should they be implemented or should we follow countries like Italy, Spain and Germany and ban surrogacy entirely?
Sonia hears emotional testimony from those who have become new parents through surrogacy – a single man parenting a young daughter, a gay male couple who now run a leading surrogacy agency and an Irish senator whose experience of infertility led her to surrogacy in India and a campaign to reform the law in Ireland. Sonia hears too from a former surrogate who defends her right to use her body to help others become parents.
We also hear powerful stories from opponents, including a French woman born through surrogacy who is now estranged from her parents and claims long term psychological damage. And radical feminists explain why they see surrogacy as exploitative and misogynistic and why their campaign has brought strange new alliances across ideological divides.
Producer: Leala Padmanabhan
Sound Design: Hal Haines
SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (b05v6d35)
The Choke
The journalist, author and Olympian Matthew Syed blew it big time at the Sydney 2000. A GB medal prospect in table tennis, he was thrashed by an opponent he had beaten many times before - he choked. He's been keen to understand ever since why sometimes the brain robs an individual of the ability to do routine tasks - in his case to hit a ping pong ball on the table.
You don't have to be a world class sportsman to choke. Think of that job interview you fluffed or that wildly attractive person at a party that left you unable to do what you do every day - speak coherently.
In The Choke, Matthew will explore the neurological and psychological trajectory of a choke illustrated with some dramatic examples where the pressure told at the worst possible time- musicians, politicians, businessmen, actors and sportsmen all feature in this examination of when we fail to do what comes naturally to us.
SAT 21:00 Shadow World (m002s1n1)
Impulsive: Omnibus (part 1)
Early in 2025, BBC Investigations Correspondent Noel Titheradge published his first story about a category of prescription drug with unusual side effects.
People who take dopamine agonist drugs for conditions like Parkinson’s disease or Restless Legs Syndrome often report impulse control disorders - problems with gambling, compulsive eating or shopping, or hypersexuality.
He wasn’t expecting the response. After that first article was published more than 200 people got in touch - that’s me, they said, that’s my partner, that’s my dad.
So Noel started digging.
Details of organisations offering help and support with some of the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
If you have any concerns about medication you’re taking, speak to your doctor.
SAT 22:00 News (m002rq75)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m002rdzq)
Chefs, Creativity and the Cost of Living Crisis
In this edition Sheila Dillon explores the creativity of chefs, and asks how it’s being affected by the ongoing cost of living crisis. For Sheila, creativity in cooking is one of the pleasures we often take for granted when we go out to eat, and marvels at the alchemy chefs work with raw ingredients. But the hospitality industry is grappling with very difficult economic conditions - increased national insurance, business rates, energy bills, rent, cost of ingredients coupled with fewer customers with less money to spend, all mean that many restaurants are struggling to survive. According to the latest data from the Hospitality Market Monitor by NIQ, restaurant closures accelerated in the last three months of 2025 to nearly 19 businesses a week. What happens to that creativity when the industry is under so much pressure?
In the programme chefs talk to Sheila about what creativity looks like in their kitchens at the moment, as the cost crisis leads to more restrictions on how and what they cook. We also hear how chefs of the future are being trained to work creatively in this tough environment. We hear from: Sam Lomas, Head Chef at Briar in Somerset; Owen Morgan, co-founder and owner of Forty-Four group; Charlie Buchanan-Smith, co-founder of The Free Company near Edinburgh; Niall McKenna, owner of James St and Waterman House in Belfast; Frank Fiore, Catering Manager at Milton Keynes University Hospital; Chantal Symons, Lead Development Chef at LEON Restaurants; and chef-lecturers Steve Oram and Ian Sutton and students at Capital City College at Westminster.
Presented by Sheila Dillon and produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.
SAT 23:00 Sikisa's Border Control (m002rq77)
How does British immigration law actually work? A lot of people have strong opinions, but award-winning comedian Sikisa knows more about it than most, because for the last 15 years she's also been a working immigration lawyer.
In this one-off episode, she explores what happens when someone in Britain wants to marry someone who isn't from Britain - how easy is it to marry the person you love and have them move in with you?
Written and performed by Sikisa
Additional material by Sid Singh
Script edited by Katie Story
Guest interviewee: Abigoliah Shamaun
Recorded by Hamish Campbell at the Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh
Edited by David Thomas
Photo credit: Corinne Cumming
Produced by Ed Morrish
Executive producer: Lyndsay Fenner
A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 23:30 Counterpoint (m002rdd3)
Series 39
Heat 7, 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 ‘The Great American Songbook In The 21st Century', 'Heroes Of Prog Rock' and 'Pop And Rock Dance Routines'.
Producer: Tom Du Croz
Production coordinator: Jodie Charman
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4
SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2026
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m002rq79)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 00:15 Take Four Books (m002rdd1)
Jennifer Niven
American author Jennifer Niven joins Take Four Books to discuss 'Meet the Newmans', her brand new novel that follows the lives of America’s favourite television family in 1964. On screen, they present flawless versions of themselves, but away from the cameras the truth could not be further from perfect.
During the episode, Jennifer discusses the three works that inspired her new book: 'Lessons in Chemistry' by Bonnie Garmus (2022); 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2017); and 'In Search of Donna Reed' by Jay Fultz (1998).
Producer: Rachael O’Neill
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002rq7c)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002rq7f)
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 (m002rq7h)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002rq7k)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m002rq7m)
St Nicholas church, Durweston in Dorset
Bells on Sunday comes from St Nicholas church, Durweston in Dorset. The church was largely rebuilt in the mid-19th century but retained its 15th century tower. There are six bells, one surviving from the late 14th century and five that were recast in 1911 by the Gillett and Johnston foundry of Croydon. The Tenor weighs nine and three-quarter hundredweight and is tuned to the note of F sharp. We hear them now ringing Call Changes
SUN 05:45 In Touch (m002rdr8)
Cunard Cruises, NaviLens on Ultra-Processed Foods
Sharon and Tony Stockman are a totally blind couple that booked a 19-day voyage with Cunard cruises. They submitted their access requirements way in advance, but it all didn't quite go to plan when they stepped on board. With the help of the Independent's travel correspondent Simon Calder, In Touch assesses their case.
Eilidh Morrison has launched a campaign that aims to help more visually impaired people better identify ultra-processed food, with the help of specialist QR codes. Eilidh outlines how it can often be difficult to read the ingredients within food packaging due to its small print size and so she is proposing more products feature NaviLens. Jose Castejon of NaviLens provides information about how the codes work and how viable Eilidh's campaign idea is.
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 (m002rq7s)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 06:05 Thinking Allowed (m002rdqp)
Gentrification in Detroit and London
What do we learn when a city’s future is defined not by rapid change, but by who leaves and who stays? Laurie Taylor looks at two neighbourhoods in different countries, during different periods in history and explores the human cost of gentrification - and what happens when the project fails.
Sharon Cornelissen (sociologist and Director of Housing at the Consumer Federation of America) discusses her latest book, "The Last House on the Block - Black Homeowners, White Homesteaders, and Failed Gentrification in Detroit', her study of Detroit’s Brightmoor neighbourhood. After living as a homeowner in Brightmoor for several years, Cornelissen argues that American cities should look more closely at depopulation and disinvestment because she experienced firsthand what it is like to live somewhere with a very small population and a distinct lack of both public and private investment.
In his new book, "Songs of Seven Dials - an Intimate History of 1920s and 1930s London", Matt Houlbrook (Professor of Cultural History at the University of Birmingham) writes about the history of the central London district in the interwar years through the story of a 1927 libel trial involving a Sierra Leonean café owner and a nationalist newspaper. Through this personal story, he reveals the tensions around race, class and “improvement” that shaped the area’s future. Seven Dials near Covent Garden emerges as a place where business interests collide with local residents and where money and influence win out over the rights of individuals — early examples of the pressures now associated with gentrification a century later.
Producer: Natalia Fernandez
SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m002rq7v)
Transition Turriefield
At over a hundred miles north east of the Scottish mainland, Shetland is kept supplied with food by the daily boats from Aberdeen. But as food security and the effects of climate change become ever more uncertain, one couple have been working hard to ensure that communities maintain access to healthy food. For nearly two decades, Penny Armstrong and Alan Robertson have been running the social enterprise Transition Turriefield from their croft on the west side of Shetland.
This far north, the weather and light can create real challenges to growing food. They’ve had to adapt to strong winds and short days whilst keeping the environmental impact of growing food to a minimum. They keep their operation local, providing veg boxes to local communities with the help of volunteers.
The croft has become a centre for learning how to grow your own food on Shetland, volunteers applying their news skills in their own polytunnels. Since setting up Transition Turriefield, Penny and Alan have received grants to run a range of education and training programmes to help people to grow their own food, ensure access to affordable, healthy food. Yet this important work is proving to be financially unviable, relying on grants to continue. Penny and Alan discuss the sustainability of the financial model and their thoughts for the future.
Presented and produced by Rose Ferraby
SUN 06:57 Weather (m002rq7x)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m002rq7z)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 07:10 Sunday (m002rq81)
US civil rights activist and religious leader, Jesse Jackson is remembered, following his death at the age of 84. He campaigned alongside Martin Luther King in the 1960s, and later ran for president twice - his political message was infused with the traditions, and the cadences, of the Black Baptist church.
A musical film called The Testament of Ann Lee was released in the UK this week. It explores the story of a woman from Manchester who preached gender and social equality as the founder of the Shakers movement. Dancing, singing and a search for ecstatic experiences were a central part of worship, as well as vows of celibacy.
Documents in the US ‘Epstein files’ reveal that Donald Trump’s former adviser Steve Bannon discussed plans with Jeffrey Epstein to "take down" Pope Francis, even exploring a film based on a controversial book about the Vatican. The messages, reported by CNN and Religion News Service, cast the Vatican as a geopolitical pressure point in wider culture wars.
Presenter: William Crawley
Producers: Katy Booth and Bara'atu Ibrahim
Studio Managers: Sam Biddle, Tom Clarke and Elijah Waddington
Editor: Tim Pemberton
SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m002rq83)
Encephalitis International
Actor Jemma Redgrave makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of Encephalitis International. The charity raises awareness, drives research, and offers support groups for families who have been affected by the condition.
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 ‘Encephalitis International’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Encephalitis International'
- 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: 1087843, in Scotland SC048210. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://www.encephalitis.info
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites
Producer: Katy Takatsuki
SUN 07:57 Weather (m002rq85)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m002rq87)
The news headlines, including a look at the newspapers.
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m002rq89)
A Journey Through Lent - Not by Bread Alone
Sunday Worship celebrating the Holy Eucharist on this first Sunday in Lent, from the Metropolitan Cathedral in Liverpool, led by Monsignor Anthony O’Brien, the Dean of the Cathedral, the preacher is the Archbishop of Liverpool, the Most Rev John Sherrington.
Music:
Forty Days and Forty Nights
Kyrie (Mass for four voices - Byrd)
Responsorial Psalm (CHOIR)
Call to Remembrance - Farrant
Sanctus (Mass for four voices - Byrd)
Angus Dei (Mass for four voices - Byrd)
Again We Keep This Solemn Fast
The Metropolitan Cathedral Choir was directed by Christopher
McElroy and the organist was Richard Lea. The producer was Carmel Lonergan.
The Metropolitan Cathedral Choir was directed by Christopher
McElroy and the organist was Richard Lea.
Producer: Carmel Lonergan.
Audio North Production.
SUN 08:48 Witness History (w3ct74qz)
The discovery of the coelacanth
In 1938, South African museum curator Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer discovered a coelacanth, a fish that was believed to have been extinct for 65 million years.
It is thought to be our ancestor and the missing link between how fish evolved into four-legged amphibians.
This was produced and presented by Rachel Naylor, in collaboration with BBC Archives.
Eyewitness 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.
SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m002rq8c)
Liz Berry on the Wren
Poet Liz Berry lived near the Wren's Nest Nature Reserve in the Black Country for years, but it was only recently that she stopped and listened to a real wren there. It made her think how the bird was hiding in the place name, which is one of Britain's most important geological sites. The wren's latin name Troglodytes troglodytes means 'cave-dweller', reminding Liz of the folk that used to work in the mines that have shaped the Wren's Nest landscape.
Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m002rq8f)
Britain's new drama: succession
The Sunday papers cover the fallout from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest on Thursday over suspicion of misconduct in public office. We'll discuss with Jennie Bond and Andrew Marr. The final night of competition at the Winter Olympics ends in silver for Team GB's curlers. We'll look back at two weeks of weird and wonderful winter sport. Plus we celebrate opera with soprano Danielle de Niese, pine martins and Kenneth Williams - those are all separate features.
SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs (m002rq8h)
Roula Khalaf, journalist
Roula Khalaf is a journalist and the first woman to serve as editor of the Financial Times in its 138‑year history. She joined the paper in 1995 as North Africa correspondent, covering the Algerian civil war before reporting more broadly across the Middle East, including Syria, Iran and Iraq, and later the Arab Spring.
Roula was born in Beirut and grew up there during the Lebanese civil war which began in 1975. She studied communications at Syracuse University in New York State and then completed a Master’s degree in International Affairs at Columbia University.
She joined Forbes Magazine in 1989 before relocating to the UK. Her work has earned several awards, including Foreign Commentator of the Year at the Editorial Intelligence Comment in 2016 Awards and the Foreign Press Association’s Feature Story of the Year for her reporting on Qatar in 2013.
Roula has two children with her husband Assaad and lives in London.
DISC ONE: Misunderstanding - Genesis
DISC TWO: Dernière Danse - Indila
DISC THREE: Oghneyat Al Bostah - Ziad Rahbani
DISC FOUR: Feeling Good - Nina Simone
DISC FIVE: Zina - Babylone
DISC SIX: Ya Laure Houbbouki - Fairuz
DISC SEVEN: Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) - Green Day
DISC EIGHT: 7 Seconds - Youssou N’Dour ft Neneh Cherry
BOOK CHOICE: A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East by David Fromkin
LUXURY ITEM: A notebook and pen
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Ya Laure Houbbouki - Fairuz
Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinley
SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m002rq8k)
Writer: Keri Davies
Director: Peter Leslie Wild
Editor: Jeremy Howe
Brian Aldridge … Charles Collingwood
Josh Archer … Angus Imrie
Pip Archer …Daisy Badger
Ruth Archer … Felicity Finch
Tony Archer … David Troughton
Tom Archer … William Troughton
Alice Carter … Hollie Chapman
Neil Carter … Brian Hewlett
Ruairi Donovan … Arthur Hughes
Rex Fairbrother … Nick Barber
Akram Malik … Asif Khan
Stella Pryor … Lucy Speed
Hannah Riley … Helen Longworth
Lynda Snell … Carole Boyd
Zach Pryor … Alex Austin
SUN 12:15 Profile (m002rq73)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 12:30 Just a Minute (m002rd1t)
Series 96
3. Do I need to repeat myself?
Players take on subjects including: the last time I received a compliment, if I were on Dragons' Den and Anne Boleyn. Finally a member of the royal family that Gyles doesn't know personally. Plus Josie starts a sing song with the audience.
Host: Sue Perkins
Players: Josie Lawrence, Gyles Brandreth, Emma Sidi, Desiree Burch
Producer: Georgia Keating
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox
Additional material by Ruth Husko
An EcoAudio certified production.
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.
SUN 12:57 Weather (m002rq8m)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m002rq8p)
Key reforms for England's schools coming
How provision for children with special educational needs will change in England; leaders from the school and local government sectors tell us what they want to see for children and the MP who led the last rebellion against government policy tells us whether backbenchers have been won over by this attempt at reform.
SUN 13:30 Currently (m002rq8r)
Someone Else's Problem: Exporting the Housing Crisis
In cities across the country, councils are grappling with unprecedented numbers of people presenting as homeless. In London, mounting pressure on temporary accommodation has led some boroughs to place families far beyond the capital — in some cases more than 250 miles away, in County Durham.
Charlotte McDonald travels to the North East to uncover why these long‑distance relocations are happening, and what impact they are having on the communities receiving them.
She speaks to people about lives uprooted, often with little notice, and explores the realities they face as they try to rebuild their lives in unfamiliar towns and villages.
The picture on the ground is complex. Local services, charities, churches and schools have rallied to support the newcomers, despite already operating in areas marked by deprivation and limited opportunities.
Yet many relocated families encounter fresh challenges: anti‑social behaviour, culture shock, and the struggle to settle into communities facing their own hardships.
County Durham had a Labour council for nearly a century, but it is now controlled by Reform. Many residents feel the area has been overlooked for years: traditional industries have faded, and little new investment has taken their place. Unemployment is high in parts of the county, as well as rates of long-term sick.
With low‑cost housing and pockets of empty properties, the region has become increasingly attractive to councils which are struggling to find accommodation. But is it the right thing for old and new residents?
Presenter: Charlotte McDonald
Producers: Charlotte McDonald and Tom Burgess
Studio manager: James Beard
Production Co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
Editor: Richard Vadon
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002rf07)
Chaldon
Peter Gibbs and the GQT team are in Chaldon.
Peter's joined by Anne Swithinbank, Pippa Greenwood and Matthew Pottage.
This week the panel take on a wide range of gardening dilemmas, from how to reach into borders without treading on emerging plants, to which colourful plants thrive in shady, chalky soil. When it comes to growing veg, the team also has answers on whether leaving weeds in place can help crops during extreme heat, and tips on non‑chemical approaches to protecting cabbages and sprouts from hungry pests.
The panellists also discuss how their plant recommendations have changed over the years, and which plants they now avoid altogether!
Later in the show, we hear from Peter’s visit to RHS Wisley where he spoke with RHS Chief Horticultural Advisor, Guy Barter, and Botanist and Taxonomist, Dr Kálmán Könyves to follow up on last year’s Daffodil diaries scheme.
Producer: Matthew Smith
Assistant Producer: William Norton
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.
* If listening on BBC Sounds and you wish to view the plant list, please go to the Gardeners' Question Time website and open this week's episode page.
SUN 14:45 Opening Lines (m002rq8t)
Gone with the Wind - Episode Three
In the series that takes a look at books, plays and stories and how they work, John Yorke concludes his exploration of Margaret Mitchell’s epic Civil War romance, Gone with the Wind.
In the 90 years since it was published it has sold more than 30 million copies – it was the bestselling American novel of the 20th century - but the book has become increasingly problematic for modern readers.
In this third and final episode, John considers the themes of nostalgia and survival that made Gone with the Wind such a phenomenal hit when it was published at the height of the Great Depression in 1936. And he explores the complexity of the book’s legacy today.
John is joined by Sarah Churchwell, Professor of American Literature at the University of London and the author of The Wrath to Come: Gone with the Wind and the Lies America Tells; Dr Nicole King, Associate Professor of American Literature and Fellow of Exeter College Oxford; and Rachel Joyce, who has adapted Gone with the Wind for BBC Radio 4. Together they explore what the book offers readers today. Is it a classic of American fiction or an extremely uncomfortable, racist period piece? And they ask if we should even read it at all.
John Yorke has worked in television and radio for 30 years and shares his experience as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories that are being dramatised in BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Drama series. As former Head of Channel Four Drama and Controller of BBC Drama Production he has worked on some of the most popular shows in Britain - from EastEnders to The Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless. As creator of the BBC Writers Academy, he's trained a generation of screenwriters - now with over 70 green lights and thousands of hours of television to their names. He is the author of Into the Woods, the bestselling book on narrative, and he writes, teaches and consults on all forms of narrative - including many podcasts for Radio 4.
Contributors:
Sarah Churchwell, Professor of American Literature at the University of London
Rachel Joyce, adapter of Gone with the Wind for BBC Radio 4
Dr Nicole King, Associate Professor of American Literature and Fellow of Exeter College Oxford
Reading by Samantha Dakin
Credits: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, published by Vintage Books
Produced by Jane Greenwood
Executive Producer Sara Davies
Sound by Sean Kerwin
Researcher Henry Tydeman
Production hub coordinator Dawn Williams
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m002rm2r)
Gone with the Wind: Episode 3
A new dramatisation of Margaret Mitchell’s famous and contested novel, set against the epic backdrop of the American Civil War and the collapse of the old Southern order, and centred on the fiercely determined Scarlett O’Hara.
Part of The Story of America, a major collection of dramatisations of milestone American titles marking 250 years since the Declaration of Independence and the foundation of the United States. This three-part drama revisits a foundational American story with fresh eyes.
An iconic and stunning tale of love and loss, of a nation divided and a people forever changed.
Episode Three: After the attack outside Shantytown, Sam has endangered himself by saving Scarlett, and the tension and danger continues to mount in Atlanta.
Scarlett ..... Samantha Dakin
Rhett ..... Jacob Fortune-Lloyd
Ashley ..... Joseph May
Melanie ..... Rebekah Murrell
Aunt Pitty ..... Laurel Lefkow
Honey ..... Madeline Charlemagne
Peter ..... David Webber
Dr Meade ..... Sam Dale
Belle ..... Clare Corbett
Captain ..... Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong
And the Narrator and Mary ..... Clare Perkins
Directed by Tracey Neale
Story of America is a major collection of dramatisations of milestone American titles marking 250 years since the Declaration of Independence and the foundation of the United States.
Set against the epic backdrop of the American Civil War, Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 Pulitzer Prize-winning Gone with the Wind remains an iconic and stunning tale of love and loss, of a nation mortally divided and a people forever changed. It was an instant best seller and has now sold more than 30 million copies worldwide: the screen adaptation of 1939 became the world’s biggest box office selling film. As recently as 2014 it was voted the most popular book in America after the Bible and The New York Times describes it as ‘Beyond a doubt one of the most remarkable first novels produced by an American writer. It is also one of the best.’
The famous story of the trials of feisty, once-spoiled Scarlett O’Hara as she struggles to adapt to the shattering of her world is both an epic adventure and one of literature’s greatest romances. It is about people who fight to the end for their dreams. But it is also about what happens when dreams die. How do you rebuild a life when your world is blasted into rubble? How do you bring lasting peace to a nation that is fundamentally conflicted? What does freedom mean and what does it look like when everything you knew is gone and everyone you loved is dead?
‘War is men’s business, not ladies,’ the young men of the novel tell themselves as they prepare for battle. And yet Gone with the Wind gives us a young heroine whose spirit and ability to survive outstrips the male world around her. It reminds us that the repercussions of civil war continue to be felt for generations: the past has consequences in the present. This is a major retelling of a story that remains at the heart of the American experience.
Dramatist:
Rachel Joyce is a best-selling author and award winning audio drama writer. Her first novel, The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry has been adapted for both film and stage. Rachel adapted all of the Brontë canon for Radio 4. Her latest novel, The Homemade God, was published in February.
Producer and Director: Tracey Neale
Dramatist: Rachel Joyce
Script Consultant: Beverly Andrews
Sound Design: Keith Graham, Peter Ringrose, Sam Dickinson and Cole Colbert
Production Co-Ordinator: Luke MacGregor and Amy Woods
SUN 16:00 Take Four Books (m002rq8w)
John Lanchester
Bestselling author John Lanchester speaks to Take Four Books about his latest novel Look What You Made Me Do. Together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other literary works. In black comedy Look What You Made Me Do, the lives of young TV writer Phoebe and 50-something metropolitan Kate become intertwined as the most talked about television show of the year seems to contain eerie similarities to the intimacies of Kate's marriage.
John’s three chosen influences for this episode are Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym from 1953; Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh from 1928; and Cat’s Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut from 1963.
Producer: Caitlin Sneddon
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This is a BBC Audio Scotland production.
SUN 16:30 Counterpoint (m002rq8y)
Series 39
Heat 8, 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 ‘Make The Connection', 'Pop Goes The Politician' and 'Music And Musicians From Yorkshire'.
Producer: Tom Du Croz
Production coordinator: Jodie Charman
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4
SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct74nl)
Birth of the G7
In November 1975, a summit took place at Rambouillet, France, where the heads of six of the world’s most industrialised nations and their finance ministers came together.
The leaders of the US, France, Germany, Britain, Japan and Italy hoped to solve the ongoing economic crisis. The summit marked the birth of an institution now known as the G7. France’s former Finance Minister, Jean-Pierre Fourcade, was at the conference. He speaks to Ben Henderson.
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: The closing session of the summit at Rambouillet Castle. Credit: AFP via Getty images)
SUN 17:10 The Verb (m002rq94)
George Szirtes, Iryna Starovoyt, Zain Rishi, Katie Clarke
George Szirtes, winner of the T. S. Eliot Prize and the King’s Gold Medal for Poetry, is the most recent poet to join the small selection panel for arguably the UK's most public celebration of poetry - Poems on the Underground. As the London Tube initiative reaches its 40th birthday, George discusses how poems are chosen and shares some poetry that he feels speaks to the strength of the scheme.
Depending on how you count it, this month marks the 4th or the 12th anniversary of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia - a conflict in which poetry has become a player. Iryna Starovoyt is a poet and critic from Ukraine. She reflects on the 19th century poet and artist Taras Shevchenko - regarded as a totemic figure in Ukrainian literature, and whose name is on the country's highest award for Arts and Culture, the Taras Shevchenko National Prize.
Katie Clarke, Director of Literature at The Reader organisation, shares her experiences of reading poetry with people who have dementia and the surprising power of poetry to make fresh connections at the individual and group level.
Zain Rishi's debut poetry pamphlet, Noon, is published this month. He becomes the latest poet to choose a Neon Line for The Verb's regular feature in which poets reflect on poetry lines that they feel shine out.
Presenter: Ian McMillan
Producer: Ekene Akalawu
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002rq98)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 17:57 Weather (m002rq9d)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002rq9j)
The government previews changes to special education provision
The Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, says the government will be spending more money, not less, on support for children with special educational needs and disabilities under plans to be unveiled tomorrow. The changes to what's known as SEND are part of a package of reforms for schools in England. Ms Phillipson moved to reassure parents that 'effective support' would not be withdrawn but the Conservatives say they have big concerns.
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m002rq9n)
Andrew Peach
This week, Andrew is featuring two of Radio 4’s finest Emmas - Barnett and Freud. He delves into the showbiz flex that Graham Norton’s been keeping a secret for months. Prince William talks mental health with rappers Professor Green and Guvna B on Radio 1. Plus Andrew reminisces about the day he met Larry the cat at 10 Downing Street.
Presenter: Andrew Peach
Producer: Emily Esson
Production Coordinators: Caroline Peddle and Minnie Harrop
A BBC Audio Northern Ireland production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 19:00 The Archers (m002rq9s)
The Archers
Jazzer tells Chelsea she’ll be getting more money to help pay for the horsebox she wants to convert into a hairdressing salon. But Chelsea worries whether the owner will accept weekly payments, before proposing the idea to Alice, who says she’ll check with the owner.
Rex drops in at the Stables and agrees to meet Alice at The Bull on Thursday for their date, but will look for somewhere to go onto. Rex returns later, helping Chelsea measure up the horsebox before Alice announces the owner has agreed to Chelsea’s payment plan. Delighted Chelsea goes to tell Tracy, while Rex suggests a drive-in movie on Thursday. Alice loves the idea, then potentially agrees to Chelsea leaving the horsebox at the Stables while it gets refurbished.
David catches Lynda at the end of a Speedwatch session and swerves committing himself to volunteering on the speedgun until Autumn at the earliest. When Jazzer joins them David asks if they will volunteer to help with the Borchester Show, for which he’s chair of the committee. They both turn him down flat, with Lynda suggesting David work on his recruitment technique or the show is doomed to failure. Lynda elaborates that David should develop his big idea first, target the right people to progress it, then reel them in by outlining the benefits that would result, particularly for them. David is hugely grateful for the advice, but still can’t persuade Lynda to volunteer. She tells him she’s far too busy now – but might perhaps be available in the Autumn…
SUN 19:15 Illuminated (m002rq9x)
The Extractor
Hilik Magnus is Israel’s foremost search and rescue specialist. He has performed missions, public and private, for over 30 years across six continents. He has worked under the radar during disasters such as 2004’s tsunami and 2008’s Mumbai attacks. He has worked with everyone, from grieving families to cartels and the Taliban, all for the simple purpose of returning people to where they belong.
Now, he opens up about this secretive world, and talks frankly about his origins and values.
The start, in the 1990s, was simple. His operating base was an abandoned train carriage in the southern desert of Israel with three telephones and a dial-up connection. Hilik did not know what awaited him. All he knew was that he felt a ‘shlichut’ – ‘higher purpose’ in Hebrew – to help save lives, to return the unburied to their grieving families.
Yet the business grew and now employs 80 people in a hi-tech hub in Tel Aviv. There is GPS, GSM, fibre-optic, and over 2,500 calls for help every year.
In the midst of this change, Hilik is finding it hard to connect the now and then. For him, the purity of the work was in shepherding lost souls, alive or dead, to their rightful place. Strange, mystical encounters at 6,000m above sea-level, exposing national corruption in Bolivia - not board meetings and touchscreens. He hates the city and all it implies. Yet the world moves on, and the work means everything to him. When he lets himself stop, his 76 years catch up with him, leading to days laid up in bed.
Producer: Jeremy Neumark Jones
Assistant Producer, Additional Research: Robert Neumark Jones
Original Music by Theo Whitworth
Executive Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 19:45 Lent Talks (m002rqb1)
Power and Poverty
A series of personal reflections on power inspired by the story of Jesus’ Passion.
Six essays tracing the hidden currents of power in everyday life: how it shapes us, how it works, how it wounds, and how it can be resisted, claimed, and reclaimed.
In this episode, Keely Dalfen – CEO of ‘The Brick’, an organisation tackling homelessness and deprivation in Wigan – explores power and poverty.
Producer: Dan Tierney.
SUN 20:00 Word of Mouth (m002rght)
Language Extinction
Michael Rosen talks to Sophia Smith Galer about the languages we're losing. She's found that by the end of this century half of the world’s 7000 languages will be gone, and she's travelled across the world to meet both the people who are experiencing this and those who are fighting to keep the words and the knowledge they hold alive.
Sophia Smith Galer is the author of How to Kill a Language: Power, Resistance and the Race to Save Our Words.
Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Beth O'Dea, in partnership with the Open University.
Subscribe to the Word of Mouth podcast and never miss an episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b006qtnz
SUN 20:30 Last Word (m002rf0c)
Reverend Jesse Jackson, Diane Munday, Philippe Gaulier, Lady Jean Wilson
Kirsty Lang on
Reverend Jesse Jackson the leading American civil rights campaigner.
Diane Munday who fought to make abortion legal and co-founded the British Pregnancy Advisory Service.
Philippe Gaulier whose internationally renowned clown school which helped to shape the careers of many leading actors.
Lady Jean Wilson who travelled the world building a charity that cured millions of avoidable blindness
Interviewee: Lord Woolley of Woodford
Interviewee: Sally Phillips
Interviewee: Cal McCrystal
Interviewee: Caroline Harper
Interviewee: Andrew Copson
Producer: Catherine Powell
Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan
Editor: Glyn Tansley
SUN 21:00 Money Box (m002rq6b)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 on Saturday]
SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m002rq83)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 today]
SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002rq66)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:30 on Saturday]
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m002rqb4)
The government's SEND reforms and youth unemployment
Ben Wright is joined by Labour MP Catherine Atkinson, Conservative Kit Malthouse and the crossbench peer Patience Wheatcroft. They discuss government plans to reform special needs education. Journalist Sienna Rodgers from The House magazine brings additional expert insight. And Ben also visits Newcastle with Alan Milburn, to find out more about the former Health Secretary's review into support for Neets - young people not in education, employment or training.
SUN 23:00 In Our Time (m002rgh3)
John Keats
Misha Glenny and guests discuss the short life and lasting works of Keats (1795-1821), who in one year wrote some of the most loved poems in English. Among these are Ode to a Nightingale, Ode on a Grecian Urn and Ode on Melancholy. That most productive year began in autumn 1818, when Keats had been stung by some reviews labelling him an uncouth Cockney who should go back to his former work as an apothecary, work he had left for poetry only two years before with the encouragement of enthusiastic friends. Just over two years later, Keats was dead in Rome from tuberculosis, before his work found fame, though some who knew him, including Shelley, believed his true killer was the critics.
With
Fiona Stafford
Professor of English Language and Literature and Tutorial Fellow at Somerville College, University of Oxford
Nicholas Roe
Wardlaw Professor of English Literature at the University of St Andrews
And
Meiko O’Halloran,
Senior Lecturer in Romantic Literature at Newcastle University
Producer: Simon Tillotson
Reading list:
John Barnard, John Keats (Cambridge University Press, 1987)
Katie Garner and Nicholas Roe (eds), John Keats and Romantic Scotland (Oxford University Press, 2022)
Ian Jack, Keats and the Mirror of Art (Oxford University Press, 1967)
John Keats (ed. John Barnard), John Keats: Selected Writings (Oxford University Press, 2020)
John Keats (ed. John Barnard), John Keats: Oxford 21st-Century Authors (University Press, 2017)
John Keats (ed. John Barnard), Selected Poems (Penguin, 2007)
John Keats (ed. John Barnard), The Complete Poems (Penguin, 2nd edition, 1977)
John Keats (ed. Jeffrey N. Cox), Keats’s Poetry and Prose: A Norton Critical Edition (W. W. Norton & Company, 2008)
Carol Kyros Walker, Walking North with Keats (Edinburgh University Press, 2021)
Richard Marggraf Turley (ed.), Keats’s Places (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018)
Lucasta Miller, Keats: A Brief Life in Nine Poems and One Epitaph (Jonathan Cape, 2021)
Michael O’Neill (ed.), John Keats in Context (Cambridge University Press, 2017)
Christopher Ricks, Keats and Embarrassment (Oxford University Press, 1974)
Nicholas Roe, John Keats: A New Life (Yale University Press, 2012)
Helen Vendler, The Odes of Keats (Belknap Press, 2004)
Susan J. Wolfson, Reading John Keats (Cambridge University Press, 2015)
Susan J. Wolfson (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Keats (Cambridge University Press, 2001)
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 (m002rf09)
Thief by Tahmima Anam
In the award winning writer Tahmima Anam's new story Shafiq learns an unexpected lesson during his sister's opulent wedding celebrations. The reader is Gavi Singh Chera.
Tahmima Anam is the author of the Bengal trilogy and a recipient of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book and the O. Henry Award. Her short story 'Garments' was shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award in 2016. She is a Granta Best of Young British Novelists and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
The producer is Elizabeth Allard.
MONDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2026
MON 00:00 Midnight News (m002rqb6)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
MON 00:15 Soul Music (m002pptq)
Yellow by Coldplay
"Look at the stars, look how they shine for you..."
True stories of what Yellow, one of Coldplay's most iconic songs, means to people 25 years on from its release.
It's December 1999 and a relatively unknown band called Coldplay are midway through recording their debut studio album, Parachutes, at Rockfield Studios in Wales. The days are long, often working late into the evening. One night after a recording session, they step outside with their producer Ken, and look up to a sky full of stars. The rest, as they say, is history...
Featuring, in order of appearance:
Dylan Bode, musician and coma survivor
Ken Nelson, music producer on Coldplay's Parachutes album
Debs Wild, fan liaison for Coldplay and author of Life In Technicolor: A Celebration of Coldplay
Neil Brand, composer, writer and broadcaster
Katherine Ho, singer of the Mandarin version of Yellow for the film Crazy Rich Asians
Producer: Becky Ripley
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m002rq7m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002rqb8)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002rqbb)
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 (m002rqbd)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
MON 05:04 Last Word (m002rf0c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:30 on Sunday]
MON 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002rqbg)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002rqbk)
Walkies
Good morning.
I’ll be off to walk the dog in a while, with my usual nod to the familiar faces of other local dog owners, and maybe a ‘Morning!’. At the same time, my dog will greet their dogs. Funny that – how we generally say hello to our own kind.
And it’s not just dogs greeting dogs, and dog owners greeting owners. I’ve seen cyclists will greet cyclists, I’m sure the couriers will greet other couriers, just as the birds will call to other birds, and lorry drivers will do that odd indicator light thing to other lorry drivers.
Are we forever destined to stick to our own tribes? Joggers to joggers, builders to builders, shopkeepers to shopkeepers... Am I imagining it? I just know for sure, that when I have a dog, dog owners greet me, and when I don’t, they don’t. And I do the same.
Yet I recall Jesus told us to love our neighbours, and when he was asked ‘Who is my neighbour?’, he told of the Good Samaritan, to demonstrate that we should show love to those who are unlike us. To look for the different people, showing care and compassion to them.
Not easy, but maybe I’ll start on this morning’s dog walk, and ask a delivery driver how he’s doing. Baby steps.
So I pray to God, who made us all equal in his eyes, please help us remember that. Bless those unlike me. Help me look out for those, where at first glance we don’t seem to have much in common, and help us find our commonalities, showing love and understanding, as we walk through life today, with or without dogs.
Amen
MON 05:45 Farming Today (m002rqbp)
The government's announced a new 10 year plan for controlling deer numbers in England. It estimates that a third of woodlands are damaged by deer and says immediate action is needed to protect trees and crops.
A project in the Ashdown Forest aims to persuade more people to eat venison. Deer managers are working with the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership, and with apprentice butchers at Plumpton College.
BBC News NI has obtained figures showing there have been over 150 farm related accidents in Northern Ireland between 2019-2025. We hear from a musician whose career was jeopardised by a machinery accident on the family farm.
Presenter: Charlotte Smith
Producer: Sarah Swadling
MON 05:57 Weather (m002rqbt)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for farmers
MON 06:00 Today (m002rqp9)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (m002rqpc)
Thinking about war
How do we think about war? How do we imagine it, picture it and explain it? Adam Rutherford hosts Radio 4's discussion programme which starts the week, asking what we can learn about ourselves from our varied intellectual and cultural responses to conflict.
Sir Lawrence Freedman is one of the world's leading scholars of warfare. In his new collection of essays, On Strategists and Strategy, he considers some of the key strategic thinkers of the last century and thoughts about the significance of political calculation, military tactics, organisational behaviour, character and psychology.
A new exhibition opens in March at the Imperial War Museum, London titled Beauty and Destruction: Wartime London in Art. The curator Rebecca Newell explains what we learn from the ways in which artists recorded changes to the city during the Second World War in paintings, drawings and film.
The Hôtel Lutetia, the grand hotel on Paris's Left Bank, has over the years drawn bohemians and great artists, including Matisse and Picasso. However, for a short period around the Second World War, the hotel was witness to significant events. Jane Rogoyska's new book Hotel Exile: Paris in the Shadow of War peoples the hotel with the intellectual and refugees gathering there in the 1930s, the men of the German military intelligence service who made it their headquarters and the deportees returning from concentration camps.
Producer: Ruth Watts
MON 09:45 Café Hope (m002rqpf)
A space to just be
Matthew Hyndman, also known as Matty, is a former contestant in the BBC One series of The Traitors. He's the founder of the Wee Gay Hike Club, and he tells Rachel Burden how he hopes the group can be a space for LGBTQ+ people and their allies to find community, connect with the outdoors and enjoy nature.
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: Jill Collins
Researcher: Daisy Herman
Sound Design: Richard Hannaford
Editor: Clare Fordham
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002rqph)
Marian Keyes, SEND, Designer Tolu Coker, Student midwives
Irish author Marian Keyes has sold over 30 million copies of her books worldwide over the past three decades. From her 1995 debut Watermelon to Rachel's Holiday and last year's 'menopause romance' My Favourite Mistake, she’s championed telling ordinary women's stories in all their glory, with plenty of humour thrown in. Now some of her most-loved books and characters have been adapted into a TV series called The Walsh Sisters which has just debuted on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Marian and the show’s co-creator Stefanie Preissner talk to presenter Nuala McGovern about bringing Rachel and her sisters to life on screen.
As the Government prepares to unveil its plans for a major overhaul of the SEND system, we hear from BBC Political Correspondent Alex Forsyth on what's been said so far and what's expected. The government has said it will spend billions to make English mainstream schools more inclusive for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, with Sir Keir Starmer saying that the experience of his late brother, who had learning disabilities, makes him "determined to change Britain so that it is truly built for all." The number of people with education, health and care plans (EHCPs) up to the age of 25 in England has doubled in a decade.
Student midwives have contacted us to say many of them are struggling to find jobs despite a serious shortage of midwives in the NHS. A new survey from the Royal College of Midwives echoes that finding. It says 31% of those newly qualified midwifes are still not employed in the role and the majority of those who have found employment are on fixed term contracts. This comes a year after the government announced it's Graduate Guarantee pledging that every newly qualified nurse and midwife in England would have the opportunity to apply to join the NHS workforce. We hear from Safia, who is in her final year of midwifery training, and Gill Walton, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Midwives.
Award-winning British Nigerian fashion designer Tolu Coker joins Nuala in the studio fresh from kicking off London Fashion Week with King Charles in the front row. Her latest collection, Survivor’s Remorse, is inspired by grief, nostalgia and childhood memories and is a joyful celebration of growing up in 1990s London and the community that shaped her.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Sarah Jane Griffiths
MON 11:00 Toxic! (m002rqpk)
Swept Under the Rug
Plastic is fantastic! It can be super tough, super flexible, SUPER durable – all characteristics that have made it indispensable to modern life. But over time, plastics don’t disappear. They break down into tiny fragments called microplastics, and these fragments get everywhere. They’ve been found in bottled water, in Himalayan rock salt, even inside hard-boiled eggs. More disturbingly still, research from the past few years suggests that they don’t just pass through us, but can persist in our bodies (and possibly even our brains).
In this second episode of Toxic!, materials scientist Mark Miodownik investigates how we ingest and inhale microplastics in their thousands every day. He discovers the little practical changes we can all make to reduce our exposure and encounters the cutting-edge technology that may soon allow scientists to “see” microplastics throughout our bodies.
Locking into the living room – but sadly with no time to put their feet up – Mark and producer Mel reveal the surprising hiding places there for microplastics, PFAS and another class of toxin not usually associated with our homes: parasiticides. The pair flea-treat Mel’s cat and uncover the frightening potential human health and environmental impacts of us using these chemicals en masse to keep our beloved pets parasite-free.
Series Producer: Mel Brown
Producer Geraldine Fitzgerald
Researcher: Alex Rodway
A BBC Studios Production
MON 11:45 Unspeakable: Survival and Transformation After Trauma by Dr Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne (m002rqpm)
The Refugee
Pioneering forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist Dr Gwen Adshead has spent thirty years as a therapist in secure hospitals, prisons and in the community.
In UNSPEAKABLE we witness her work with patients in the aftermath of distressing and traumatic events and see how speech, language and silence can influence recovery after catastrophe.
Dr Adshead was the BBC Reith Lecturer in 2024.
PART ONE – THE REFUGEE
Dr Adshead works with a widow who finds it impossible to say her husband's name.
Read by Gwen Adshead
Written by Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne
Abridged by Eileen Horne
Producer: Gaynor Macfarlane
MON 12:00 News Summary (m002rqpp)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:04 You and Yours (m002rqpr)
Family trusts, pharmacies, meal prep
We hear from clients of the now collapsed McClure solicitors, who say they were left in legal and financial difficulty after it went bust in 2021.
'Meal preppers' give us their tips, as millions take to social media looking for ways to cut down on cooking every night.
How do you make sure you're not being scammed when you land somewhere exotic? We hear from a listener who has a warning for others.
Plus we hear about a lack of late night pharmacies in England.
PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: JAMES WICKHAM
MON 12:57 Weather (m002rqpt)
The latest weather forecast
MON 13:00 World at One (m002rqpw)
Major changes for England's SEND system
As the government sets out major changes to the system for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in England - we hear from the school standards minister. Reform UK unveil a raft of strict immigration policies and a plan to restore the country's Christian heritage - Zia Yusuf speaks to us live. Plus, the debate about Tourette Syndrome, sparked by controversy at the Baftas.
MON 13:45 Shadow World (m002rvy2)
Impulsive
6. Chasing Losses
Lucy’s on her lunchbreak when she tries her first scratchcard - soon, she’s hooked. She’s never been interested in gambling before, but after a few months the glove compartment of her car is full of scratchcards. And then she starts gambling online…
Lucy’s taking a medication called Aripiprazole for her mental health condition. It’s a partial dopamine agonist - a different mechanism to the dopamine agonist drugs used for Parkinson’s and Restless Legs Syndrome that we’ve heard about in previous episodes.
But it’s got similar side effects. For Lucy, this means compulsive eating, hypersexuality - and a gambling problem that’s spiralling out of control.
Details of organisations offering help and support with some of the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
If you have any concerns about medication you’re taking, speak to your doctor.
Presenter: Noel Titheradge
Producer: Lucy Burns
Editor: Matt Willis
A BBC News Long Form Audio production
MON 14:00 The Archers (m002rq9s)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 Relativity (m001cf5h)
Series 4
Episode 5
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 5
Jane and Ian delve into family nostalgia as she looks after him post op. Pete struggles to look after the three children on his own while giving up alcohol. Ken becomes an unlikely hero when a forlorn stranger breaks into the house.
Cast:
Ken………………….Phil Davis
Margaret……………..Alison Steadman
Jake………………….Guy Rhys
Ian…………………...Richard Herring
Jane…………………..Fenella Woolgar
Pete…………………..Gordon Kennedy
Holly………………….Tia Bannon
Mark………………….Fred Haig
Nick…..……………Harrison Knights
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 (m002rq8t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:45 on Sunday]
MON 15:00 A Good Read (m002rqpy)
Martin Edwards and Tom Shakespeare
This week's books are:
Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie, chosen by crime writer Martin Edwards
At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O'Brien, chosen by sociologist, bioethicist and comedian Tom Shakespeare
Thursday Night Widows by Claudia Pineiro, chosen by Harriett Gilbert
Join us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbc
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Sally Heaven
Photo credit: Belinda Mason
MON 15:30 You're Dead to Me (m002rq61)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Saturday]
MON 16:00 Currently (m002rq8r)
[Repeat of broadcast at
13:30 on Sunday]
MON 16:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m002rq63)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:30 on Saturday]
MON 17:00 PM (m002rqq0)
Lord Mandelson arrested
Lord Peter Mandelson has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. We'll bring you the latest. Also on PM, the Government sets out big changes for children with special educational needs in England. We'll have reaction to the reforms. Violence is unleashed in Mexico after the death of a top drug lord. We'll hear from one of the hotspots. And as the guitars behind some of rock's greatest riffs go on sale in the US, a collector tells us what they add to a melody.
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002rqq2)
Lord Mandelson arrested at his home in London
The former cabinet minister and ambassador to the US, Lord Mandelson, has been arrested at his home in London, on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Peter Mandelson has not publicly commented since, but the BBC understands his position has consistently been that he has not acted criminally, and that he was not motivated by financial gain. Also: The government has set out major changes to the system for children with special educational needs and disabilities in England. And Hull beats Hollywood in one of the biggest Bafta shocks of all time.
MON 18:30 Just a Minute (m002rd1w)
Series 96
4. Do you remember the programme Changing Rooms?
Rachel and Cariad reveal their worst ever birthday presents and hope their families aren't listening. Paterson gets competitive in the Shakespeare round and Sue asks the all important question - what's in your bumbag?
Host: Sue Perkins
Players: Paul Merton, Paterson Joseph, Rachel Parris, Cariad Lloyd
Producer: Georgia Keating
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox
Additional material by Ruth Husko
An EcoAudio certified production.
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.
MON 19:00 The Archers (m002rqlq)
Chris and Hannah are on their way to a cricket team meeting Freddie’s called. There’s still bad feeling over last season’s controversial hidden payments to some players, even before Hannah and Chris discover Freddie’s forgotten this meeting and gone to another one instead. Assuming that’s the end for the cricket team Hannah then lays into Freddie’s poor judgement for suggesting George could rejoin the team. Hannah has no time for George and wants to tell Amber how misguided she is for sticking with him. Chris is more forgiving, but admits phoning Probation about George getting drunk on New Year’s Eve. Luckily George wasn’t recalled to prison and Hannah reckons Chris shouldn’t tell Emma what he did, rather than stir things up again.
Akram tells Susan he’s happier working outside than in the Dairy, which is disappointing for Susan as working on a big, new cheese order is getting too much for Pat. Then Helen tells Susan Kirsty’s volunteered to do some shifts, starting immediately. Susan’s doubts about Kirsty are quickly confirmed though when she keeps getting things wrong. Kirsty then phones Akram to check on the procedure and is told off for bringing a phone in. Kirsty admits she’s worse than useless, saying the same again to Helen later. Kirsty then asks if Helen’s pursued a house for sale in the village, but Helen’s distracted by a text from Finlay, the crofter she met in Scotland. He’s coming to Borchester and wants to meet up. Helen knows she should say no, but… It's a yes then, reckons Kirsty.
MON 19:15 Front Row (m002rqq4)
Neve Campbell on being Hollywood's Scream Queen, and BAFTAs lowdown
Fifty years on from the death of painter LS Lowry, the BBC has made a documentary featuring recently discovered recordings made in the last years of his life. Recorded by Lowry fan Angela Barratt over a period of four years, the tapes have been lip-synced for the documentary, with Ian McKellen playing Lowry and Annabel Smith as Barratt. Art historian Verity Babbs and curator of the Lowry Collection, Claire Stewart, join Samira Ahmed to discuss the painter's life and legacy.
Actress Neve Campbell shot to fame playing the lead role of Sidney Prescott in Scream in 1996. She went on to appear in five of the six sequels - and now returns for another battle with the Ghostface killer in Scream 7.
Francis Spufford is the award-winning author of Golden Hill and Light Perpetual. His new novel, Nonesuch, tells the story of a young woman who must thwart an occult plot by time-traveling fascists during the chaos of the London Blitz.
And Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw reacts to last night's BAFTAs, as well as the winner of the Berlin Film Festival's coveted Golden Bear Award.
Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Tim Bano
MON 20:00 How Did We Get Here? (m002rqq6)
Israel and the Palestinians
3: From the Nineteenth Century to the First World War
In the third of ten programmes exploring the origins and tracing the history of the Middle East conflict, presenter Jonny Dymond is joined by Hugh Kennedy, Professor of Arabic at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Eugene Rogan, Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at Oxford University, and historian Simon Sebag Montefiore. What kind of people lived in Ottoman-ruled Palestine in the early Nineteenth Century? What were the origins of Zionism? How did Arabs react to Jewish immigration into Palestine in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries – and what was the nature of Palestinian Arab identity in this period? Why were the Great Powers so interested in the region at this time? And what was the significance of the Sykes-Picot Agreement – a plan by Britain, France and Russia to divide the Middle East between them?
'How Did We Get Here? Israel and the Palestinians' is a BBC News Long Form Audio production.
The presenter is Jonny Dymond and the editor is Penny Murphy.
The Radio 4 commissioners are Hugh Levinson and Dan Clarke.
The studio engineers are Neil Churchill, James Beard, Rod Farquhar, Mike Regaard and David Crackles.
MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (m002s6by)
Wood, Smoke and Science: Cooking over fire
For this special festival recording of BBC Radio 4’s Inside Science, the fire pit is our science lab. Marnie Chesterton brings a sprinkling of chemistry and just a squeeze of paleoanthropology as we invite you to explore the science and human history of cooking over fire.
Recorded at Abergavenny Food festival 2025 with chef Sam Evans of Hangfire BBQ, archaeobotanical scientist Dr Ceren Kabukcu and Dr Joanna Buckley from the Royal Society of Chemistry
For more fascinating science content, you can head to bbc.co.uk, search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton.
Producers: Tim Dodd and Clare Salisbury.
Programme Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
Editor: Martin Smith
MON 21:00 Start the Week (m002rqpc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 21:45 Café Hope (m002rqpf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 today]
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m002rqq8)
Peter Mandelson arrested
The investigation that led to the arrest was triggered by emails in the Epstein files which appeared to show Lord Mandelson allegedly communicating with Epstein, including one exchange about rumours of an EU bailout.
Also on the programme: the government unveils plans to overhaul the special educational needs system in England.
And lots of people say weasel words are great, but what do actually we mean when we use these evasive phrases?
MON 22:45 Salt by Catrin Kean (m002rqqb)
1. Departure
1880s Cardiff is grimy, rainy and grey. Ellen works as a domestic and dreams of escaping her claustrophobic home life. When her brother returns home from his latest stint at sea, he introduces Ellen to Samuel, a ship's cook from Barbados. When Samuel asks her to be his wife, it's the beginning of a love story that will see them journey across the ocean to San Francisco and Barbados, and which will force them to confront the realities of poverty and racism.
Salt was the winner of the 2021 Wales Book of the Year Award, the 2021 Rhys Davies Fiction award, and the Wales Arts Review People's Choice Award. It was Catrin Kean's debut novel. Writing as Catrin Clarke, she won a BAFTA Cymru award for screenwriting in 2003 for her work on the BBC Wales drama Belonging. Her second novel, Lace, was published in 2024.
Read by Kezrena James
Abridged by Miranda Davies
Editing and Sound Design by Mair Bosworth
Mixed by Ilse Lademann
Produced by Fay Lomas for BBC Audio Bristol
MON 23:00 Limelight (m001glc8)
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Firewall
Episode 6
Based on the novel by James Swallow
Dramatised by Sebastian Baczkiewicz
Episode 6
A thrilling landmark adaptation set in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell universe. Fourth Echelon agent Sam Fisher, and his daughter Sarah regroup on the Paladin, where they strong-arm Kobin into giving up more information. Meanwhile, Stone is sent to terminate any suspicions on the T-Tech Oil Rig.
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
Andriy Kobin ..... Riad Richie
Eighteen ..... Olga Fedori
Bray ..... Roger Ringrose
LeBeau ..... David Hounslow
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 (m002rqqd)
Susan Hulme reports as MPs debate proposals to overhaul the special educational needs system in England.
TUESDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2026
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m002rqqg)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 00:30 Unspeakable: Survival and Transformation After Trauma by Dr Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne (m002rqpm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002rqqj)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002rqql)
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 (m002rqqn)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002rqqq)
Sean Curran reports as MPs question the chief secretary to the prime minister about the Mandelson affair.
TUE 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002rqqs)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002rqqv)
SOS
Good morning.
I recently discovered a new emergency way to pray. I wish I didn’t have to.
It has been, in our family, a time of emergencies. I lost my dad not long ago, after what a well-meaning clinician called ‘our dementia adventure’. Not an adventure we’d have chosen. Now we’ve disembarked that rollercoaster, I can look back at how we coped, or at least did our best.
Cognitive medical conditions are tricky to navigate. There isn’t one simple course of treatment, and we had countless troubled meetings with clinicians and others, in what felt like crisis after crisis. So I’d send up prayer after prayer, for help in getting through each one.
Two other relevant things about me: I’m an old radio enthusiast, and I’ve been known to tap my fingers when stressed. How does that tie together? Well, that famous SOS distress call, in Morse code, is dot dot dot, dash dash dash, dot dot dot.
It saved lives on the Titanic and countless other disasters, it’s known the world over, and in several meetings, when anxious and concerned, I’d discretely tap it out on my leg, under the table of a doctor’s office. Dot dot dot, dash dash dash, dot dot dot. A metaphorical flare of a prayer. Asking: help me out God.
Radio operators have tapped out similar emergency messages, and I too needed help navigating, feeling lost at sea, seeing no easy route ahead.
I pray this morning for those who feel likewise. God, bring peace to times of turbulence. Thank you that we can communicate in thought, word or even Morse. In times of crisis, hear our distress call, till waters calm again.
Amen
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m002rqqx)
24/02/26 Farming in Ukraine, Wetlands creation
It's four years today since Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine. It's obviously been devastating for the population; and while front line fighters and high pressure politics make the headlines, its the country's farmers who have the massive responsibility of keeping the people of Ukraine fed. The war has led to soaring prices of fuel and fertiliser - but more than that, labour shortages and continual power cuts have put massive pressure on what was an efficient and profitable industry.
We hear from Kees Huizinga, a Dutch farmer who moved to Ukraine to run a large mixed farm, just before the invasion took place. He estimates that 20 percent of farm land has been lost to the war.
We also hear from the BBC's former Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse who's seen the devastation for himself.
Several farmers in the Midlands have been giving up pieces of their land to create wetland habitats for wintering birds. Work is being carried out to make scrapes and channels on fields so they’ll attract species like the snipe and the lapwing.
Presented by Anna Hill and produced by Sally Challoner
TUE 06:00 Today (m002rql4)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 Intrigue (m002q86z)
Ransom Man
6. Nameless, Faceless People
Crossing the road between interviews, Jenny receives the opportunity she has been waiting for. A chance to meet Julius Kivimäki and finally seek answers from him.
She heads to Turku prison in Western Finland, where Kivimäki is serving his sentence.
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: Neil Leiter, Margaret Hermant and Fabien Leseure.
A BBC Studios Production
Commissioning Executive is Tracy Williams
Commissioner: Dan Clarke
TUE 09:30 Inside Health (m002rql7)
Is the tide turning on ME research?
ME – also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – has long been one of medicine’s most perplexing conditions. With no definitive diagnostic test and a legacy of scepticism in parts of the medical community, patients have often struggled to be believed. But a surge of new research may finally be shifting the landscape.
The emergence of Long COVID – a condition with striking similarities to ME – has accelerated scientific interest and opened new lines of inquiry into the underlying biology of both illnesses.
In this episode, James Gallagher speaks to Dr Chris Ponting about the latest DecodeME results, which point to a strong genetic component to ME. And Professor Rosemary Boyton outlines the ambition behind the new Rosetta Stone study, designed to build a detailed evidence base of shared biomarkers across ME and Long COVID.
James also hears from Catherine and Jo, who have lived with ME for many years. They describe their diagnostic journeys and how they manage their symptoms in their daily lives.
Presenter: James Gallagher
Producer: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell
Researcher: Tom Hunt
Editors: Erika Wright and Ilan Goodman
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002rql9)
SEND reforms: A Woman's Hour and SEND in the Spotlight special
Woman's Hour in collaboration with our SEND in the Spotlight podcast brings you a special programme on the impact of the government's SEND reforms in England.
Whether you’re a parent, a young person, a teacher or someone who works in the wider system we find out what the changes mean for you - and help you decode the new language - whether it's IB, ISP, Targeted, Targeted Plus, or SPP.
Nuala McGovern speaks to parents, teachers, charities, the School Standards Minister and the Children’s Commissioner for England. We also hear from SEND in the Spotlight podcast regulars - actors Anna Maxwell Martin and Kellie Bright.
Search for the SEND in the Spotlight podcast on BBC Sounds.
Contributors:
Georgia Gould MP, Schools Standards Minister
Marsha Martin, founder of Black SEN Mamas
Katie Ghose, CEO of Kids charity and Disabled Children's Partnership
Margaret Mulholland, Association of School and College Leaders
Kate McGough, BBC Education reporter
Eleanor Wright, solicitor at SOS!SEN
Ramandeep Kaur, SEND parent
Carrie Grant, SEND parent and broadcaster
Katie Nellist, SEND ambassador
Louise Gittins, chair of the Local Government Association
Dame Rachel de Souza, Children's Commissioner for England
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Sarah Crawley, with Carolyn Atkinson
Digital producer: Olivia Bolton
Editor: Karen Dalziel
TUE 11:00 Add to Playlist (m002rf0p)
Errollyn Wallen and Richard Stilgoe head to Nashville
Composer Errollyn Wallen, Master of the King's Music, and lyricist and musician Richard Stilgoe, join Jeffrey and Anna as they add five more tracks to the playlist, taking us from the Nashville Sound to Dublin rock via New Zealand.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Do I Ever Cross Your Mind by Dolly Parton & Chet Atkins
Tre sbirri, una carrozza...Te Deum by Giacomo Puccini
Sober by Lorde
Memory by Elaine Paige
With Love by Thin Lizzy
Other music in this episode:
Gypsy Sahara by Taraf de Haïdouks & Kočani Orkestar
The Outside by Taylor Swift
Four Walls by Jim Reeves
Oh Lonesome Me by Don Gibson
Royals by Lorde
Parisienne Walkways by Gary Moore
The Boys are Back in Town by Thin Lizzy
TUE 11:45 Unspeakable: Survival and Transformation After Trauma by Dr Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne (m002rqlc)
The Lucky Ones (part 1)
Pioneering forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist Dr Gwen Adshead has spent thirty years as a therapist in secure hospitals, prisons and in the community.
In UNSPEAKABLE we witness her work with patients in the aftermath of distressing and traumatic events and see how speech, language and silence can influence recovery after catastrophe.
Dr Adshead was the BBC Reith Lecturer in 2024.
PART TWO – THE LUCKY ONES - part one
Dr Adshead interviews the survivors of a helicopter crash. Each has a very different experience of the event and the aftermath.
Read by Gwen Adshead
Written by Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne
Abridged by Eileen Horne
Producer: Gaynor Macfarlane
TUE 12:00 News Summary (m002rqlg)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m002rqlj)
How's the Jobs Market Treating You?
Call You and Yours is all about the world of work. It's a difficult time to be job hunting - the latest figures showed unemployment at its highest rate for nearly five years, and young people are bearing the brunt of that. Many businesses aren't hiring as much as they were. And millions of people's jobs are going to be changed by AI. We want to hear where all this leaves you.
Are you looking for work? Are you worried about your job, or has it changed recently? Are you impacted by the rise of AI? If you're an employer - are you recruiting at the moment?
Whatever your work situation, we'd like to hear about how you're doing. Get in touch now and tell us your experience - good or bad - email us now at youandyours@bbc.co.uk and please include a phone number.
You can also call us on 03700 100 444 after
11am on Tuesday 24 February.
PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY
TUE 12:57 Weather (m002rqll)
The latest weather forecast
TUE 13:00 World at One (m002rqln)
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor "shamed the nation". MPs debate his tenure as trade envoy
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor "shamed" the nation MPs debate his behaviour . On the fourth anniversary of full scale invasion of Ukraine, an account of life on the frontline in Kherson, and the former dep PM of Russia tells us the war may last for 7 years.
TUE 13:45 Shadow World (m002rvy0)
Impulsive
7. Missed connections
Lucy’s stumbled on a connection between her gambling problem and her medication. But her mental health team says they don’t know what she’s talking about.
Freddie’s reached breaking point. And, one day, he notices his dad’s medication leaflet on the kitchen table, sparking a full-blown crisis.
It’s been known for more than two decades that drugs affecting dopamine levels in the brain have potential side effects including impulse control disorders like hypersexuality, or compulsive shopping or gambling.
Warnings have been added to patient information leaflets - but many of the people who’ve contacted BBC investigations correspondent Noel Titheradge about their experiences say the risks weren’t made clear.
Why weren’t they warned about the potential side effects of these medications before it was too late?
Details of organisations offering help and support with some of the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
If you have any concerns about medication you’re taking, speak to your doctor.
Presenter: Noel Titheradge
Producer: Lucy Burns
Editor: Matt Willis
A BBC News Long Form Audio production
TUE 14:00 The Archers (m002rqlq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 This Thing of Darkness (m002r78l)
Series 4
4. Involuntary Breach
by Frances Poet with monologues by Eileen Horne.
Part Four – Involuntary Breach
As the pressure builds within the secure unit housing Kathleen and Abi, Kathleen’s daughter returns to the table for family therapy. She’s about to come face to face with Abi who is intent on destruction.
And in turn, Abi will face Alex who has a very different interpretation of Abi's apparent psychopathy.
DR ALEX BRIDGES ….. Lolita Chakrabarti
KATHLEEN ….. Maureen Beattie
LINDSAY ….. Helen Mackay
ABI ….. Anna Russell-Martin
DANIEL ….. Nicholas Karimi
Production Coordinators: Rosalind Gibson and Ellie Marsh
Sound recording : Andy Hay and Fraser Jackson
Sound Design: Fraser Jackson
Series Consultant: Dr Gwen Adshead
Series format created by Lucia Haynes, Audrey Gillan, Eileen Horne, Gaynor Macfarlane, Anita Vettesse and Kirsty Williams.
A BBC Audio Scotland Production produced and directed by Kirsty Williams
You’ll find details of help and support with dementia related issues at bbc.co.uk/actionline
TUE 15:00 History's Heroes (p0lmnr8q)
Cardinal Sin and the Bandit Radio
In the Philippines, an archbishop takes to the airwaves and calls for his people to rise up against a dictatorship.
Stories of bold voices, with brave ideas and the courage to stand alone. Historian Alex von Tunzelmann shines a light on remarkable people from across history.
A BBC Studios Audio production.
Producer: Lorna Reader
Series producer: Suniti Somaiya
Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann
Executive Producer: Paul Smith
Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts
TUE 15:30 Thinking Allowed (m002rqlt)
The demise of Grand Theory?
What explains the apparent decline of grand theory in sociology, and what does this shift mean for the discipline today? Laurie Taylor asks whether sociologists are now less inclined to engage with large, overarching theoretical frameworks, and explores the reasons behind this change.
He is joined by Professor Les Back (University of Glasgow) and Professor Imogen Tyler (University of Lancaster), who consider whether theory still resonates within contemporary sociology and, if so, which thinkers remain most influential. Who are the discipline’s most cited theorists today, and which grand figures - such as Marx, Weber, Durkheim and Foucault - continue to shape sociological thought?
It may be argued that theory remains stronger within feminist and women’s studies traditions, but what does this suggest about long‑standing questions concerning the gendered character of theory itself?
Laurie Taylor and guests set out to consider which new or emerging theoretical approaches offer fresh ways of understanding familiar social phenomena, and whether they signal a transformation in the discipline or simply a reworking of older sociological concerns.
Producer: Natalia Fernandez
TUE 16:00 Artworks (m001yqy5)
Odes to Joy
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony was performed for the first time in Vienna on the 7th of May, 1824. There’s a sense in which that premiere, in the Theater am Kärntnertor at the heart of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was the moment when two distinct reception histories began: that of an epic orchestral piece which ends with a choral setting of An die Freude, a work that has become a cornerstone of the so-called canon of Western Classical music; and the history of a simple theme, the Ode to Joy, a catchy tune, eminently whistleable, that has since had a life of its own, travelling far and wide across over two hundred years to the present day.
Political leaders (from centre, the left and the right), grassroots protest movements, institutions, nations, car brands, comedians, broadcasters - all have found something in the Ode to Joy that has come to serve their aims or projects. Detached from its original context (as the finale of a symphony), Beethoven’s melody carries its various meanings and associations (freedom, brotherhood, sophistication, power, heroic struggle) into the new contexts in which it’s heard. The resulting emotions - inspiration, euphoria, amusement, horror - might well depend on your point of view.
This radiophonic exploration brings together fragments and scenes from the BBC archives with new reflections from Professors Esteban Buch, Robert Fink, Lydia Goehr, Peter Höyng and Naomi Waltham-Smith together with orchestral and opera conductor Naomi Woo.
Produced by Phil Smith
Sound mix by Mike Woolley
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3
TUE 16:30 What's Up Docs? (m002rqlw)
How can we better understand endometriosis?
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 dive into endometriosis, a condition that occurs when cells similar to the ones in the lining of the womb (uterus) grow in other areas of the body. It affects around one in ten women of reproductive age, often causing severe pain, mental health issues and in some cases, it can result in infertility. In this episode, the doctors discuss the symptoms of endometriosis, the theories about its biological mechanisms and underlying cause, and why the condition is under-researched and under-funded, resulting in patients waiting on average 7.5 years to be diagnosed.
Joining them to discuss this is Dr Chi Eziefula, Associate Professor in Global Health and Infection at Brighton and Sussex Medical School and an Honorary Consultant physician.
If you want to get in touch, you can email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08000 665 123.
Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Guest: Dr Chi Eziefula
Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis and Faye Lyons-White
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Editor: Jo Rowntree
Researcher: Mili Ostojic
Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable
Visual Producer: Leon Gower
Digital Lead: Richard Berry
Composer: Phoebe McFarlane
Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby
At the BBC:
Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 17:00 PM (m002rqly)
Scathing MPs approve release of Andrew files
The government supported a Liberal Democrat motion which forces ministers to release files on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's appointment as trade envoy in 2001. Plus, four years after the Ukraine war began, Shaun Walker reveals how President Zelensky refused to believe an invasion was imminent, and how one man accidentally took control of 7,000 robot vacuum cleaners.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002rqm0)
MPs back call for the release of files on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's appointment as trade envoy
The government has said it's committed to releasing all documents, related to the appointment, 25 years ago, of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as a UK trade envoy. Also: Leaders of the G7 group of nations have reiterated their support for Ukraine on the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion. And the government has announced that from April, GPs in England will have to guarantee same-day appointments for all patients with urgent needs.
TUE 18:30 Wing It (m0025ssb)
Series 1
1. The Cow Who Flew Through the Moon
In the first episode of this brand new series, Alasdair Beckett-King plays host to a panel of improv comedy all stars, playing games full of squabbling siblings, cows with dreams and gentle parenting gone too far.
"No Script. No Prep. No Clue."
Presented by Alasdair Beckett-King.
Starring Cariad Lloyd, Steen Raskopoulos, Alexander Jeremy, and Emma Sidi.
Devised by Shoot From The Hip
Producer: Sam Holmes
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Production Co-ordinator: Becky Carewe-Jeffries
Sound Editor: Joe Bayley
A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4
TUE 19:00 The Archers (m002rqm2)
David approaches Lilian about the Stables participating in the Borchester Show, but then has to go and deal with a calving. Later though he bumps into Lilian again at the Shop and expounds on his idea for some kind of equestrian competition at the Show, to be run by the Stables. Susan suggests a farrier competition would be good too. David leaps on this, encouraging Lilian to get the Stables fully involved, before Lilian discerns Lynda’s influence at work. Lilian and Susan then outline the Snell modus operandi, before Lilian declines the offer. Susan then spills the beans about Chelsea working on the horsebox at the Stables and Lilian thinks she needs a word with Alice…
Susan recounts to Chelsea, Jazzer and Tracy what happened at the Dairy yesterday with Kirsty. She wonders if Brad or Chelsea might be interested in helping, but it’s a “no” on both counts. Chelsea, Jazzer and Tracy then tell Susan about the mobile salon idea and how brilliant it’s going to be, before they go and start work on making the horsebox fit for purpose. Chelsea can’t help worrying how she’s going to pay for people like the electrician they’ll need, but Tracy has an idea and offers her services to Susan at the Dairy. Grateful Susan says she’ll suggest it to Helen.
However, when Lilian catches Jazzer and Chelsea indulging in some childish horseplay she demands they remove the horsebox from the Stables immediately. Chelsea despairs, how did everything go this wrong this fast?
TUE 19:15 Front Row (m002rqm4)
Ukraine Unbroken - New Plays Responding to the War
The full scale invasion of Ukraine began four years ago today. Ukraine Unbroken is an evening of five new plays written in response to the war. David Edgar talks about his, Five Day War, which imagines the puppet government waiting to move in when Kviv falls, and the other dramas. Between the plays Ukrainian musician Mariia Petrovska sings and plays the bandura. She talks about her involvement and the bandura, the national instrument that was once banned. And Mariia plays and sings live in the studio.
As Oscar-winning British cinematographer Sir Roger Deakins looks back at his career through his visual memoir Reflections: On Cinematography, he talks to Samira about his practical and inventive approach to working on many iconic films such as 1984, O Brother Where Art Thou, 1917, tackling sci fi on Bladerunner 2049 and Bond with Skyfall.
The government has announced the introduction of new legisation to introduce monitoring by Ofcom of streaming services. Front Row explores the implcations of this.
And we consider the novels selected for the International Booker Prize longlist, announced today with writer and head judge Natasha Brown. The books in contention are:
The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran by Shida Bazyar, translated from German by Ruth Martin
We Are Green and Trembling by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, translated from Spanish by Robin Myers
The Remembered Soldier by Anjet Daanje, translated from Dutch by David McKay
The Deserters by Mathias Énard, translated from French by Charlotte Mandell
Small Comfort by Ia Genberg, translated from Swedish by Kira Josefsson
She Who Remains by Rene Karabash, translated from Bulgarian by Izidora Angel
The Director by Daniel Kehlmann, translated from German by Ross Benjamin
On Earth As It Is Beneath by Ana Paula Maia, translated from Portuguese by Padma Viswanathan
The Duke by Matteo Melchiorre, translated from Italian by Antonella Lettieri
The Witch by Marie NDiaye, translated from French by Jordan Stump
Women Without Men by Shahrnush Parsipur, translated from Persian by Faridoun Farrokh
The Wax Child by Olga Ravn, translated from Danish by Martin Aitken
Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated from Mandarin Chinese by Lin King
Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Julian May
TUE 20:00 File on 4 Investigates (m002rqm6)
No CCTV: When train attacks go unrecorded
Sexual harassment and assault on the rail network is on the rise across England, Wales and Scotland but a lack of CCTV evidence is preventing justice for victims in some cases.
Claire Jones examines how broken cameras and train companies not retaining CCTV footage for long enough has been hampering police investigations.
She goes on patrol with British Transport Police on the London Underground, speaks to police and victims about how frustrating it can be when key evidence cannot be accessed and sees some of the newest surveillance technology, currently not available on trains, in action.
Details of organisations offering help and support for anyone affected by sexual violence are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline
Reporter: Claire Jones
Producer: Nicola Dowling
Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford
Production co-ordinator: Tim Fernley
Editor: Tara McDermott
TUE 20:40 In Touch (m002rqm8)
SEND Reforms
The government has unveiled its new SEND reform plans, with promises to ensure that every child with additional needs will benefit from better, more tailored support, and to make every school truly inclusive. But with little specific mention of visual impairment within the policy proposals, In Touch digs into what they might mean for visually impaired pupils across England, with the help of a panel of guests and the Minister for Children and Families, Josh MacAlister.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Paul Holloway
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 Illuminated (m002rq9x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:15 on Sunday]
TUE 21:30 The Bottom Line (m002rghf)
How Do You Deal with a Workplace Bully?
Across our professional careers, many of us will come into contact with a difficult colleague or hard-to-please superior. But what happens when difficult behaviour crosses over into bullying at work? What effect does this have, not only on our wellbeing, but on our workplace as a whole?
Evidence suggests that bullying may be on the rise in the UK. A 2025 survey of British workers conducted by ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) found that 44% of respondents had experienced conflict at work in the last 12 months. And on the global stage, the resurgence of ‘strong man’ leadership has reignited a debate: does bullying behaviour get you what you want?
Evan and the panel look at what workplace bullying is, when and why bullying can occur, and the steps individuals and organisations can take to tackle this behaviour in the workplace.
Guests:
Jason Warner, Managing Director (UK and EMEA) at SBS
Kevin Rowan, Director of Dispute Resolution at ACAS
Kara Ng, Senior Lecturer in Organisational Psychology at Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester
Production team:
Presenter: Evan Davis
Producer: Mhairi MacKenzie
Production Co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound engineers: James Beard and Neil Churchill
Editor: Matt Willis
The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m002rqmb)
Mandelson's lawyers say he was arrested over claim he was flight risk
Lord Mandelson was released in the early hours of Tuesday morning - and tonight lawyers for the former UK Ambassador and Labour minister have said he'd been arrested on "a baseless suggestion" that he was planning to leave the country.
Also on the programme: As the government prepares to introduce its criminal justice reforms, a justice minister insists they won't back down on plans to reduce the number of jury trials.
As the latest retail crime figures are released, the view from the frontline: our presenter visits Northampton to see how police are tackling shoplifting.
And there has been a dog among the swans tonight - but a friendly one: the co-owner of Swansea City Football Club - the American rapper Snoop Dogg - attends a home game for the first time.
TUE 22:45 Salt by Catrin Kean (m002rqmd)
2. The Ship
1880s Cardiff is grimy, rainy and grey. Ellen works as a domestic and dreams of escaping her claustrophobic home life. When her brother returns home from his latest stint at sea, he introduces Ellen to Samuel, a ship's cook from Barbados. When Samuel asks her to be his wife, it's the beginning of a love story that will see them journey across the ocean to San Francisco and Barbados, and which will force them to confront the realities of poverty and racism.
Salt was the winner of the 2021 Wales Book of the Year Award, the 2021 Rhys Davies Fiction award, and the Wales Arts Review People's Choice Award. It was Catrin Kean's debut novel. Writing as Catrin Clarke, she won a BAFTA Cymru award for screenwriting in 2003 for her work on the BBC Wales drama Belonging. Her second novel, Lace, was published in 2024.
Read by Kezrena James
Abridged by Miranda Davies
Editing and Sound Design by Mair Bosworth
Mixed by Ilse Lademann
Produced by Fay Lomas for BBC Audio Bristol
TUE 23:00 Artworks (m002krhm)
Who Is the Door-to-Door Poet?
Poet Rowan McCabe meets ordinary people and brings poetry into their homes, or rather their doorsteps. Born and raised on a council estate in Hebburn, South Tyneside, Rowan has appointed himself the world's first Door-to-Door Poet.
He has travelled to the UK's most complicated, divided, and isolated places, knocking on strangers' doors and asking them what is important to them. He then writes a poem about their unique stories, their unexpected passions, and their fears, before performing it on their doorstep, free of charge.
It's sort of like the Avon lady, but with rhymes. Hear a brand new adventure which takes him to Donegal, Ireland in a bid to reconnect with his heritage and his poetry.
Presenter: Rowan McCabe
Producer: Olivia Swift
Executive Producer: Geoff Bird
Mixing Engineer: Eloise Whitmore
Programme image by picturesbybish
A Reform Radio production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002rqmh)
Sean Curran reports as MPs call for the release of papers concerning Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's role as trade envoy.
WEDNESDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2026
WED 00:00 Midnight News (m002rqmk)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
WED 00:30 Unspeakable: Survival and Transformation After Trauma by Dr Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne (m002rqlc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002rqmm)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002rqmp)
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 (m002rqmr)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
WED 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002rqmt)
Susan Hulme reports as MPs debate Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's time as a UK trade envoy - and back a move for papers about the appointment to be made public.
WED 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002rqmw)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002rqmy)
Knox’s Hoax
Good morning.
I have an odd hobby – recreating lost broadcasts. Recently I had a blast – literally – re-enacting radio’s first hoax, on the early BBC 100 years ago.
The prankster behind it was a priest, Father Ronald Knox. Man of the cloth, and man of words, twinkle in his eye. He wrote books, satires, and a 1926 radio drama: a spoof news broadcast. The problem was, many Brits were just getting radio sets. Many believed what they heard.
So when Father Knox impersonated a newsreader, announcing a mob with trench mortars... listeners panicked – more-so when they heard they’d felled Big Ben. Father Knox thought listeners would get the joke, when he corrected that the Minister of Traffic hadn’t been strung up on a lamp-post, but a tram-way post. Or when he said rioters were storming his radio studio, but that they’d stopped in the waiting-room to read the Radio Times.
There were clues it was fake news. The mob’s leader was Mr Poppleberry, leader of the Movement for the Abolition of Theatre Queues. But listeners fleeing in panic didn’t stick around to hear it.
I had fun recreating this lost broadcast – explosions and all – but I appreciated Father Knox’s serious side too. He translated the entire Bible. He wrote a defence of Catholicism. And he wrote about prayer: that when prayer seems difficult, remember God knows you personally, his devotion “in the unheard whisper with which he calls you”, his own sheep, by name.
I give thanks that God made us multi-faceted – that the serious can find silliness, that priests can be pranksters, and that just as he knew Father Ronald Knox by name, he knows you and me too.
Amen
WED 05:45 Farming Today (m002rqn0)
25/02/26 National Farmers' Union Conference 2026
The Environment Secretary has revealed more details of the rebooted Sustainable Farming Incentive in England, at the National Farmers Union Conference. It'll include an annual cap of £100,000 and fewer options. Smaller farms of between 3 and 50 hectares will be able to apply in June, as will larger farms who haven't previously been signed up to one of the Environment Land Management schemes. Everyone else will be able to apply in September. The President of the NFU, Tom Bradshaw, told the conference that that a failure to build farming resilience would put food security, and national security at risk. Some of the delegates reflect on resilience and confidence in their own businesses: we hear from a pig farmer, wheat and potato grower, and a young dairy farmer.
Presenter: Anna Hill
Producer: Sarah Swadling
WED 06:00 Today (m002rs97)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 Sideways (m002rs99)
82. Scream Queen
As a young girl, Djamila Azzouz loved performing - musical theatre, choirs. She loved nothing more than the thrill of entertaining an audience. But in her teenage years, mental health issues made her shy away from a career that would put her in the spotlight.
When even singing itself became difficult, she found a surprising alternative: screaming. But as a woman, her raw, unfiltered expression often clashed with social expectations, even on the metal music scene.
Matthew Syed explores how, throughout history, women's screams have frequently been tightly controlled, accepted only in specific contexts. And considers whether there are signs of a shift towards greater acceptance and empowerment through screaming, even in horror, where traditionally scream queens have conveyed fear, pleasure, or vulnerability.
With Ithaca’s vocalist Djamila Azzouz, vocal coach Melissa Cross, behavioural and data scientist Professor Pragya Agarwal, and Elizabeth Erwin, researcher in film and media at LeHigh University, Pennsylvania.
Presenter: Matthew Syed
Producer: Julien Manuguerra-Patten
Editor: Katherine Godfrey
Sound Design and Mix: Mark Pittam
Theme music by: Ioana Selaru
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4
In this episode, you heard:
Ithaca - They Fear Us
Written by Sam Chetan-Welsh, Djamila Azzouz, Will Sweet, James Lewis, Dom Moss.
AMF Music Limited
Ithaca - Impulse Crush
Written by Sam Chetan-Welsh, Djamila Azzouz, Will Sweet, James Lewis, Dom Moss.
Ithaca - Cremation Party
Written by Sam Chetan-Welsh, Djamila Azzouz, Will Sweet, James Lewis, Dom Moss.
AMF Music Limited
Ithaca - Fluorescent
Written by Sam Chetan-Welsh, Djamila Azzouz, Will Sweet, James Lewis, Dom Moss.
AMF Music Limited
Poppy, Amy Lee, and Courtney LaPlante - End of You
Written by Moriah Rose Perreira, Jordan Fish, Amy Lee, Courtney Laplante, Mike Stringer
Sumerian Records
WED 09:30 The History Bureau (m002qjs7)
Putin and the Apartment Bombs
6. The Trial
A trial of two suspected bombers seems to offer closure – but is this really case closed?
As Mikhael Trepashkin prepares to present evidence that might shed light on what really happened in 1999, he's thrown into prison. And as the verdict looms for two suspected bombers, so does an unsettling truth about how the Kremlin uses moments of crisis to tighten its grip. In this episode, Helena speaks to Steven Lee Myers, the former New York Times Moscow Bureau Chief who watched Putin consolidate his power in the years after the bombings.
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. In this season, 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 (m002rs9c)
Kyla Harris, Womb transplants, Women in farming, Alev Scott
A baby boy has become the first to be born in the UK to a mother with a womb transplant from a deceased donor. Grace Bell, who is in her 30s, delivered her baby boy, Hugo, in December. Clare McDonnell is joined by transplant surgeon Isabel Quiroga who completed the transplant in collaboration with Professor Richard Smith and colleagues at Oxford University Hospital and Imperial College, London, and established the first uterus transplant programme in the UK.
Today is the day Season 2 of the TV series We Might Regret This is released. Its creator and star, Kyla Harris, discusses how she has drawn on her experiences as a disabled person to create this funny and unflinching look at life with disability.
The first results from the University of Exeter's Women in Farming health and wellbeing study are in, and they paint a concerning picture of the wellbeing of women in farming across the UK.
Alev Scott’s latest book, Cash Cow, investigates the global fertility industry, exploring how much the female body is being commodified, and its impact on women across the world. Who should make money from the maternal body - only the women themselves, anyone or no one? Going undercover, she explores the breast milk black market, the trade in harvesting eggs, and the women who are surrogates for others.
Presenter: Clare McDonnell
Producer: Kirsty Starkey
WED 11:00 File on 4 Investigates (m002rqm6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Tuesday]
WED 11:40 This Week in History (m002rs9f)
February 23rd to March 1st
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
This week: 23rd February to 1st March
24th February 1999 - The Metropolitan police force was branded "institutionally racist" by the Macpherson Report which examined the murder of the black teenager, Stephen Lawrence.
1st March 1565 - The city of Rio de Janeiro was founded by the Portuguese.
26th February 1839 - The first Grand National was run at Aintree. Then called the Grand Liverpool Steeplechase, it was won by a horse called Lottery
WED 11:45 Unspeakable: Survival and Transformation After Trauma by Dr Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne (m002rs9h)
The Lucky Ones (part 2)
Pioneering forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist, Dr Gwen Adshead, has spent thirty years as a therapist in secure hospitals, prisons and in the community.
In UNSPEAKABLE we witness her work with patients in the aftermath of distressing and traumatic events and see how speech, language and silence can influence recovery after catastrophe.
Dr Adshead was the BBC Reith Lecturer in 2024.
PART THREE - THE LUCKY ONES - part 2
Three survivors of a helicopter crash have very different responses to the incident and in how they have coped in the aftermath.
Read by Gwen Adshead
Written by Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne
Abridged by Eileen Horne
Producer: Gaynor Macfarlane
WED 12:00 News Summary (m002rs9k)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:04 You and Yours (m002rs9m)
Electric Vehicle Chargers, Card Reader Scam, Food Waste
From the first of April, homeowners without driveways will be able to get £500 toward the cost of installing an electric car charger at home. It's an increase of £150, which the government hopes will help to increase electric vehicle ownership. The grant will also extend to apartment blocks, landlord-owned properties and workplaces, but is it enough to entice drivers to give up petrol cars?
Our reporter Shari Vahl sheds light on a card reader fraud that is being used by criminals posing as fundraisers across the UK. We hear from one person who thought they were donating five pounds, but later found out she was charged five thousands pounds.
UK households produce enough food waste each year to fill Wembley Stadium eight times over, according to the Waste and Resources Action Programme. It’s why in 2023, the Conservative government ordered councils in England to start weekly food waste recycling collections by March 2026. However, new research by the BBC has found that 1 in 4 won't hit that target next month.
The crowdfunding site GoFundMe has told You and Yours that it's seeing a marked rise in the number of posts that are appealing for help with essential bills. Since the start of this year, thirty posts a day in the UK are asking for money for bills or rent. There are currently around 1,500 posted in the UK. That's up ten percent on this time last year.
WED 12:57 Weather (m002rs9p)
The latest weather forecast
WED 13:00 World at One (m002rs9r)
Commons speaker told police Mandelson may flee abroad
Sir Lindsay Hoyle's intervention comes after the peer's lawyers complained about the force's decision to arrest him as part of its probe into misconduct in public office allegations. Our PMQs panel debates the clash between the Prime Minister and the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, over student loans in England and Wales. And we hear from Brits caught up in Mexico's violence.
WED 13:45 Shadow World (m002rvy4)
Impulsive
8. Collateral
Andrew’s a respected local solicitor when one day he’s arrested. He has defrauded his elderly clients of more than £600,000, which he’s spent on sex workers and antiques.
His wife Frances and daughter Alice are shocked - this seems completely out of character. Then they learn there could be a connection to Andrew’s Parkinson’s medication.
But will the judge accept this as mitigation for his crimes?
Details of organisations offering help and support with some of the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
If you have any concerns about medication you’re taking, speak to your doctor.
Presenter: Noel Titheradge
Producer: Lucy Burns
Editor: Matt Willis
A BBC News Long Form Audio production
WED 14:00 The Archers (m002rqm2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama on 4 (m002rs9t)
The People's Crusade : A Story for Britain
After a landslide win for a new county council, Marianne and the community must decide where their allegiances lie.
Jonathan Myerson’s new drama explores the new politics forming across the country as the old norms no longer apply. Is this just about which flag is flying on the public buildings or is there a tectonic shift taking place?
The People’s Crusade by Jonathan Myerson
Marianne ..... Sandra Huggett
Catherine ..... Elexi Walker
Keith ..... David Hunter
Donna ..... Sarah Ball
Adam ..... Nick Chambers
Jerry ..... David Hartley
Tom ..... Charles Armstrong
Production Coordinator: Shemiza Rashid
Sound design: Alisdair McGregor
Producer and director: Boz Temple-Morris
A Holy Mountain production for BBC Radio 4
WED 15:00 The Law Show (m002rs9w)
What is Misconduct in Public Office?
The former US ambassador Peter Mandelson is on bail after being arrested on suspicion of Misconduct in Public Office.
Police have been investigating claims that when he was Business secretary, he shared market-sensitive government information with the financier Jeffrey Epstein.
His arrest comes a few days after police arrested Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, also on suspicion of Misconduct in Public Office, when he was a trade envoy. He is suspected of sharing confidential government documents with Epstein.
The arrests come after the release of a large number of files by the US Department of Justice. These relate to the activities of Jeffrey Epstein, who was a convicted sex offender. He died in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of the sex-trafficking of underage girls.
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor was friends with Epstein. So was Lord Mandelson.
The BBC has approached Andrew Mountbatten Windsor for a response to these claims. He has always rejected any wrongdoing in connection with Jeffrey Epstein and denied any personal gain from his role as trade envoy.
Lord Mandelson has not publicly commented in recent weeks on the Epstein files, but the BBC understands his position is he has not acted in any way criminally and that he was not motivated by financial gain.
But what exactly is Misconduct in Public Office? It's a common law offence, with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, but the Law Commission of England and Wales describes it as "ill-defined ".
So how did it evolve, who does it apply to, how does it work in practice?
Presenter: Dr Joelle Grogan
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Senior Producer: Ravi Naik
Producer: Charlotte Rowles
Contributors:
Gareth Roberts, Barrister, Exchange chambers
Kate Bex KC, Red Lion chambers
Jeremy Horder, Professor of Criminal Law, the London School of Economics
Dr Hayleigh Bosher, a Reader in Intellectual Property Law at Brunel, University of London.
WED 15:30 The Artificial Human (m002rs9y)
Are Large Language Models a Dead End?
Chat GPT, Gemini etc are most people's idea of artificial intelligence. But are the limitations of the large language models (LLMs) that underpin them an obstacle to achieving Ai that understand the world beyond what its learnt from the internet. That's increasingly the opinion of leading researchers who despite the industries fixation with LLMs are voting with their feet and setting up their own research labs to look at other ways to achieve Ai.
Aleks and Kevin talk with Michael Woolridge, Professor of the Foundations of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Oxford to understand why he thinks LLMs are a hack, before speaking with long time tech innovator Jeff Hawkins about his why his 1000 brains Ai project could produce models that actually understand the world much more like we do.
Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong
Producer: Peter McManus
Research: Elizabeth Ann Duffy and Minnie Harrop
Sound: Steve Greenwood and Sean Mullervy
WED 16:00 When It Hits the Fan (m002rrx4)
Friends: The One About PR
When you’re in a crisis, you discover very quickly who your friends are. Or perhaps more accurately, who your friends aren’t.
This week, David Yelland and Simon Lewis examine how different types of friends are deployed to the PR front line when it comes to reputational combat.
When you can't defend yourself in public, you need the right sort in your corner. But not all friends are equal. There's the named friend, the unnamed friend and the showbiz favourite - 'close friend of the couple'.
And David and Simon reveal there are often PR campaigns going on behind-the-scenes to ensure the best calibre of friend is speaking up - and why a 'source', a 'spokesperson' and a 'friend' might actually be the same person.
On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, a moment of indulgence as When it Hits the Fan reaches its 100th episode. David and Simon explain what's surprised them about the world of PR since the show started - and why they've had to think differently about the world they move in.
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 (m002rrx6)
Baftas fallout , Reporting on the Ukraine War four years on, the power of photography to capture the essence of a story
Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins on the biggest media stories of the week, including:
Jake Kanter from Deadline on the racial slur shouted during the Baftas ceremony which made it into the BBC’s broadcast.
Anthony Loyd, special correspondent at The Times, reflects on his latest trip to Ukraine, while the BBC’s Olga Malchevska discusses how the anniversary is being covered across Eastern Europe and the personal impact of reporting on her home country.
Suzanne Plunkett, Chief Photographer at Reuters, and Arthur Edwards, long serving royal photographer for The Sun, explain how the now viral picture of Prince Andrew leaving police custody was taken and why royal photos matter more than ever. And the BBC’s Sean Coughlan and Ingrid Seward, editor in chief of Majesty Magazine, explore how the palace press team manages public messaging and whether a more direct communication style is now unavoidable.
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai
WED 17:00 PM (m002rsb0)
Government denies Chagos Islands deal is paused
Following confusion over the status of the government's Chagos Islands deal, we speak to former foreign office advisor Ben Judah, who was involved in drafting the deal. Plus, have a special report from Mexico, where our correspondent Quentin Sommerville has been tracking the deadly violence caused by one of the country's wealthiest drugs cartels.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002rsb2)
The Met Police apologises to the speaker of the House of Commons
The Metropolitan Police has apologised for inadvertently revealing that Sir Lindsay Hoyle told its officers Lord Mandelson was considering leaving the country. Also: The government insists it's going ahead with its deal to transfer the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, despite a minister telling Parliament it was on hold. And satellite images of penguin moulting sites highlight the dangers to the birds of climate change.
WED 18:30 Stand-Up Specials (m002rsb4)
Live from the UK
S2 E1: Do Horses Drink Guinness?
Host Angela Barnes travels to comedy clubs across the country. In this new run, Angela heads back on the road to comedy clubs in all 4 nations of the UK
So if you want to know why it's hard to change your sock style after 50, if horses really drink Guinness in Kirkcaldy, and how to respond to smug German bobsledders, then this is the show for you.
In this episode, you can hear;
Zoe Lyons at Brighton Komedia
Stuart McPherson at Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh
Anna Thomas at the Swansea Grand
Neil Delamere at the Empire Music Hall in Belfast
Additional Material by Ruth Husko
Recorded by David Thomas, Sean Kerwin and Davy Neil
Sound design by David Thomas
Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4.
WED 19:00 The Archers (m002rrwk)
Rex gives Brian a lift back to his car after it ran out of petrol, and stays with him to check Brian’s ok restarting it. Later, at the Rewilding, Brian’s impressed by the variety of wildflowers on one of the trails. He quizzes Rex about his life pre-Ambridge and why he went into farming, before suggesting they meet at The Bull tomorrow, when Rex can talk to Miranda about taking her walking group on a Rewilding trail.
At the Dairy Susan is demonstrating the cheesemaking process to Tracy when Chelsea taps at the window. Tracy tells her she hasn’t had time to talk to Lilian yet, then on their break Chelsea fills Susan in on her dilemma – she’s got nowhere to put the horsebox if it can’t stay at the Stables! Chelsea implores Susan to let Tracy sort things out with Lilian, but Susan reckons Chelsea needs to do it herself if she’s a proper businesswoman. Tracy agrees, leaving Chelsea to it. Later, Tracy begs Susan to take her on at the Dairy for Chelsea’s sake, but also because she’s a good worker.
At the Dower House Chelsea does her best to sway Lilian, who appears unmoved. Chelsea then walks to The Bull with Lilian, outlining her business plan in detail. Lilian’s impressed but still says no to keeping the horsebox at the Stables. However, Chelsea could keep it at the Dower House instead – there’s a spot in the corner behind the shrubbery. Stunned Chelsea tells Lilian she loves her, and Tracy exclaims to Lilian that she’s just made her the happiest mum in the world!
WED 19:15 Front Row (m002rsb6)
Arthur Sze, the poet laureate of the United States, and award-winning director Felipe Bustos Sierra
Poet Laureate of the United States, Arthur Sze is one of the most admired poets of the past five decades influencing the work of Poet Laureates and Nobel Physicists. His work focusses on imagery from nature and he will talk about his latest collection and his first UK publication, Into The Hush.
The Glasgow Film Festival opening film, Everybody to Kenmure Street tells the story of the community response to a dawn raid by Immigration Officers on Kenmure Street, a diverse community in the southside of Glasgow in May 2021. Director Felipe Bustos Sierra joins Kirsty.
Artist Ilana Halperin on her exhibition 'What Is Us and What is Earth' that blends sculpture, drawing and photography to explore the connection between human life and geological time. Curator Susanna Beaumont will also join the discussison to talk about the exhibition, 'Earth Matters' that marks 300 years since the birth of James Hutton, the Edinburgh born geologist whose radical ideas gave us the first sense of deep time and changed how we see the Earth
WED 20:00 AntiSocial (m002rdzx)
Looksmaxxing
Peace talks for the culture wars. Adam looks at the dark art of looksmaxxing, asking what is it, where does it come from and why has it been growing online?
Adam gets a glossary of the terms around this trend. He hears how social media is influencing beauty standards. And we find out about "pretty privilege."
Presenter: Adam Fleming
Producers: John Murphy, Natasha Fernandes and Annabel Deas.
Studio manager: Jack Wilfan
Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Penny Murphy
WED 20:45 The Bottom Line (m002gq8j)
The Decisions That Made Me
Sonnaz Nooranvary (House of Sonnaz, upholsterer)
Sonnaz Nooranvary thought she’d have to be a doctor or a lawyer to please her parents but struggled academically thanks to a combination of dyslexia and ADHD. Everything changed when she spotted an advert for an upholstery apprenticeship. She dropped out of college to build yachts from scratch. The upholsterer talks to Evan Davis about how she went against her family’s expectations to follow her instincts.
Production team:
Producer: Bob Howard, Georgiana Tudor
Editor: Matt Willis
Sound: John Scott
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
(Photo credit: Luke David)
WED 21:00 Intrigue (m002q86z)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Tuesday]
WED 21:30 Inside Health (m002rql7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Tuesday]
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m002rsb9)
Government denies Chagos Islands deal is paused
The government has said it is not pausing legislation that would see the Chagos Islands transferred to Mauritius. That's despite Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer telling Parliament that the process would be paused "for discussions with our American counterparts". A government spokesperson said Falconer had "misspoken".
Also on the programme: as more shops use facial recognition technology to deter shoplifters, we find out what it’s like to be falsely accused.
And new research uncovers clues to the origin of the organ that gave Charles Darwin a "cold shudder": the eye.
WED 22:45 Salt by Catrin Kean (m002rsbc)
3. Barbados
1880s Cardiff is grimy, rainy and grey. Ellen works as a domestic and dreams of escaping her claustrophobic home life. When her brother returns home from his latest stint at sea, he introduces Ellen to Samuel, a ship's cook from Barbados. When Samuel asks her to be his wife, it's the beginning of a love story that will see them journey across the ocean to San Francisco and Barbados, and which will force them to confront the realities of poverty and racism.
Salt was the winner of the 2021 Wales Book of the Year Award, the 2021 Rhys Davies Fiction award, and the Wales Arts Review People's Choice Award. It was Catrin Kean's debut novel. Writing as Catrin Clarke, she won a BAFTA Cymru award for screenwriting in 2003 for her work on the BBC Wales drama Belonging. Her second novel, Lace, was published in 2024.
Read by Kezrena James
Abridged by Miranda Davies
Editing and Sound Design by Mair Bosworth
Mixed by Ilse Lademann
Produced by Fay Lomas for BBC Audio Bristol
WED 23:00 Stand-Up Specials (m002rsbf)
Slim's Guide to Life
2. Teenage Years
Comedian and legend of the black circuit, Slim, is turning the book of his lift back to his teenage years.
Going shopping with his mum, moving schools and sneaking out to go raving, Slim had a pretty standard teenage experience, until one day he received a phone call that meant he had to grow up. Fast.
Slim takes us through his teenage years, from being blessed with a spotless face, to his wild first day in the world of work.
Written and performed by Slim
Script Edited by David Ajao
Production Coordinator: Caroline Barlow
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Recorded at Up The Creek comedy club by Chris Maclean.
Sound design by Chris Maclean
Music by Slim
Slim's Guide to Life is produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies, and is a BBC Studios production for Radio 4.
WED 23:15 Stand-Up Specials (m002rsbh)
Aurie Styla: Tech Talk
S2 E1: Personally, I'm Technically Fit
Comedian Aurie Styla returns to rampage through the history of technology, through his own experience as a self-confessed tech nerd growing up in the 90s, and various things you thought you’d forgotten.
With his interactive, wildly funny style, tonight the focus is on the role tech has played in our fitness lives: for better or worse.
An Impatient production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002rsbk)
Susan Hulme reports on a fiery Prime Minister's Questions, with Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch clashing over student loans.
THURSDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2026
THU 00:00 Midnight News (m002rsbm)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
THU 00:30 Unspeakable: Survival and Transformation After Trauma by Dr Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne (m002rs9h)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002rsbp)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002rsbr)
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 (m002rsbt)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
THU 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002rsbw)
News, views and features on yesterday's stories in Parliament
THU 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002rsby)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002rsc0)
Circus
Good morning – especially if you’re on the road, and especially if you’re in need of a pit stop.
As a jobbing stand-up comic, I do plenty of late-night drives, and not long ago I was heading home, long past midnight, where at a motorway service station, I saw something I’d never seen before. A vast chunk of the car park taken over by... a travelling circus.
They hadn’t pitched tent in the parking bays or anything – they were literally travelling, and needed a comfort break. So out of the lorries and caravans poured dozens of circus professionals, mostly still with hints of their outfits on.
Soon I was entering the building, holding the door for daredevil stunt riders and dancers, queuing for coffee with jugglers, and enjoying a late-night pasty next to a table of clowns.
‘You don’t see that every day,’ I mumbled. ‘Actually, we do,’ said a roadie. Fair point. Their workplace may be a little different, but it’s theirs. And as a stand-up comic myself, surely I too was just another clown – only I wore a suit and shoes that are the right size.
One person’s ‘unusual’ is another’s ‘business as usual’, I guess. Even travelling circuses need to stop travelling now and then. The strongmen need strong coffee, the ringmaster needs to lay down his hat, and as for the clown car in the car park, well the doors were hanging off.
I pray that when our lives feel like a busy circus, we’ll remember to pull in and pause. May we be divinely refreshed and refuelled. And may God, the Almighty ringmaster, bless us all, clowns that we can be, from time to time.
Amen
THU 05:45 Farming Today (m002rsc2)
26/02/26 The Farming Minister and reaction to the updated environmental farm payment scheme in England; illegal waste dumping
The farming minister says changes announced this week will help make farms more resilient. Angela Eagle speaks to us about the government's biggest environmental scheme, England's Sustainable Farming Incentive, which is getting an overhaul. The other UK nations have different schemes. Reaction has been generally welcoming, with some buts...
Farmers and landowners are calling for a new arrangement which would allow them to take rubbish illegally fly tipped on their land to landfill sites free of charge. At the moment they have to foot the bill for any clean up. This comes as new government figures for England show a nine per cent increase year on year in the number of incidents local councils have to deal with. We hear an update on the illegal waste site cleanup at Hoad's Wood near Ashford in Kent.
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
THU 06:00 Today (m002rrvx)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (m002rrvz)
The Columbian Exchange
Misha Glenny and guests discuss the exchange of cultures and biology across the Atlantic and Pacific after 1492. That was when Columbus reached the Bahamas, a time when Europe had no potatoes, tomatoes, sunflowers or, arguably, syphilis in its most virulent form; the Americas had no cattle, bananas, sugar cane or smallpox. The lists of what was then exchanged are long and as these flora, fauna and diseases moved between continents, their impact ranged from transformation to devastation. In parts of the Americas, European viruses helped kill over 90 percent of the population. In parts of Europe, Africa and Asia populations boomed on the new American foods. Sheep from Europe grazed fertile land into deserts in some parts of the Americas, while the lowered populations in others led to local reforestation which, arguably, is linked to a particularly cold period in the Little Ice Age.
With
Rebecca Earle
Professor of History at the University of Warwick
John Lindo
Associate Professor of Anthropology at Emory University
And
Mark Maslin
Professor of Earth System Science at University College London
Producer: Simon Tillotson
Reading list
Steven R. Brechin and Seungyun Lee (ed.), Routledge Handbook of Climate Change and Society (Routledge, 2024), especially the chapter ‘Human Impacts on the Climate Prior to the Industrial Revolution’ by Alexander Koch, Simon Lewis, Chris Brierley and Mark Maslin
Judith Carney and Richard Rosomoff, In the Shadow of Slavery: Africa’s Botanical Legacy in the Atlantic World (University of California Press, 2009)
EJ Collen, AS Johar, JC Teixeira and B. Llamas, ‘The Immunogenetic Impact of European Colonization in the Americas’ (Front Genet, August 2022)
Alfred W. Crosby, The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492 (Greenwood Press, 1972)
Rebecca Earle, ‘‘‘If You Eat Their Food . . .”: Diets and Bodies in Early Colonial Spanish America’ (American Historical Review 115:3, 2010)
Raymond Grew (ed.), Food in Global History (Routledge, 1999), especially ‘The Impact of New World Food Crops on the Diet and Economy of China and India, 1600-1900’ by Sucheta Mazumda
Simon L. Lewis and Mark A. Maslin, The Human Planet: How We Created the Anthropocene (Pelican, 2018)
Nathan Nunn and Nancy Qian, ‘The Columbian Exchange: A History of Disease, Food, and Ideas’ (Journal of Economic Perspectives 24:2, 2010)
Jeffrey Pilcher (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Food History (Oxford University Press, 2012), especially ‘The Columbian Exchange’ by Rebecca Earle
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.
THU 09:45 Strong Message Here (m002rrw1)
History Will Judge You (with Stewart Lee)
Stewart Lee joins Armando again this week. With a by-election on, we look away from the present day and think about how history will judge politicians.
Some of the language in the recent Tony Blair documentary piques Armando's interest, and we also look at how Boris Johnson and Gordon Brown use language (or lack thereof) to cement their own post-premiership legacies.
We also look at the politic-speak creeping into Royal statements, Gerry Adams on a trampoline, and the furore over language at the BAFTAs
Got a strong message for Armando? Email us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk
Sound editing: Chris Maclean
Production Coordinator: Asha Osborne-Grinter
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Recorded at The Sound Company
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002rrw3)
'Molly vs the Machines' doc, Female Afghan Ambassador, Maternity care, Cleopatra re-imagined
An interim report from Baroness Amos, who is leading a government-commissioned review into NHS maternity care in England, says maternity services are failing "too many" families, with problems "at every stage" of the maternity journey. Six factors were highlighted including racism, staffing and accountability issues. To give their reactions, Anita Rani is joined by the film-maker and activist Pippa Bennett-Warner and Theo Clarke, parent and campaigner and formerly a Member of Parliament, who suffered from birth trauma and gave evidence to Baroness Amos' investigation this week.
Molly vs the Machines is a new feature-length documentary that tells the story of Ian Russell and his fight for online safety, after his daughter Molly took her own life in 2017 following months of viewing content relating to self-harm and suicide on social media. The film recreates the inquest where Ian was told the online images were safe and follows twin narratives – the story of what happened to Molly in the lead-up to her tragic death, and the broader economic logic behind AI and giant tech companies as they continue to shape and influence lives. Molly’s friends Charlotte Campbell and Sophie Conlan tell Anita why it was important for them to take part in the film.
Last week the Taliban published a new penal code and women's rights groups have said that women and girls in particular are set to suffer at the hands of the courts in Afghanistan. Anita is joined by Mahjooba Nowrouzi, a senior journalist for the BBC’s Afghan Service and Manizha Bakhtari, who was the Afghan Ambassador to Austria until the Taliban took control in 2021. She continues to be an Ambassador, but without a country, representing the Afghan people against the Taliban's order. She remains accredited in Vienna, and works with a renewed focus on advocating for the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan. She's the subject of a new documentary The Last Ambassador.
Fantasy fiction author Saara El‑Arifi’s new novel Cleopatra is a bold re-imagining of one of history’s most iconic women, Cleopatra VII, the last ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty that ruled Egypt from 51 BC - 30 BC, a woman celebrated for her beauty and her love affairs with the Roman warlords Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. El-Arifi's Cleopatra is not confined by the limits set by men or society. She reclaims Cleopatra’s story through the perspective of a Black woman and gives voice to the queen behind the myth.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Rebecca Myatt
THU 11:00 The Body Politic (m00274s8)
Pre-natal screening
The politics of the human body is at the centre of intense debate in the UK and beyond. Thanks to science, technology and a fast-moving political landscape, humans are increasingly able to intervene in the natural processes of life – how we are conceived, how we are born and how and when we die. But what are the limits to this intervention, how should we decide and who should decide?
Broadcaster and columnist Sonia Sodha gets behind divides and polarisation to discover nuance, complexity and compelling stories around the beginning and the end of human life.
In this episode we explore the dilemmas facing women in pregnancy as advances in genetic screening and testing offer information about the foetuses they're carrying. We travel to Denmark where a national screening programme has led a to a big drop in the numbers of babies born with Down Syndrome. We talk to families with children with Down Syndrome, doctors and other experts about this controversial area of bio ethics and the societal consequences of individual choice.
Producer: Leala Padmanabhan
Sound design: Hal Haines
THU 11:45 Unspeakable: Survival and Transformation After Trauma by Dr Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne (m002rrw5)
The Hostage
Pioneering forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist, Dr Gwen Adshead, has spent thirty years as a therapist in secure hospitals, prisons and in the community.
In UNSPEAKABLE we witness her work with patients in the aftermath of distressing and traumatic events and see how speech, language and silence can influence recovery after catastrophe.
Dr Adshead was the BBC Reith Lecturer in 2024.
PART FOUR - THE HOSTAGE
Dr Adshead treats a man who, as a child, was caught up in an aircraft hijacking.
Read by Gwen Adshead
Written by Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne
Abridged by Eileen Horne
Producer: Gaynor Macfarlane
THU 12:00 News Summary (m002rrw7)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:04 The Bottom Line (m002rrw9)
Product Innovation: Better, Or Just New?
From smartphones to trainers, confectionary and cleaning products, we live in a culture of constant updates. Companies reformulate, redesign and refresh their products in a continuous race to stay ahead. But how are those decisions made? What counts as meaningful improvement and how much is designed to make last year’s version feel old? Evan Davis and guests discuss how products evolve and why standing still is the fastest way to fall behind.
Guests:
Tom Moody, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, P&G (Proctor & Gamble) Northern Europe
Dr Garry Moppett, Senior Director of Research & Development at Mars
Dave Ward, UK and International Managing Director, Amazon Ring.
Production team:
Presenter: Evan Davis
Producer: Sally Abrahams
Sound engineers: Lee Wilson and Donald MacDonald
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Editor: Matt Willis
The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University
THU 12:32 Sliced Bread (m002rrwc)
Dough - Mobile Phones
What will mobile phones be like in future? Greg Foot investigates
Greg Foot, host of the BBC Radio 4 show 'Sliced Bread', brings you 'Dough'.
Each episode explores future wonder products that might rise to success and redefine our lives.
Experts and entrepreneurs discuss the trends shaping what today's everyday technology may look like tomorrow, before a leading futurist offers their predictions on what life might be like within five, ten and fifty years.
This time we’re looking at the future of mobile phones - asking whether our handsets will shrink, stretch, roll, fold… or even disappear as new technology takes over? And will super-smart devices with AI assistants that second-guess our every move become the new normal?
Alongside Greg is the futurist, Tracey Follows, and expert guests: leading strategist in the tech industry, Chetan Sharma, innovator and creator from one of the world’s newest Mobile Phone manufacturers, “Nothing Mobile", their AI and design lead, Sélim Benayat and co-founder and CEO of Honest Mobile, Andy Aitken.
This episode was produced by Linda Walker
Dough is a BBC Audio North Production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
THU 12:57 Weather (m002rrwf)
The latest weather forecast
THU 13:00 World at One (m002rrwh)
Jersey approves assisted dying
A law to allow terminally ill adults the right to choose to end their own lives has been approved in Jersey. It marks the final legislative stage for the landmark proposals before they get Royal Assent in the UK. A final post-Brexit deal is agreed for Gibraltar, and we hear from some of the all-female cast of a version of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, hailed as “one of the most important theatrical events of the last 20 years” prepares to tour schools.
THU 13:45 Shadow World (m002rvy8)
Impulsive
9. Blame Game
Respected local solicitor Andrew is sent to prison - but the devastating impact of the side effects of his Parkinson’s medication continues.
BBC Investigations Correspondent Noel Titheradge has been contacted by more than 200 people about their experience of behavioural side effects of dopamine agonist drugs.
So who’s taking responsibility? We hear from pharmaceutical companies, regulators and doctors. There have been significant developments in the way these drugs are used - but what effect have they had?
Details of organisations offering help and support with some of the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
If you have any concerns about medication you’re taking, speak to your doctor.
Presenter: Noel Titheradge
Producer: Lucy Burns
Editor: Matt Willis
A BBC News Long Form Audio production
THU 14:00 The Archers (m002rrwk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama on 4 (m002rkpj)
Good People
3. The Experiment
A year after they last spoke, Sonia meets Ayad again. Memories of Project Hope’s early days beg an uncomfortable question: was Ayad always looking for the exit?
After all, Project Hope's first few weeks were tough going, especially on Ayad. When local woman Abbie entered their orbit, it finally felt like the group was making real change. What they didn't know then was that Abbie would one day become their fiercest adversary.
Series Overview
Four young idealists - Sonia, Kieran, Indigo and Ayad - fall under the spell of charismatic thinker Faith Abbott at university and channel her ideas into a bold political experiment: Project Hope. Thrown into a struggling coastal town vulnerable to the far right, they try to reinvent politics from the ground up, backed - and sometimes undermined - by the unpredictable Abbie.
Project Hope captures global attention, but when Faith denounces them from beyond the grave, the group are forced to confront their shared history, and the moral compromises they've made to remain “good people”.
Good People is a fictional story set against our very real political moment, examining the rise of populism, the perceived failure of politics-as-usual, and the deep divisions that run though our country and beyond. This is the third episode in an ambitious six-part state of the nation drama from award-winning political writer Steve Waters.
CAST
Sonia ..... Natalie Simpson
Ayad ..... Ikky Kabir
Indigo ..... Alby Baldwin
Faith ..... Anastasia Hille
Kieran ..... Nicholas Armfield
Jackie ..... Jasmine Hyde
Gabe ..... Django Bevan
Abbie ..... Iona Champain
Jake ..... Jimmy Walker
Lars ..... Nigel Pilkington
Shirley ..... Judith Street
Writer ..... Steve Waters
Sound ..... Andy Garratt, Keith Graham, Sam Dickinson
Casting Manager ..... Alex Curran
Script Development ..... Abigail Le Fleming
Production Co-ordinator ..... Kate Gray
Assistant Producer ..... Luke MacGregor
Director ..... Anne Isger
A BBC Studios Audio production
THU 15:00 Open Country (m002rrwm)
Savernake Forest
It's an ancient hunting ground with thousands of 'veteran' trees. Henry VIII visited often as it was the seat of the Seymour Family at nearby Wolfhall. Martha visits the forest to learn about its past as well as how ecologist Andy Harris and forester Nikki Morgans manage this special site and aim to 'future proof' it protecting the ancient trees and wildlife for the next thousand years. Historian Graham Bathe helps her measure one of the thousand year old trees and Emma Heard who produces the Weird Wiltshire blog recounts tales of hauntings from the forest.
Producer: Maggie Ayre
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m002rq83)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Feedback (m002rrwp)
The End of Ukrainecast, Any Questions and The Fibre Factor
The war in Ukraine is still raging on, but is BBC Radio's coverage being faded out? Regular episodes of hugely popular Ukrainecast stopped before Christmas 2025, although the BBC has stated that they will produce pop-up episodes at particularly urgent moments in the conflict. But what do you think? We hear from listeners and Andrea Catherwood talks to Olga Tokariuk, journalist and Academy associate at Chatham about the impact that Ukrainecast made.
There's been some buzz around a recent episode of Any Questions? which broadcast from Dumbarton. The programme in front of a live audience was interrupted several time by protesters and one question from an audience member was changed before it was broadcast. We hear from you on how presenter Alex Forsyth handled it.
It's also the first VoxBox of the series - this time, couple Becky and Alex stepped into our booth to discuss the recent Radio 4 series The Fibre Factor, presented by food writer Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. But did Hugh's nutrition-focused programme give them food for thought?
Presenter: Andrea Catherwood
Producer: Pauline Moore
Assistant Producer: Rebecca Guthrie
Executive Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4
THU 16:00 The Briefing Room (m002rrwr)
Four years of war in Ukraine - when will it end?
It’s four years this week since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. And by this summer the conflict will have gone on for longer than the First World War. Casualties run into the hundreds of thousands. Peace talks brokered by the US have been off and on for the past few months, with President Putin demanding that Ukraine gives Russia full control of the eastern Donbas region, including the part it does not occupy. President Zelensky refuses. Meanwhile, Ukraine has experiened one of its harshest winters as its cities and energy infrastructure have been pounded by Russian drones and missiles. Still both sides fight on in a war which has become dominated by advanced drone technology. David Aaronovitch asks his guests whether anyone is winning and when and how this war might end.
Guests:
Mark Galeotti, head of Mayak Intelligence and author of "Forged in War: a military history of Russia from its beginnings to today."
Dr Jack Watling, Senior Research Fellow for Land Warfare at the Royal United Services Institute and author of "The Arms of the Future: Technology and Close Combat in the Twenty First Century."
Rebecca Lissner, Senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations and lecturer at the Jackson School of Global Affairs, Yale University.
Christopher Miller, Chief Ukraine Correspondent, The Financial Times and author of "The war came to us: life and death in Ukraine."
Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Caroline Bayley and Kirsteen Knight
Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound engineer: Neil Churchill
Editor: Richard Vadon
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (w3ct8ty1)
Does new science get us closer to finding out how life on earth began?
Perhaps it’s the biggest question science has left to answer, how did life begin? Now, molecular biologists in Cambridge university have discovered tiny molecules of RNA which they say might provide some clues. Science journalist and author Philip Ball explains what we know and whether we’ll ever find the origins of life on earth.
Professor Michael Wooldridge has given this year’s Royal Society’s Michael Faraday Prize lecture. He speaks to Tom Whipple about why the AI we have is not what he wanted it to be; rational. And science columnist at the Financial Times Anj Ahuja brings her favourite new science to discuss.
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: Kate White, Katie Tomsett, Clare Salisbury and Alex Mansfield
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
THU 17:00 PM (m002rrwv)
Jersey votes to allow assisted dying
Jersey votes to allow assisted dying: what is the next step? Dame Esther Rantzen reacts. Also is Mexico ready for the World Cup? And how to make the most of forced rhubarb.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002rrwx)
Instagram to alert parents if their teenagers search for self-harm and suicide content
Instagram is to start notifying parents if their teenage children search repeatedly for content related to self-harm or suicide. Also: Jersey has voted to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill people. And the number of people sleeping rough in England reaches a record high.
THU 18:30 Stand-Up Specials (m0023htf)
Randy Feltface
3. Air
Randy Feltface is waking up and smelling the coffee. Unfortunately, he’s also smelling carbon monoxide, hydrogen chloride, benzene, styrene, formaldehyde, arsenic, lead, chromium, benzoapyrene, dioxins, furans and PCBs - but that’s modern-day industry for you. Don’t believe him? Just ask popular Kidz TV presenter Mr Stinky!
This head-on charge into possibly the most important subject facing humanity comes to you via a show where you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll learn, you’ll laugh again between the learny bits, and most of all, you’ll be able to say “I was there when Radio 4 decided to have show hosted by a puppet”.
Randy Feltface has been seen on Netflix, ABC, NBC, and has a huge & devoted following across the globe (1m+ social media followers, 1.6m TikTok followers, 833k subscribers, 79m YouTube views). His hour-long specials are YouTube cult classics, his world tours are sold out sensations, and he's the only Radio 4 presenter to be entirely made of felt.
With Margaret Cabourn-Smith & William Hartley.
Produced & directed by David Tyler.
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 19:00 The Archers (m002rrx0)
Helen tells Kirsty they’ll be taking Tracy on at the Dairy despite Susan not being keen on working with her sister. Helen admits she’s thinking of taking Dane to meet Finlay later, if she meets him at all. Then Finlay calls and Helen agrees straight off to meet him at the pub where he’s staying, before telling Kirsty her brain went to mush. This is so not her! Later at the pub, Helen waits with Kirsty for Finlay. When he arrives Kirsty quickly disappears, with Helen only belatedly realising she’s gone. By the end of the evening Helen and Finlay finally admit their feelings for each other, before heading to his room together.
Brian joins Rex at The Bull to discuss the rewilding walk, with Alice having told Rex she’s delayed. Brian then calls Alice, asking her to come and meet him. When Alice arrives Brian sends her to join Rex and Alice quickly susses that Brian is match-making. She asks him to never do it again as it’s embarrassing. Kirsty then turns up and sits with Rex, oblivious to Rex and Alice’s intended date. She tells them she’s just been a very reluctant gooseberry and needs some company. When Rex mentions the drive-in movie Kirsty is interested and Alice plays a trick on Rex, encouraging Kirsty to go with them, before admitting to Rex with glee that it’s payback for last week’s botched invitation to the Brewhouse. After the film Alice tells Rex about Brian’s match-making. Before an oblivious Kirsty joins them in Rex’s taxi, Rex and Alice admit that there is something between them.
THU 19:15 Front Row (m002rrx2)
Review: Tracey Emin: A Second Life at Tate Modern
Art critic Louisa Buck and writer Chris Power giving their verdicts on Tracey Emin: a second life at Tate Modern. This landmark exhibition spans 40 years and includes famous works such as My Bed to recent paintings and bronzes which are on display for the first time.
They will also be reviewing the Oscar nominated film Sirât - which tells the story of a father travelling the Moroccan desert with ravers in the hope of finding his missing daughter.
And they discuss Bird Grove, a play which tells the story of Mary Ann Evans before she became George Eliot.
Plus Tom interviews Linda Tolhurst, the National Theatre’s Stage Door Keeper who is receiving the Industry Recognition Award at the Olivier Awards this year.
Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Claire Bartleet
THU 20:00 When It Hits the Fan (m002rrx4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Wednesday]
THU 20:15 The Media Show (m002rrx6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:15 on Wednesday]
THU 21:00 Loose Ends (m002rq71)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:15 on Saturday]
THU 21:45 Strong Message Here (m002rrw1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 today]
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m002rrx8)
Polls close in Gorton and Denton by-election as vote counting begins
It’s expected to be a close race between Labour, Reform UK, and the Greens. We hear from the count and speak to political scientist Paula Keaveney about the apparent fragmentation of British politics.
Also on programme: Democrats on the Republican-led House Oversight Committee have defended the former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after her deposition about the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
And the television series Our Friends in the North is adapted for the stage. Writer Peter Flannery and actor Christopher Eccleston discuss the show’s enduring success.
THU 22:45 Salt by Catrin Kean (m002rrxb)
4. Return
1880s Cardiff is grimy, rainy and grey. Ellen works as a domestic and dreams of escaping her claustrophobic home life. When her brother returns home from his latest stint at sea, he introduces Ellen to Samuel, a ship's cook from Barbados. When Samuel asks her to be his wife, it's the beginning of a love story that will see them journey across the ocean to San Francisco and Barbados, and which will force them to confront the realities of poverty and racism.
Salt was the winner of the 2021 Wales Book of the Year Award, the 2021 Rhys Davies Fiction award, and the Wales Arts Review People's Choice Award. It was Catrin Kean's debut novel. Writing as Catrin Clarke, she won a BAFTA Cymru award for screenwriting in 2003 for her work on the BBC Wales drama Belonging. Her second novel, Lace, was published in 2024.
Read by Kezrena James
Abridged by Miranda Davies
Editing and Sound Design by Mair Bosworth
Mixed by Ilse Lademann
Produced by Fay Lomas for BBC Audio Bristol
THU 23:00 Radical with Amol Rajan (m002rrxd)
Health and Hospitality: When Does Food Stop Being Food? (Thomasina Miers)
The UK is one of the world’s largest consumers of ultra-processed foods, so Wahaca restaurants founder Thomasina Miers thinks the government should cut the taxes of businesses that serve healthy alternatives.
In fact, she challenges the idea that ultra‑processed products should be called ‘food’ at all.
From social canteens that teach people to cook simple meals to zero percent business rates for greengrocers, the MasterChef winner tells Amol how she would reform Britain’s food system.
And she warns that the hospitality sector is facing a “bloodbath” after Chancellor Rachel Reeves increased employer national insurance contributions.
A government spokesperson said: “We're backing hospitality with a £4.3bn support package to limit business rate bill rises, alongside capping Corporation Tax at 25%, cutting red tape and investing £1.5 billion to create 50,000 more apprentices and foundation apprenticeships.”
“The fair and necessary decisions we made at this Budget and the last mean we can deliver on the country’s priorities – cutting waiting lists, cutting debt and borrowing and cutting the cost of living.”
TIMECODES
(
00:03:35) Why Thomasina believes ultra‑processed food shouldn’t be considered “real” food
(
00:08:27) The role of supermarkets
(
00:17:14) School meals
(
00:21:37) The state of the UK hospitality sector
(
00:31:24) Why every high street needs a greengrocer
(
00:35:38) Cutting VAT for restaurants
(
00:39:37) Valuing well‑grown, high‑quality produce
(
00:41:45) Weight‑loss drugs
(
00:44:02) Tackling food waste
(
00:48:08) 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 Mike Regaard. The editor is Sam Bonham. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002rrxg)
Sean Curran reports as MPs question the government about its agreement with the European Union on Gibraltar.
FRIDAY 27 FEBRUARY 2026
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m002rrxj)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 00:30 Unspeakable: Survival and Transformation After Trauma by Dr Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne (m002rrw5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002rrxl)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002rrxn)
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 (m002rrxq)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002rrxs)
Susan Hulme reports on a busy Thursday in both Westminster and Holyrood
FRI 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002rrxv)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002rrxx)
You Get What You Get
Good morning.
There’s a phrase our family have quoted ironically for a decade or so:
“You get what you get, and you don’t get upset.”
It was a favourite of our children’s pre-school teacher, when handing out musical instruments to the little ones. You didn’t like the tambourine, and you want a kazoo? Sorry but: “You get what you get and you don’t get upset.”
We’ve used it on countless occasions. Who gets which seat on a train trip? Who gets which ice cream cone? Other times, it’s a resigned response to anything from bad colds to bad weather. You get wet when you get wet, and you... might get upset.
Thing is, sometimes we do get upset. As life has dealt us illnesses, heartache, bigger crises than we thought we could handle, that same catchphrase has been there waiting for us. Occasionally we mix in that other saying: “It is what it is... and you do get upset...” After all, some things are upsetting. But it doesn’t stop us getting what we’re getting.
Life’s not all ice cream and kazoos – I wish it were. Some seasons, the raincloud stays over our heads a while longer than we wanted.
So I’m praying today, God, give us today our daily bread, but please also, give us only what we can manage today. And when we get more than we think we can deal with, help us grow from it. Give us the resilience we need. And if, when we get what we get, we DO get upset, be with us in our tears. And may there be ice cream and kazoos again very soon – if not at the same time.
Amen
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m002rrxz)
27/02/26: Mackerel's off, Cromer Crab, Avian Flu update, Cambridge Vet School decision
Mackerel will soon be disappearing from the shelves of Waitrose as the supermarket says it's 'taking a stand against overfishing'. In September last year the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), recommended that North-east Atlantic Mackerel catches should be cut by 70% to help rebuild stocks to a sustainable level. But four countries which fish for Mackerel in the North East Atlantic cut their quota for 2026 by just 48% compared to the previous year. As a result, Waitrose has decided to suspend sourcing from the end of April. Fishing organisations in Scotland say they are disappointed and feel they have been unfairly penalised because - they say - the UK has led the way in trying to secure sustainable fishing for Mackerel.
Anna Hill reports from a Cromer seafood processor who's experiencing a drop in the availability of Crabs following fishing disruption due to wind farm construction.
It's been a worrying winter for poultry farmers, with cases of avian flu in England, Scotland and Wales. The Pirbright Institute's Head of Avian Virology updates us on what he describes as the 'third worst ever' epidemic of high pathogenicity bird flu in the UK, and reflects on what might lie ahead over the spring and summer.
Cambridge University's vet school will not be closing after all. The University's governing body has rejected proposals to cease taking new entrants.
Presenter: Anna Hill
Producer: Sarah Swadling
FRI 06:00 Today (m002rt0b)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m002rq8h)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Sunday]
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002rt0d)
Tracey Emin, Menstrual blood, Hannah Spencer MP
A 40-year career retrospective of Dame Tracey Emin’s work has opened at the Tate Modern in London, featuring many of the artist’s most iconic pieces, from 1998’s controversial Turner-Prize nominated My Bed (1998) to her neon artworks, textiles, bronze sculptures, photos and paintings. Called A Second Life, it will explore the connections and tensions between her early career and the work she’s created since 2020, when she was diagnosed with cancer and underwent a huge operation. Tracey joins Anita Rani to discuss her body of work and her journey from controversial 90s YBA to national treasure.
Anita speaks to Dr Danielle Einstein - a clinical psychologist specialising in anxiety and our use of tech and screens, whose research was integral to Australia’s social media ban for under 16s.
We take a scientific look at menstrual blood - one of the few easily produced bodily fluids not regularly used for medical testing. We ask why and speak to scientists currently working in this field. Renate van der Molen is from Radboudumc in The Netherlands and Christine N Metz, from the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research New York.
And, Hannah Spencer, a 34-year-old plumber, has become the first Green Party candidate to win a Westminster by-election - and the party's first Green MP in northern England - after taking the seat for Gorton and Denton with more than 40% of the vote. Reform came second, pushing Labour, who previously received more than 50% of the vote in the 2024 general election, into third place. Anita asks the Times political Reporter Daisy Eastlake: who is Hannah Spencer?
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Corinna Jones
FRI 11:00 The Food Programme (m002rt0g)
Food Stories from the Philippines
Shaped by centuries of colonialism and challenged by a changing climate, what is the future of food for the Philippines?
Recent typhoons and floods were the worst seen in decades and there has been huge biodiversity loss. In the last century 93 per cent of forest cover has been lost.
The archipelago's food system also carried the influence of Spanish and American control.
However, a new generation is attempting to forge a Filipino food identity connected with a deeper history and farmers are looking to lost crops for climate adaptation.
Dan Saladino and journalist Dany Mitzman report from Slow Food's Terra Madre Asia and Pacific held on Negros Island in centre of the Philippines, where they meet young farmers, producers, chefs and campaigners all attempting to create a sustainable, delicious and indigenous food future.
Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.
FRI 11:45 Unspeakable: Survival and Transformation After Trauma by Dr Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne (m002rt0j)
The Trainee
Pioneering forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist, Dr Gwen Adshead, has spent thirty years as a therapist in secure hospitals, prisons and in the community.
In UNSPEAKABLE we witness her work with patients in the aftermath of distressing and traumatic events and see how speech, language and silence can influence recovery after catastrophe.
Dr Adshead was the BBC Reith Lecturer in 2024.
PART FIVE - THE TRAINEE
Childhood trauma and unspoken secrets impact a trainee at Broadmoor.
Read by Gwen Adshead
Written by Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne
Abridged by Eileen Horne
Producer: Gaynor Macfarlane
FRI 12:00 News Summary (m002rt0l)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:04 Rare Earth (m002rt0n)
Ocean Explorers
150 years ago the British research ship Challenger returned from a three and a half year voyage that changed the world. Plucking species from every ocean, at depths never explored before, the Challenger kick-started the science of oceanography and paved the way for a world connected by undersea communication cables.
To celebrate the Challenger's legacy, Helen Czerski and Tom Heap are at the world's biggest ocean science conference in Glasgow to ask what the next 150 years may hold. Is the age of the human explorer over, replaced by robots and DNA sampling, or is there still a space for wonder as we explore the depths of our planet's oceans?
With Tom and Helen at the AGU Ocean Sciences Meeting are three top ocean explorers- Kirsty McQuaid from Nelson Mandela University in South Africa, Murray Roberts of Edinburgh University and Sofie Spatharis of Glasgow University.
Producer: Alasdair Cross
Assistant Producers: Toby Field and Rebecca Rooney
Rare Earth is produced in collaboration with the Open University
FRI 12:57 Weather (m002rt0q)
The latest weather forecast
FRI 13:00 World at One (m002rt0s)
By-election loss shows Starmer faces threats on all sides
Sir Keir Starmer vows to "keep on fighting" after Labour finishes third behind the Greens and Reform in the Gorton and Denton by-election. How should he respond to the threats from the left and right, and from increasingly worried MPs in his own party? Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden responds. Reform alleges "blatant sectarianism" scuppered its campaign. We hear from party member Tim Montgomerie. Plus, former Green leader Caroline Lucas reflects on their success.
FRI 13:45 Shadow World (m002rvy6)
Impulsive
10. Reflections
Impulse control disorders are a common side effect of dopamine agonist drugs - it’s generally accepted that they will affect around 1 in 6 people taking these drugs for Parkinson’s.
So why are these side effects so hard to talk about? How can people get past their guilt and shame to access the support they need?
And if subtle changes in the activity of chemicals in our brain can cause us to behave so differently - what is personality?
Details of organisations offering help and support with some of the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
If you have any concerns about medication you’re taking, speak to your doctor.
Presenter: Noel Titheradge
Producer: Lucy Burns
Editor: Matt Willis
A BBC News Long Form Audio production
FRI 14:00 The Archers (m002rrx0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Limelight (m002rt0v)
The Dentist
Episode 1
Darkly comic crime thriller by D.C. Jackson.
Kerry’s living a life of quiet desperation.
Her identical twin appears to be affluent and successful.
When Kerry turns to her sister for help, the consequences are worse than she could possibly have imagined, for both of them…
Cast:
Leanne and Kerry … Gabriel Quigley
Bob … Grant O’Rourke
Kasia … Leah Bryne
Stewart … Jonathan Watson
The Minister … Gavin Mitchell
Studio Production: Andy Hay and Gav Murchie
Production Coordinator: Ellie Marsh
Original music and sound design: Fraser Jackson
Additional keyboards: Tony Graham
A BBC Audio Scotland Production directed by Kirsty Williams
FRI 14:45 Life Without (m002rt0y)
Life Without Worms
They wriggle and writhe in the earth beneath us, surely, we’d be fine if they vanished? In this episode of Life Without, Alan Davies looks beneath our feet deep into the soil and the hard workers who live there.
This episode features Mark Hodson, Professor of Environmental Science and soil sister, horticulturist, and founder of GoGrowWithLove, Sandra Salazar D’eca.
An ITN production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002rt10)
Postbag Edition: Ninewells Community Garden
Kathy Clugston and GQT team have packed their wellies for a trip to the Ninewells Community Garden in Dundee.
Kathy is joined by Matthew Pottage, Neil Porteous and Kirsty Wilson to explore the grounds whilst delving into the GQT Postbag together.
Among todays questions, the panellists break down which leaves are better to compost than others, tackle a listener’s battle against tomatoes with tough skins, and debate the long‑term impact of weed‑suppressing membranes on soil health.
They also explore the ins and outs of olive tree care, suggest the perfect daisies to plant in a pair of cherished old police boots, and consider which dramatic grasses can bring structure and movement to a no‑mow lawn rooted in very sandy soil.
Later in the show, Garden Facilitator at Ninewells Community Garden, Mary Colvin, leads the team on a tour of the vibrant community garden, sharing how gardening and green spaces can boost wellbeing, support recovery, and promote a holistic approach to health.
Producer: Dan Cocker
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 15:45 Short Works (m002rt12)
The Forgotten Voice by Lisa Zahra
Nia believes in what's before her eyes. Tuna nicoise salad from M&S. Lavender bath salts. Instagram cat videos.
She does not believe in the supernatural.
Until something makes her change her mind.
Short story from Lisa Zahra, read by Kimberley Nixon.
Produced by Fay Lomas
Studio Manager: Rhys Morris
Production Co-ordinators: Eleri McAuliffe and Lindsay Rees.
FRI 16:00 Last Word (m002rt14)
Martyn Butler, Allan Massie, Professor Nicola Fear, Willie Colón
Matthew Bannister on
Martyn Butler who was a central figure in the UK’s early response to HIV and AIDS. He was a co-founder of the Terrence Higgins Trust and gave his own home phone number as a helpline.
Allan Massie, the Scottish author and critic whose hero was Sir Walter Scott. Sir Ian Rankin pays tribute.
Professor Nicola Fear, the epidemiologist who studied the effects on military personnel of serving in the Iraq War and Afghanistan.
Willie Colón, the American trombonist who was inspired by his Puerto Rican heritage to create salsa music.
Interviewee: Tony Whitehead
Interviewee: Sir Ian Rankin
Interviewee: Professor Sir Simon Wessely
Interviewee: Garth Cartwright
Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies
Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan
Editor: Glyn Tansley
Archive used:
Martyn Butler seminar recording, Terrence Higgins Trust, THT YouTube channel, uploaded 26/06/2022; Terrence Higgins Trust actuality recording, Week In Week Out, BBC Wales, 29/10/1985; News report, BBC News, 08/01/1987; Advert: Iceberg, Department of Health and Social Security, Dir Nicolas Roeg, Voiceover: John Hurt, 1987; Allan Massie, The Book Programme: First Novels, BBC Two, 11/02/1978; Allan Massie interview, France Politics, Writers Revealed, BBC Radio 4, 06/07/1992; Allan Massie interview, General Election Report, BBC News, 10/04/1997; Nicola Fear, The Fear Factor: life as a military epidemiologist, King's College London, uploaded to YouTube on 23/04/2018; Iraq War news report, BBC News, 31/03/2009; Afghanistan News Report, BBC News, 27/10/2014; Willie Colon interview, Latin Music USA, BBC Four, 05/02/2010;
FRI 16:30 Sideways (m002rs99)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Wednesday]
FRI 17:00 PM (m002rt16)
Katie Razzall with analysis of the Gorton and Denton by-election
Labour's former MP, Baroness Debbonaire, who lost to the Greens at the 2024 general election, tells Katie Razzall how she believes the insurgent party can be fought off. Green MP Ellie Chowns tells PM the party won because it "offered hope" to voters, and we reveal what Labour backbenchers make of the defeat, but won't say in public.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002rt18)
The Green Party says its victory in the Gorton and Denton by-election is 'seismic'
Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to keep fighting, after Labour finished behind the Green Party and Reform UK in the Gorton and Denton by-election. Also: The former US President, Bill Clinton, gives evidence under oath to a congressional committee, about his past links with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. And over fishing means mackerel stocks are running low in the seas and on the shelves.
FRI 18:30 The News Quiz (m002rt1b)
Series 119
8. Flight risks and fly-tips
Joining Andy for the final episode of this series are Simon Evans, Zoe Lyons, Cindy Yu and Ahir Shah and not one of them can be deemed a flight risk. Along with the latest on Peter Mandelson’s arrest they discuss how UK politics is no longer a two-party system with the Greens and Reform taking centre stage in Gorton and Denton, why Trump’s State of the Union address could have been mercifully shorter and why the Chagos Islands are off limits.
Written by Andy Zaltzman.
With additional material by: Mike Shephard and Pravanya Pillay
Producer: Georgia Keating
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Production Coordinator: Giulia Lopes Mazzu
Sound Editor: Marc Willcox
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.
FRI 19:00 The Archers (m002rt1d)
At The Bull Chris tells Hannah he’s looking forward to making the plant supports for her step-father, but generally he feels a bit old and pointless. Hannah sympathises, her career feels stuck too – what they both need is a good work challenge to get them going. David then outlines his idea for a farrier competition at the Borchester Show, which sounds great, but Chris doesn’t want to organise it. When David uses the word “challenge” Hannah leaps on this, after what they’d just been saying. Then Hannah’s bluff is called when she tries to shirk the challenge of helping with the staging. David puts both their names down and Chris reckons he’s worse than Lynda Snell!
Helen’s woken by a call from Kirsty about the Open House viewing later. Kirsty realises Helen’s in bed with Finlay and rings off, before Finlay and Helen agree they’d like to stay there forever. But being together will only happen if one of them gives up the life they have. And that seems impossible, despite the overwhelming strength of feeling between them. They each have too many commitments in their lives to start anew. They decide to make the most of what little time they have left together and leave it at that. Helen then goes to view the house on The Green, telling Kirsty she has no regrets about last night or being unfaithful to Dane. She finally feels ready to move on with her life, for the first time since Rob died. She thinks moving into the house is a definite possibility.
FRI 19:15 Add to Playlist (m002rt1g)
Debbie Wiseman and Jay Capperauld head to Colombia
Wolf Hall composer Debbie Wiseman and Scottish classical composer Jay Capperauld are Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe's studio guests as they add five more tracks. Starting with a hip-shake in Colombia, they head to South Africa, a state secondary school in London, the firebombing of Dresden, and finally to Honolulu for a Canadian lament.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Hips Don’t Lie by Shakira
Zithande by Freshlyground
Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2, by Pink Floyd
String Quartet No 8, 2nd mvt: Allegro Molto by Dmitri Shostakovich
Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell
Other music in this episode:
Rock Your Baby by George McCrae
Our Gilded Veins by Jay Capperauld
With Love by Thin Lizzy
Amores Como El Nuestro by Jerry Rivera
Dance Like This by Wyclef Jean
The Time of Our Lives by Toni Braxton and Il Divo
Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) by Shakira and Freshlyground
Chicken to Change by Freshlyground
Endlings by Jay Capperauld
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m002rt1j)
Lord Blunkett, Ellie Chowns MP, Jack Elsom, Baroness Maclean
Alex Forsyth presents political debate from St Alkmund's Church in Derby with Labour peer and former home secretary, Lord Blunkett; the leader of the Green Party in parliament, Ellie Chowns MP; the political editor of The Sun, Jack Elsom; and Conservative peer and former minister, Baroness Maclean.
Producer: Paul Martin
Assistant producer: Catherine Powell
Production co-ordinators: Ishmael Soriano & Sam Grist
Lead broadcast engineer: Phil Zentner
Editor: Glyn Tansley
FRI 20:55 This Week in History (m002rs9f)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:40 on Wednesday]
FRI 21:00 Free Thinking (m002rt1l)
Authority
Is authority a justly unfashionable quality that we should consign to the past? Or does it still have a place in political and business leadership, schools, medical settings and in the home? What is the difference between authority and power, how have historical shifts such as the advent of the internet affected public perceptions of authority, and how much should authority feature in the raising of children?
In Radio 4's roundtable discussion programme about ideas past and present, Anne McElvoy and guests explore these questions and more.
Justine Greening is a former Conservative Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities
Martin Gurri is a former CIA analyst who writes about the relationship between politics and media who published a book called The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium
Sophie Scott-Brown is a philosopher and historian of anarchism
Peter Hyman is a former headteacher and adviser to Tony Blair and Keir Starmer who writes a Substack, Changing the Story
Tom Simpson is the Alfred Landecker Professor of Values and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford
Producer: Eliane Glaser
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m002rt1n)
Allegations of 'family voting' in by-election to be raised in parliament
Allegations of 'family voting' in the Gorton and Denton by-election are to be raised in parliament on Monday. We speak to Lord Pickles, whose report into electoral fraud called for action a decade ago. We also look at where the by-election leaves Labour strategy: are Reform or the Greens their main opposition now? Also:Bill Clinton testifies in front of a Congressional committee; President Trump says he's "not happy" as concerns grow about a possible US attack. And 30 years of Pokemon.
FRI 22:45 Salt by Catrin Kean (m002rt1q)
5. Strangers
1880s Cardiff is grimy, rainy and grey. Ellen works as a domestic and dreams of escaping her claustrophobic home life. When her brother returns home from his latest stint at sea, he introduces Ellen to Samuel, a ship's cook from Barbados. When Samuel asks her to be his wife, it's the beginning of a love story that will see them journey across the ocean to San Francisco and Barbados, and which will force them to confront the realities of poverty and racism.
Salt was the winner of the 2021 Wales Book of the Year Award, the 2021 Rhys Davies Fiction award, and the Wales Arts Review People's Choice Award. It was Catrin Kean's debut novel. Writing as Catrin Clarke, she won a BAFTA Cymru award for screenwriting in 2003 for her work on the BBC Wales drama Belonging. Her second novel, Lace, was published in 2024.
Read by Kezrena James
Abridged by Miranda Davies
Editing and Sound Design by Mair Bosworth
Mixed by Ilse Lademann
Produced by Fay Lomas for BBC Audio Bristol
FRI 23:00 Americast (w3ct8bz6)
The battle for Texas: Can Democrats win it back from Trump?
The midterm elections are underway in the Republican stronghold of Texas. Early voting has begun in the primaries and Democrats are hopeful they could win a Texas senate seat for the first time in over 30 years.
The election will have national consequences - Texas is one of America’s political power centres and Republicans from here have dominated the national agenda from immigration, to the courts, to reshaping electoral districts. Taking back Texas could help Democrats take back the House, the Senate, and check Trump’s executive power in a way they have so far been unable to do in his second term. It could also realign the presidential election in 2028.
Justin and Anthony, who grew up in Texas and knows its politics well, unpack the primaries, which are fast becoming the most expensive in modern US history. On the Republican side, there is meltdown and infighting, as Senator John Cornyn faces a serious challenge from Attorney General Ken Paxton. The US president, who is campaigning in Texas, has not yet endorsed one candidate.
On the Democrat side, two of its biggest stars are fighting for the nomination. Jasmine Crockett, well known for her fiery public battles with the Trump administration and James Talarico, who is tipped as a future Democrat presidential candidate. We look at what their realistic chances are, and what it tells us about the future of the party.
Presenter: Justin Webb, Radio 4, and Anthony Zurcher, North America correspondent
Producer: Purvee Pattni, Grace Reeve, Sophie van Brugen and Kris Jalowiecki
Sound engineer: Rohan Madison
Senior news editor: Sam Bonham
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FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002rt1t)
Alicia McCarthy reports on the Lords debate on assisted dying, and takes a look at how former Prince Andrew may be removed from the line of succession. And the problems for kinship carers, where the children they look after face a health emergency.