SATURDAY 14 MARCH 2026
SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m002sg6s)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 00:30 Shock and War: Iraq 20 Years On (m001k149)
5. No Way Out
As the clock ticks down Tony Blair’s options begin to run out. Diplomacy fails and the limits of British influence are revealed. So was war really the only option?
Presenter: Gordon Corera
Series Producer: John Murphy
Producers: Ellie House, Claire Bowes
Sound Designer: Eloise Whitmore, Naked Productions
Production coordinators: Janet Staples, Brenda Brown
Series Editor: Penny Murphy
SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002sg6v)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002sg6x)
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 (m002sg6z)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002sg71)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002sg73)
Remembering Mothers
Good morning. Tomorrow is Mother’s Day, a day that carries a range of emotions. For many people — though not for all — hearts turn toward their mothers with gratitude and tenderness. There will no doubt be celebrations for the mothers who are still present in our lives.
For me, it will be a day of remembering my own mother, who is no longer with us. She died in August 2013. As I reflect this morning on Mother’s Day, I realise that in the years since her death I have thought of her often, and I have noticed a change in how I now see her.
With the passing of time, I find myself able to hold a wider range of memories and emotions — the good and the difficult, the laughter and the disagreements, the moments I understood at the time and those I only understand now.
With the gift of time and distance, I see more clearly the sacrifices she made, the patience she showed, and the love that was real even when it was imperfect. I also notice that I am more forgiving of her faults and failings than I was in the past.
Loving God,
As Mother’s Day approaches,
help us to remember with honesty,
to give thanks without denial,
and to trust that love, once given,
is never lost.
Within us there may be different emotions —
love, regret, gratitude, sadness, peace.
We place them all in your hands,
knowing that you receive them without judgement.
As we remember those mothers who have died,
comfort all who grieve them.
Heal what still aches,
soften what still feels unresolved,
and deepen our gratitude for the gift of love we were given.
Amen.
SAT 05:45 Lent Talks (m002scm1)
Power and Relationships
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, Susie Masterson – a psychotherapist and survivor of sexual violence – explores power and relationships.
Producer: Dan Tierney.
SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m002smyg)
The news headlines, including a look at the newspapers.
SAT 06:07 Open Country (m002sg1m)
The Rock Houses of Staffordshire
Martha Kearney visits the unique cave dwellings at Kinver Edge that were lived in until the 1960s. Cosy cottages were built into the soft red sandstone with windows and doors and families lived in them for generations. Martha looks around a cottage which has been restored as it was when it was lived in and hears about the family that lived there. She also finds out about the heathland restoration project which is bringing rare wildlife back to this valuable sandscape. And she meets Brett Westwood to try and track some of it down.
Producer Beth O'Dea
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/shropshire-staffordshire/kinver-edge-and-the-rock-houses
SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m002smyj)
The conflict in the Middle East is pushing up prices of fuel and fertiliser, two of the major input costs for farmers. The British Tomato Growers Association say they expect prices for consumers to rise as growers consider finishing the UK tomato season early to save money on heating. We also hear how supplies of man made fertilisers are already being affected by the conflict, and one Wiltshire farmer's struggle to source red diesel for her tractor.
The Government forecast for farm business income in England for this financial year has been released.
With the exception of dairy farms and some lowland grazing businesses - all farming is forecast to see a drop in income in comparison with last year. Cereal farms are facing a cut of two thirds to an income of 17,000 pounds. That's the lowest level since the survey began in 2004.
Olly Harrison who farms in the North West of England talked about his farm income.
A concession had allowed around 75 sheep shearers from Australia and New Zealand to work here for the season without a work visa. The policy was due to end this year and farmers warned that would compromise sheep welfare. This week the Government announced it will allow shearers in, but they will have to get a visa at a cost of £682. Jill Hewitt from the National Association of Agricultural Contractors says she hopes the extra payment wont put sheep shearers off coming to the UK.
And the Lincoln Institute of Agri-Food Technology is working with farms and robotics companies to develop all sorts of technology, including robotic lettuce pickers and even a robot sheepdog. Robin Markwell has been for a tour and spoke to Kim Cox from Agaricus Robotics about the future of mushroom picking.
Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Marie Lennon
SAT 06:57 Weather (m002smyl)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SAT 07:00 Today (m002smyn)
Today (Saturday)
SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m002smyq)
Nigel Kennedy, Grief, Red Nose Day and the Inheritance Tracks of Adam Fleming
On Saturday Live this week, a virtuoso violinist, a singer with a powerful story of motherhood, love and grief, and the woman who made her fortune working out how we shop.
Adrian spends the hour in great company with Nigel Kennedy, Jess Mills and the hugely influential Edwina Dunn OBE.
Also today, we'll be hearing from a somewhat out of breath Greg James, pedalling his way from Weymouth to Edinburgh for Comic Relief.
And we are treated to a special performance by Nigel and his band - Alec Dankworth on double bass and Peter Adams on the cello.
This week's Inheritance Tracks comes from Adam Fleming.
Presenter: Adrian Chiles
Producer: Lowri Morgan
Assistant Producer: Alice McKee
Researcher: Jesse Edwards
Editor: Glyn Tansley
(The live performance in this programme has been shortened for music rights reasons).
SAT 10:00 You're Dead to Me (m002smys)
El Cid: the life and legend of a medieval Spanish warrior
Greg Jenner is joined in medieval Spain by historian Professor Nora Berend and comedian Toussaint Douglass to learn about the colourful life and afterlife of the warrior known as El Cid. El Cid – real name Rodrigo Díaz – was a mercenary in eleventh-century Spain who fought for both Christian kings and Muslim rulers before setting himself up as ruler of Valencia. This episode explores his dramatic life in the period before religious divisions were key on the Iberian Peninsula, and an ambitious warrior might fight for whoever would pay him. It then traces the legend that grew up around him after his death, taking in the medieval romances written about El Cid, the surprising role his bones played in the Napoleonic wars, his appropriation by General Franco after the Spanish Civil War, and even the classic Hollywood film starring Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren.
If you’re a fan of legendary but mysterious figures from the past, medieval romances, and the use and misuse of history for political purposes, you’ll love our episode on El Cid.
If you want to learn more about other historical events mentioned in this episode, listen to our episodes on al-Andalus and Young Napoleon. And for more from Toussaint Douglass, check out our episodes on Frederick Douglass and the Causes of the British Civil Wars.
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: Adam Simcox
Written by: Adam Simcox, 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 (m002smyv)
Series 51
Abergavenny
Jay Rayner and the panel are answering questions from an audience of keen home cooks in Abergavenny.
Joining Jay to discuss toasties and mead are chefs, cooks and food writers, Rob Owen Brown, Angela Gray, James ‘Jocky’ Petrie and resident food historian Dr Annie Gray.
The panellists share their best ideas for perfecting the humble toastie, discuss ideal recipes for batch cooking and provide their opinion on the age old debate of Ketchup or Brown Sauce on a sausage sandwich.
Later on, Jay chats to local mead brewer, Matt Newell from Hive Mind Meadery about the process and flavour profiles of mead.
Producer: Dulcie Whadcock
Assistant Producer: William Norton
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m002smyx)
Pippa Crerar of The Guardian assesses the latest developments at Westminster.
To discuss the unfolding conflict in the Middle East, and Britain's response, Pippa is joined by Labour peer, Lord West, a former First Sea Lord and Security Minister, and former Conservative MP, Tobias Ellwood, who also served as a minister in the Foreign Office and MoD.
Following the vote on the government's controversial Courts and Tribunals Bill which would restrict jury trials, Pippa speaks to Dame Vera Baird KC, a former Labour minister and Victims' Commissioner who now chairs the Criminal Cases Review Commission, and Cassia Rowland, senior researcher at The Institute for Government who specialises in criminal justice.
Sunder Katwala, Director of the think tank British Future, which focuses on immigration and integration, and crossbench peer Kishwer Falkner, the former chair of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, debate the government's new strategy on social cohesion.
And, following the release of government documents relating to the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, Pippa speaks to Keir Starmer's former Director of Strategy, Paul Ovenden, and the political editor of the New Statesman, Ailbhe Rea.
SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002smxp)
Iran War: Living under bombardment
Kate Adie introduces stories on life in Iran amid the US-Israel attacks, the mood in Qatar as Iran retaliates, how countries are asking Ukraine for advice on how to deal with drones, President Trump's changing mood on the Iran war, and the former rapper elected as the new Prime Minister of Nepal.
For people living in cities under bombardment, it’s not clear how the US-Israeli war with Iran will end. More than 1200 people have so far been killed, amid attacks across the country. Iranians tell BBC Persian's Sarah Namjoo they are struggling to lead a normal life.
Qatar is among several Gulf states that have faced Iranian strikes on military and civilian sites since the war began. As a major oil and gas exporter, it’s reliant on the Strait of Hormuz, but shipments through it have now stopped due to attacks on tankers. Barbara Plett Usher has been gauging the mood in Doha.
Gulf nations have turned to Ukraine for advice amid Iranian drone strikes - their expertise and technology are considered top-class. To that end, teams of Ukrainian drone experts have arrived in Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale has been in Kyiv.
The bodies of six US soldiers killed in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait have been returned to a US air base in Delaware. The ceremony was attended by
President Trump, Vice President JD Vance and top military officials. It was a moment of quiet solemnity amid a week where the US President has oscillated over his goals in Iran, says Bernd Debusmann.
Nepal has witnessed an historic election this week, with rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah set to be the next prime minister. He campaigned on a platform of reform and job creation, after last year's youth-led anti-corruption protests led to the resignation of the former PM. BBC South Asia correspondent Azadeh Moshiri has been in Kathmandu
Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Production Coordinators: Sophie Hill and Katie Morrison
Editor: Richard Vadon
SAT 12:00 News Summary (m002smyz)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
SAT 12:04 Money Box (m002smxm)
Mortgage Rates and Banknotes
It's been a turbulent week for the mortgage market - as lenders adjusted their rates amid fears of a rise in inflation and what that will mean for interest rates. Average mortgage rates for a 2 and 5 year fix tipped above 5% for the first time since the summer this week, and they've been climbing since. In just a few days time the Bank of England will make its next interest rate decision, but a cut which had been widely anticipated two weeks ago, is now incredibly unlikely. Around 1.8 million people are to come off a fixed mortgage this year, and have some difficult decisions to make - what should they do?
Victims' charities have criticised a long awaited and much delayed fraud strategy published earlier this week by the government. Ministers have described it as a "major upgrade to Britain's defences" with £250mn pounds to be invested over the next three years.
On Thursday a £100 cap on contactless card payments in the UK is being scrapped. The Financial Conduct Authority is giving banks the freedom to set their own limits, and in theory they could even remove the cap altogether. But it turns out many banks are not planning to change the limit at all, at least for now - why?
This week the Bank of England announced that British wildlife will replace historical figures on the next series of Bank of England banknotes. We asked Wildlife TV Presenter & Campaigner Chris Packham to tell us his ideas - from lapwings to foxes.
Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Bisi Adebayo
Researcher: Jo Krasner
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson
(First broadcast
12pm Sat 14th March 2026)
SAT 12:30 The Naked Week (m002sg68)
Series 4
The Naked Week team party like it's the 2003 Iraq War.
The Naked Week team party like it's the 2003 Iraq War, and then re-enact it with the help of a Viking.
From The Skewer’s Jon Holmes and host Andrew Hunter Murray comes The Naked Week, a fresh way of dressing the week’s news in the altogether and parading it around for everyone to laugh at.
With award-winning writers and a crack team of contemporary satirists - and recorded in front of a live audience - The Naked Week delivers a topical news-nude straight to your ears.
Written by:
Jon Holmes
Katie Sayer
Gareth Ceredig
James Kettle
Jason Hazeley
Additional Material:
Karl Minns
Ali Panting
Helen Brooks
Pete Redfern
Cooper Mawhinny Sweryt
Joe Topping
Darren Phillips
Investigation:
Cat Neilan
Guests: Rosie Holt, Jimmy The 11th Century Welsh Viking.
Production Team: Tony Churnside, Jerry Peal, David Riffkin.
Production Coordinator: Molly Punshon
Assistant Producer: Katie Sayer
Executive Producer: Philip Abrams
Produced and Directed by Jon Holmes
An unusual production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 12:57 Weather (m002smz1)
The latest weather forecast
SAT 13:00 News (m002smz3)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m002sg6g)
Sir Chris Bryant MP, James Evans MS, Delyth Jewell MS, Darren Millar MS
Alex Forsyth presents political debate from the Princess Gwenllian Centre in Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire with the Labour MP and trade minister, Sir Chris Bryant; Reform UK Senedd member James Evans; Plaid Cymru's deputy Senedd leader, Delyth Jewell; and Darren Millar, leader of the Welsh Conservative group in the Senedd.
Producer: Paul Martin
Assistant producer: Jo Dwyer
Production co-ordinator: Ishmael Soriano
Lead broadcast engineer: Caitlin Gazeley
Editor: Glyn Tansley
SAT 14:05 Any Answers? (m002smz5)
Listeners respond to the issues raised in the preceding edition of Any Questions?
SAT 14:45 The Archers (m002sg6b)
Jakob challenges Brian’s assertion that Kate is unsettled and wants to move to Scotland, given Kate’s enthusiasm for her work at Spiritual Home. Brian then wonders if Kate is just not letting on how unhappy she is, which gets Jakob wondering if Kate wants to split up.
Amber arrives at Spiritual Home for a massage from Kate, who’s a bit cool with her. Amber apologises for being horrible last time and things thaw a bit as they discuss her pregnancy. Later, Amber surprises George at Meadow Farm with a picnic. Amber’s glad she went for her massage and, following her conversation with Kate, encourages George to be more proactive in reading up on pregnancy. She wishes Ambridge had a young mum community. Georges looks forward to a future shepherding, then he gets an email from Reg: his court date’s set for March 23rd. George assures Amber he’ll stick to the rules with the tag – with a baby on the way they have to properly grow up now.
Having spoken to Alice Kate challenges Brian on the crazy rumour he’s started about her wanting to leave Ambridge. Brian insists he did the right thing, giving Jakob the heads-up, but angry Kate insists she’s not going anywhere. Brian then tells Kate to put Jakob’s mind at rest, as he’s in quite a state. Kate clears things up with mightily relieved Jakob, but does she need to worry about erratic Brian? Jakob thinks not. He has to go, but not before he and Kate declare their love for one another.
SAT 15:00 Secrets and Lies (m002smz7)
Candour
When a system falters, who finds the courage to speak the truth?
Maya, a young first-time mother, Jo, an overwhelmed trainee GP on rotation, and Kate, a fiercely principled hospital chaplain find their lives unexpectedly intertwined following a birth that doesn't go to plan.
Part of the Secrets and Lies season, Al Smith's drama pulls back the curtain on a labour ward under intense pressure, exploring what happens when real lives fall between the cracks of an overstretched healthcare system. It explores responsibility, courage, silence and the fragile trust that holds patients and professionals together.
KATE......Christine Bottomley
JO.....Anneika Rose
MAYA.....Sade Malone
SUE.....Jenny Platt
BEN.....Darren Kuppan
JOHN....Graeme Hawley
RAY.....James Quinn
Written by Al Smith
Directed by Nadia Molinari
Sound Design and Technical Production by Sharon Hughes
Production Co-ordinator - Ben Hollands
Technical Producer - Kelly Young
Casting Manager - Alex Curran
Medical Advisors - Fran Bennett and Joe Lee
A BBC Studios Production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m002smz9)
Leeds Maternity Review, Forgetting birthdays, the term ‘rough wooing’, Ashley Dalton MP, Maimuna Memon
The health secretary Wes Streeting has appointed senior midwife Donna Ockenden to lead a review into maternity and neonatal services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The appointment came after a sustained campaign by bereaved and harmed families who said that she was the only one they trusted to lead the review into failings in Leeds. Donna Ockenden joined Nuala McGovern to discuss her new appointment as well as her ongoing review into Nottingham university hospitals.
How would you feel if everyone in your household forgot your birthday? After a woman's social media post saying her family had forgotten hers went viral, Anita talked to the author Poorna Bell and the journalist Nell Frizzell about whether forgetting a spouse's birthday is simply a careless moment or the sign of something deeper.
Dr Amy Blakeway, Senior Lecturer in 16th Century Scottish History at the University of St Andrews, talked to Nuala about the history of the term 'rough wooing', and why she thinks it’s time we stopped using it.
Ashley Dalton, the MP for West Lancashire, announced last week that she was stepping down from her role as Health Minister to focus on constituency work and her health. Last year she revealed that her breast cancer had returned, and metastasised. This means living with advanced breast cancer everyday – it can’t be cured, but it can be managed. She joined Nuala to discuss her decision.
Maimuna Memon is an actress, singer, composer, and playwright. Last year, she won a Laurence Olivier Award for her performance in the musical Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 at the Donmar in London. Maimuna talks to Anita about the real-life stories behind her latest show Manic Street Creature.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Annette Wells
SAT 17:00 PM (m002smzc)
Full coverage of the day's news
SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m002smzf)
From Sky boss to Number 10: Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith
Andrew Griffith on why government sometimes has to say 'no' and why Rupert Murdoch was the "best boss".
The Shadow Business Secretary was once the youngest Chief Financial Officer of any major British company, when he worked at Sky, before becoming an MP an joining Boris Johnson's team in Downing Street.
Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer
Producer: Flora Murray
Editor: Giles Edwards
SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002smzh)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SAT 17:57 Weather (m002smzk)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002smzm)
Trump urges UK to send warships to Strait of Hormuz
President Trump urges the UK to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, to help defend the vital shipping route from Iranian attacks. Israel says it's hit more than a-hundred Hezbollah command centres in the Lebanese capital Beirut. The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, says she has found extra money to offer support to people struggling with higher heating oil costs. Also: The public is invited to vote an new artwork to remember Northumberland's Sycamore Gap tree.
SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m002smzp)
Chris McCausland, Flo and Joan, The Orielles, Dallas Campbell, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Dorothy Koomson
Comic, Strictly winner and Live Comedy Day ambassador Chris McCausland joins Kiri Pritchard-McLean for a chat about siblings. Chris remembers pitched battles aged 11 with his then four year old sister over TV rights.
Comedy cabaret duo Flo and Joan are sisters Rosie and Nicola Dempsey who do perform songs about slipping each other poison in their tea. But we think that's a joke.
The Orielles too are a trio made up of the Hand-Halford sisters who bumped into guitarist Henry at a party aged 9 and are are now on their 4th record.
The best selling thriller writer Dorothy Koomson admits to writing anybody who crosses her into her books, complete with sticky ending.
And the space historian and broadcaster Dallas Campbell explains why the astronomer Galileo may have shopped in a 16th century middle aisle.
Presenter: Kiri Pritchard-McLean
Producer: Olive Clancy
SAT 19:00 Profile (m002smwm)
Wunmi Mosaku
She’s already won a Bafta for her portrayal of a hoodoo healer in the Southern gothic, Sinners. But can British actress Wunmi Mosaku win an Oscar too? Mosaku says her role has helped her connect with her ancestry and find parts of herself she thought she had lost.
Born in Nigeria in 1986, Wunmi moved to Manchester as a very young child, growing up in Hulme and Chorlton with her parents and two sisters. Her first taste of performing came aged seven when she joined Manchester Girls Choir which she remained a member of until she was eighteen.
But it wasn’t just singing where she excelled. Her sixth form drama teachers spotted her talent and she successfully auditioned for RADA. A decade after graduation she won her first Bafta for her portrayal of the mother of the murdered London schoolboy Damilola Taylor. American directors must have been watching as she began spending more time working stateside. She was cast in sci-fi series Lovecraft Country followed by a trip to Baltimore for a role in We Own This City. Then director Ryan Coogler got in touch and now she’s tipped for an Oscar.
Stephen Smith charts the rise and rise of Wunmi Mosaku.
SAT 19:15 The History Podcast (m002gjdr)
The Second Map
1. Bonnie Laddie
We all know the heroic story of Britain fighting the Nazis in World War Two. But what’s less well-known in popular memory is the war on the Asian front, against Japan. Yet it touched many families across Britain. Their descendants are still uncovering stories today.
On the same day as Japan’s attack on the US Naval bases at Pearl Harbor there were simultaneous strikes on British territories in South East Asia.
Episode 1 of The Second Map charts the humiliating defeats that the British suffered by Japanese forces as they rapidly took key colonies in South East Asia. We hear from eyewitnesses who were in Singapore when it fell, and were then later captured and held prisoner. We hear from a 104-year-old veteran, who desperately wanted independence for India, but decided to fight alongside the British against Japan. And we explore why this part of the war is not as well known as the one against the Nazis.
This is the other story of the Second World War.
Creator, Writer and Presenter: Kavita Puri
Series Producer: Ellie House
Script Editor: Ant Adeane
Sound designer: James Beard
Series Editor: Matt Willis
Production Coordinators: Sabine Scherek, Maria Ogundele
Commissioners for Radio 4 and The World Service: Dan Clarke, Jon Zilkha
Original music: Felix Taylor
Archive Curator: Tariq Hussain
Voice actor: Dai Tabuchi
Translators: Hannah Kilcoyne, Sumire Hori
With thanks to Dr Diya Gupta, Dr Vikki Hawkins, Dr Peter Johnston, Professor Rana Mitter and Tejpal Singh Ralmill.
Includes archive material from ‘Singapore 1942: End of Empire’ (2012), Electric Pictures.
SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m002smzr)
Wilson's Way Out
In Wilson’s Way Out, Carolyn Quinn turns Westminster sleuth to tell the astonishing story of how and why Harold Wilson sensationally quit as Prime Minister fifty years ago. The only modern PM to have stepped down voluntarily. The only one to have chosen the precise timing, circumstances and manner of his departure. But was Harold Wilson’s way out really all that it seemed on March 16 1976?
This is the story of how the resignation of the most brilliant politician of his generation prompted a swirl of outlandish conspiracy theories, involving, amongst other things a Downing Street affair, a thwarted military coup and the CIA believing the British Prime Minister was a Soviet agent. It’s the story of how attempts at blackmail and even murder added to the intrigue and paranoia which seeped into Wilson’s mind in the two years between regaining power in 1974 and his resignation in 1976.
On the fiftieth anniversary of his departure from Downing Street, Carolyn Quinn separates the fact from fiction with the help of the last remaining witnesses to these extraordinary events who knew the real Harold Wilson. With access to unique BBC archive, she discovers the inner thoughts of Wilson, his cabinet colleagues and closest Downing Street advisors, as well as the people who planned a military coup in Britain to depose this sitting PM.
Presenter: Carolyn Quinn
Producer: Jonathan Brunert
SAT 21:00 Moral Maze (m002sf68)
Pragmatism and Principle: what is the role of morality in foreign policy?
Relations between Britain and the United States have rarely been described as simple, but they have long been called special. Yet in recent days that relationship has come under strain, after a sharp exchange between Donald Trump and Keir Starmer over the latest international crisis and Britain’s response to it. For more than eighty years the United Kingdom has defined its place in the world partly through its alliance with the United States. But moments like this raise uncomfortable questions about how Britain should act amid a shifting global order.
Some argue that foreign policy must ultimately be guided by national interest. In an uncertain world, they say, Britain cannot afford to jeopardise its most important alliance. Presidents come and go, but the strategic relationship between the two countries endures. In that view, the moral case is one of engagement, diplomacy, influence and the long-term security and prosperity of British citizens.
Others believe that alliances cannot come at the expense of values. The Canadian prime minister Mark Carney recently warned that the world has entered an “age of rupture”, where the rules and norms that once governed international relations are beginning to fray. When Britain disagrees with its closest ally – particularly on questions of war and peace – it has a responsibility to defend those principles, even at the risk of friction or isolation.
So in these extraordinary times, should foreign policy be guided primarily by principle or by pragmatic self-interest? What should the balance be between ethical idealism and strategic reality? Can interests and values truly align? And ultimately, what is the role of morality in foreign policy?
Chair: Michael Buerk
Panel: Matthew Taylor, Giles Fraser, Ash Sarkar and Tim Stanley
Witnesses: Jan Halper-Hayes, Peter Oborne, Christopher Hill, Jamie Gaskarth
Producer: Dan Tierney
Assistant Producer: Jay Unger
Editor: Chloe Walker.
SAT 22:00 News (m002smzt)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m002sg5h)
Posh Water
Should we be taking water more seriously? The emergence of the water sommelier would suggest so. Jaega Wise visits a Cheshire restaurant that now offers its own water menu as well as a Peak District pub with a water bar and a borehole to draw its own spring water. She talks to the co-founder of the Fine Waters Academy Michael Mascha who believes that water should be appreciated as a product with its own terroir and hears from Dr Natalie Lamb, a water industry expert who has been trained to appreciate the virtues of tap water. Whether hard or soft, still or sparkling - the Food Programme takes a closer look at the liquid we all too often take for granted.
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Robin Markwell
Programme contains a clip of the Only Fools And Horses Episode "Mother Nature's Son", written by John Sullivan, first broadcast on BBC TV on 25th December, 1992
SAT 23:00 The Matt Forde Focus Group (m002sg20)
Series 2
1. The Politics of Boredom
Can boredom really explain modern politics? It might just be the most honest answer anyone's given in Westminster for years.
Top political comedian Matt Forde convenes his Focus Group in front of a live theatre audience with a brilliantly eclectic panel — chef and campaigner Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, political journalist Miranda Green, and German stand-up Henning Wehn — to get to the bottom of one of politics' least glamorous but most powerful driving forces.
Written and performed by Matt Forde
Additional writing from Karl Minns, Katie Storey and Richard Garvin
Producer: Richard Garvin
Co Producer: Daisy Knight
Broadcast Assistant: Sahar Rajabali
Sound Design and Editing: David Thomas
An Avalon production for BBC Radio 4
SAT 23:30 Counterpoint (m002sclh)
Series 39
Semi-final 1, 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, in the first semi-final of the series, our three contestants pick from topics including ‘In A Classical Garden', 'ABBA: Together And Apart' and 'The Sherlock Holmes Musical Casebook'.
Producer: Tom Du Croz
Production coordinator: Jodie Charman
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4
If you are interested in taking part in a future series of Counterpoint, please email counterpoint@bbc.co.uk
SUNDAY 15 MARCH 2026
SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m002smzw)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 00:15 Take Four Books (m002sclf)
Colm Tóibín
The Irish writer Colm Tóibín speaks to Take Four Books about his new short story collection, The News From Dublin, and together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other literary works. His new collection, published by Picador, consists of nine short stories, the last of which, The Catalan Girls, runs to a hundred pages and is about three sisters who have been living in Argentina and decide to return to Catalonia.
For his three influences Colm chose short stories by three Irish writers: The Country Funeral by John McGahern first published in 1992; Frank O'Connor's Guests Of The Nation from 1931; and the Glasgow born Irish playwright and writer Eugene McCabe's Music At Annahullion from 1985.
Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.
SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002smzy)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002sn00)
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 (m002sn02)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002sn04)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m002smxw)
The church of St Mary, Great Bedwyn in Wiltshire
Bells on Sunday comes from the church of St Mary, Great Bedwyn in Wiltshire. The church was built in the Norman style in the 12th century on the site of a Saxon Building. There are six bells dating from the 17th Century, the oldest of which was cast by John Walliss of the Salisbury Foundry in 1623. The Tenor weighs twenty eight hundredweight and is tuned to the note of D flat. We hear them ringing Plain Bob Doubles
SUN 05:45 In Touch (m002sfvx)
Usher Syndrome Helpline, Eye Matter
In Touch hears about a helpline that has been specifically set up for people with Usher Syndrome. Usher Syndrome is a dual disability that causes combined deafness and blindness. The helpline is provided and operated by Deafblind UK, Nikki Morris is their CEO and she describes why there was a need for a specific helpline for the group of people living with this condition.
Continuing this week's theme of services for visually impaired people, In Touch speaks with Suzie Simons who is the founder and Coordinator of Eye Matter. They are a charity based in London who provide national services online, such as grief counselling, book clubs and training opportunities, along with many in-person events and holidays throughout the year.
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 (m002smv2)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 06:05 Thinking Allowed (m002sfvg)
Debt and Wealth Inequality
What does an 18-month study of residents on a housing estate in southern England tell us about living with debt? Laurie Taylor talks to Ryan Davey from Cardiff University about his new book The Personal Life of Debt - Coercion, Subjectivity and Inequality in Britain, which tries to understand how debt affects people emotionally as well as economically.
Laurie is also joined by Sarah Kerr (LSE International Inequalities Institute), whose book, Wealth, Poverty and Enduring Inequality - Let’s Talk Wealtherty, investigates the stubborn persistence of inequality in the UK. Kerr argues that the gap between top and bottom earners has become entrenched and normalised across generations.
Producer: Natalia Fernandez
SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m002smv6)
Robocrops
Agriculture on autopilot. Robin Markwell explores the future of robots in agriculture at the Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology with its Founder and Director Professor Simon Pearson. Simon shows Robin a range of robots that they have been developing across campus including a mushroom harvester, a lettuce picker and a robot sheepdog! He meets robot developers like Kim Cox from Agaricus Robotics and Jaime Pulido from Saga Robotics and chats with Professor Simon Parsons about the pros and cons of introducing Artificial Intelligence into agriculture.
Presented and produced by Robin Markwell for BBC Audio in Bristol.
SUN 06:57 Weather (m002smvb)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m002smvg)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
SUN 07:10 Sunday (m002smvl)
For Iranians living in the UK, the past weeks have been filled with uncertainty and fear for loved ones and growing concern about what happens next. We hear from Rev Mohammad Eghtedarian and his wife Maryam, who both fled Iran around the year 2000. Maryam was already a Christian and Mohammad converted on the journey he took as an asylum seeker coming to Britain.
It can be difficult to think of what we want to happen to our remains after death. A step forward in providing an alternative to burial or cremation has been legalised in Scotland, known as aquamation. Could other parts of UK soon follow? There are theological considerations for those who believe in ‘the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting'.
There is a new superhero on our screens. The Ninth Master is an English language film that follows a Sikh warrior who discovers martial arts. There are now touring screenings around the UK. Its director and lead actor, known as Flex Singh, has been speaking to Sunday.
Presenter: Julie Etchingham
Producers: Katy Booth, Rebecca Kelly and Felin Gakwaya
Studio managers: Chris Mather, Phil Booth, Amy Brennan and Catherine Everatt
Production co-ordinator: David Baguley
Editor: Tim Pemberton
SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m002smvq)
Bone Cancer Research Trust
Supporter Ben Phelps makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of Bone Cancer Research Trust and in memory of his daughter Beth. The charity aims to improve outcomes for bone cancer patients by funding tissue sample collection, which underpins research and development.
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 ‘Bone Cancer Research Trust’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Bone Cancer Research Trust’.
- 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: 1159590. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://www.bcrt.org.uk
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites
Producer: Katy Takatsuki
SUN 07:57 Weather (m002smvv)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m002smvz)
The news headlines, including a look at the newspapers.
SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m002smw3)
A Journey though Lent - The Servant of All
On the Fourth Sunday in Lent, which also Mothering Sunday, Jonathan Rea, the Creative Director of New Irish Arts, reflects on how Jesus became the Servant of all and how His disciples should reflect this.
From West Presbyterian Church in Ballymena, a few miles from Slemish Mountain where St Patrick, whose day is on Tuesday, tended sheep during his captivity in Ireland. The Service is led by Ruth Jennings with the New Irish Choir and Orchestra.
Matthew
20:17-28
Holy Holy Holy
Holy Spirit Living Breath of God
Gentle and Lowly
The Deer’s Cry
Give Me Jesus/Steal Away
Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me
SUN 08:48 Witness History (w3ct5ygm)
South Africa's referendum on apartheid
On 18 March 1992, white South Africans overwhelmingly backed a mandate for political reforms to end apartheid and create a power-sharing multi-racial government.
It was a high-stakes referendum coming on the back of three by-elections where the ruling National Party had lost to the right wing Conservative party.
In a speech after the polling victory, President FW de Klerk said: “Today we have closed the book on apartheid”. His communications adviser, David Steward speaks to Josephine McDermott.
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.
Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.
(Photo: President FW de Klerk with news of the referendum win. Credit: AP)
SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m002smw7)
Juliet Vickery on the Dipper
CEO of the British Trust for Ornithology Juliet Vickery fell in love with dippers while studying them during her PhD in south-west Scotland. She finds them packed full of character, and perfectly adapted to life between water and land. Dippers have to make sure their complex song is heard above the sound of rushing water, and for Juliet the combination of bubbling bird song and bubbling brook is completely magical.
Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.
SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m002smwc)
Oil shock: What can government do to help cost of living?
Rising fuel costs as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed for most oil tankers. What can the government do to help? Also: the Oscars and Paddy O'Connell and Greg James go cycling.
SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs (m002smwh)
Professor Stephen Westaby, surgeon and writer
Professor Stephen Westaby is a former heart surgeon and writer. During his career he performed over 11,000 operations and pioneered the use of life long artificial hearts as an alternative to donor transplants.
Stephen was born in Scunthorpe in 1948 and went to medical school at Charing Cross Hospital in 1966. The following year he suffered a serious head injury during a rugby match which had a major impact on his personality. He changed from being a shy person lacking in confidence into a fearless, ambitious operator – qualities, he believes, made him entirely suited to being a surgeon.
In 1981 he took up a Research Fellowship in Alabama with John Kirklin, the first surgeon to successfully perform a series of open-heart operations using a heart-lung machine. During his time there Stephen discovered that medical nylon caused some patients to die of post-perfusion syndrome. Following his discovery, the manufacturers of the equipment removed it from the circuit which led to a substantial drop in cardiac surgical mortality.
In 2000 he implanted a revolutionary new heart pump into a man who was terminally ill with heart failure using a device called the Jarvik 2000. Temporary devices – known as bridge to transplant devices – had been used to stabilise patients while they waited for a donor heart but this surgery – transplanting a permanent artificial heart instead of a donor heart was the first of its kind.
Stephen retired from the NHS in 2016. The following year he published Fragile Lives: A Heart Surgeon’s Stories of Life and Death on the Operating Theatre which won the BMA President’s Award.
Stephen has two children and lives with his wife in Oxfordshire.
DISC ONE: Wonderful Land - The Shadows
DISC TWO: Viva La Vida - Coldplay
DISC THREE: Baker Street – Gerry Rafferty
DISC FOUR: America - Simon & Garfunkel
DISC FIVE: Forever Autumn - Justin Hayward
DISC SIX: Moonlight Shadow - Mike Oldfield
DISC SEVEN: Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac
DISC EIGHT: Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 18. Andante cantabile Performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy (piano) and London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by André Previn
BOOK CHOICE: Exercitatio Anatomica de Motu Cordis et Sanguinis in Animalibus by William Harvey
LUXURY ITEM: A family photograph
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Forever Autumn - Justin Hayward
Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinley
SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m002smwk)
Writer: Sarah Hehir
Director: Rosemary Watts
Editor: Jeremy Howe
Brian Aldridge… Charles Collingwood
Ben Archer … Ben Norris
David Archer … Timothy Bentinck
Ruth Archer … Felicity Finch
Lilian Bellamy … Sunny Ormonde
Alice Carter … Hollie Chapman
Chris Carter … Wilf Scolding
Rex Fairbrother … Nick Barber
Amber Gordon … Olivia Bernstone
George Grundy … Angus Stobie
Jakob Hakansson … Paul Venables
Kate Madikane … Perdita Avery
Azra Malik … Yasmin Wilde
Kirsty Miller … Annabelle Dowler
Lily Pargetter … Katie Redford
Reg … Trevor Fox
SUN 12:15 Profile (m002smwm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
SUN 12:30 Just a Minute (m002rd20)
Series 96
6. The time I spent New Year's Eve with Sue Perkins
We're back in Bradford for the final episode of the series. Zoe tells us why she's not as cool as a cucumber, Chris explains who Bradford Jesus is and Lucy offers her thoughts on Taylor Swift.
Host: Sue Perkins
Players: Paul Merton, Zoe Lyons, Chris Cantrill, Lucy Porter
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 (m002smwp)
The latest weather forecast
SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m002smwr)
The politics of an oil price shock
With no sign that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen any time soon, we explore the political impact of energy shocks. Energy historian Tyler Priest tells us about parallels with the 1973 oil crisis, Nobel Prize winning political economist Daron Acemoglu explains how economic crises can lead to a rise in anti-establishment sentiment, and we discuss what current governments can do with the economist Vicky Pryce and the Director of European Council on Foreign Relations, Mark Leonard.
SUN 13:30 Currently (m002smwt)
Britain By Bodycam
Every month brings a new headline about shoplifting, confrontations with retail staff and disorder on our high streets.
As a result, more and more security guards have taken to wearing bodyworn cameras, now visible in every part of our lives, from supermarkets to coffee shops, railway stations to hospitals. For some they are a welcome deterrent and bring peace of mind. For others, they are a sign of a country that has lost its way.
But what is the world behind these bodycams? Miles away from the high street, dotted around the country on trading estates, in business parks on the edges of cities, even in disused military bunkers, staff work round the clock to monitor live footage that feeds through from bodyworn cameras.
Aidan Tulloch has been allowed through the bombproof doors and secure airlocks to see what it is like to work in one of these alarm receiving centres. How does it feel to spend 12-hour shifts in one of these windowless rooms watching all corners of Britain? What is the psychological impact of seeing violence unfold in real time?
Talking to employees from a number of security companies as they sit at banks of computer screens and watch notifications ping in from across the country, he finds out how the alarm receiving centres can often be peaceful places, full of the usual office chatter...until an alarm goes off.
And as our social media feeds are filled with videos of altercations - often caught on bodycam - alongside people claiming the country is in decline, what does it say about society that we consume this content for pleasure?
Presenter: Aidan Tulloch
Producer: Tim Bano
SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002sg5y)
Sully & District: Blooming Cacti, Shallow Depth and Signs of Spring
What climbing plants thrive in shallow soil? How can you coax your Christmas cacti into a dazzling display? What’s your favourite first sign of spring?
Kathy Clugston brings a hand‑picked panel of horticultural experts to Sully, Wales, where they tackle a lively audience’s gardening questions with insight, warmth and plenty of good humour.
Joining Kathy are garden designer Chris Beardshaw, houseplant specialist Anne Swithinbank, and Bethan Collerton, head gardener at Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Together, they share their practical know‑how, creative ideas, and passion for all things green.
Pippa Greenwood meets Samantha Smith from the Horticultural Trades Association to explore the new Simpler Recycling initiative, and what it means for clearing out old pots, containers, and other garden clutter.
Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Junior Producer: William Norton
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 14:45 Opening Lines (m002smww)
My Antonia
John Yorke explores themes of loss, longing and the founding of America, in Willa Cather’s innovative novel, My Ántonia. A milestone in American literature, the novel’s heroine is - unusually for the time - a Czech immigrant, Ántonia Shimerda, seen through the eyes of her childhood friend, lawyer Jim Burden. Ántonia survives poverty, tragedy and betrayal through her hard work, energy and optimism.
The novel shows ‘the other side of the rug, the pattern that is not supposed to count in a story. There is no love affair, no courtship, no marriage, no broken heart, no struggle for success’. Deceptively easy to read, Cather communicates feeling in a strikingly modern, cinematic way, with a mastery of visual storytelling, using language to capture the soul of a nation.
With contributions from Melissa Homestead, Professor of English and Director of the Cather Project at the University of Lincoln-Nebraska.
John Yorke has worked in television and radio for over 30 years and shares his experience as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories dramatised in BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Drama series. As former Head of Channel Four Drama and Controller of BBC Drama Production he has worked on some of the most popular shows in Britain, from EastEnders to The Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless. He created the BBC Writers Academy and trained a generation of screenwriters, now with thousands of hours of television to their names. His acclaimed books Into the Woods and Trip to the Moon explore the structure and power of narrative, and he writes, teaches and consults on all forms of storytelling, including many podcasts for Radio 4.
Producer: Mary Ward-Lowery
Reader: Riley Neldam
Executive Producer: Sara Davies
Production Hub Coordinator: Dawn Williams
Sound: Iain Hunter
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m002smwy)
My Ántonia
Willa Cather’s beloved novel about an emblematic East European settler on the unspoiled plains of Nebraska in the 1880s, who, against terrible odds, reinvents the American Dream.
Dramatised by Kate Clanchy.
Starring Danny Mahoney, Lorelei King and Vera Graziadei.
My Ántonia became an instant classic when it was first published in 1918. It inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald and is now regarded as a cornerstone of the American novel, an exquisitely written, feminist Little House on the Prairie for adults.
This adaptation – the first for the BBC – is a soulful, affirming drama about the resilience of the human spirit, young love that lasts forever, and our connection to the land.
It continues the Story of America collection of dramatisations of milestone American titles marking 250 years since the Declaration of Independence and the foundation of the United States.
‘As I went back alone over that familiar road, I could almost believe that a boy and girl ran along beside me, as our shadows used to do, laughing and whispering to each other in the grass.’
As children, Jim, an orphan from Virginia, and Ántonia, a Bohemian immigrant, are among the first pioneer settlers when they arrive in the Midwest – a world with ‘no fences. Only the ground and sun and sky were left’. (Willa Cather was also a child when her family arrived as settlers in Nebraska from Virginia.) The children play rapturously but, as they grow up, and the pristine prairie goes rapidly under the plough, their paths diverge. Ántonia’s family, ill-equipped to farm, stumbles towards tragedy. Jim excels at school while Ántonia loses her chance of education. But love endures, as does the hope of the American Dream. Jim returns from his life in New York to search for Ántonia and ask if there can be more than the ‘precious, incommunicable past’ between them.
Jim ….. Danny Mahoney
Emmaline ….. Lorelei King
Ántonia ….. Vera Graziadei
Ambrosch ….. Greg Kolpakchi
Child Ántonia ….. Emily Costtrici
Child Jim ….. Max Lester
With specially composed music by Katharine Seaton, performed by Yeva Volkava (violin) and Katharine Seaton (piano).
Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Tombling
Sound Designer: David Thomas
Director / Producer: Amber Barnfather
A Flare Path production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 16:00 Take Four Books (m002smx0)
Susan Choi
The writer Susan Choi speaks to Take Four Books about her novel Flashlight, and, together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other literary works.
The novel, which began life as a short story in the New Yorker in 2020, and won the Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award in 2021, begins with ten-year-old Louisa and her father taking a walk out on the breakwater. They are spending the summer in a coastal Japanese town while her father Serk, a Korean émigré, completes an academic secondment from his American university. When Louisa wakes hours later, she has washed up on the beach and her father is missing, probably drowned. The disappearance of Louisa’s father shatters their small family unit. As Louisa and her American mother, Anne, return to the US, this traumatic event reverberates across time and space, and the mystery of what really happened to Serk slowly unravels.
The book was shortlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize and has recently been longlisted for the 2026 Women's Prize.
For her influences, Susan chose: Jenny Erpenbeck’s Visitation, from 2010; the Selected Stories of Alice Munro from 1996; and George Eliot’s Middlemarch, from 1871.
Producer: Dominic Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.
SUN 16:30 Counterpoint (m002smx2)
Series 39
Semi-final 2, 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, in the second semi-final of the series, our three contestants pick from topics including ‘Phrase and Fable', 'Pop Goes The Weather' and 'Music Behind The Mask'.
Producer: Tom Du Croz
Production coordinator: Jodie Charman
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4
If you are interested in taking part in a future series of Counterpoint, please email counterpoint@bbc.co.uk
SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct5yld)
Paul Keating's Redfern speech
On 10 December 1992, Australia’s Prime Minister, Paul Keating, addressed a crowd in a Sydney suburb called Redfern, to mark the UN’s International Year of the World’s Indigenous People. What started as a low-key affair, is remembered as one of the most powerful speeches in Australian history. It was the first time an Australian Prime Minister took moral responsibility for the horrors committed against Indigenous Australians.
The speech received significant backlash, but it’s often credited with paving the way for a later Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, to issue a formal apology to Indigenous Australians. In 2007, ABC radio listeners voted it the third most unforgettable speech in history behind Martin Luther King’s 'I have a dream' speech and Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
Don Watson wrote the speech. 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 football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.
(Audio of Redfern speech: National Archives of Australia)
(Photo: Prime Minister Paul Keating at Redfern. Credit: Pickett/The Sydney Morning Herald/Fairfax Media via Getty Images)
SUN 17:10 Understand (m002q2qt)
An American Journey
1. The Pursuit of Happiness
James Naughtie examines the ideas tying America's founding to the modern United States.
In this major new series marking America's 250th anniversary, James travels through time and across the landscape to discover how the Declaration of Independence embedded the idea of a country founded on what its authors described as 'self-evident' truths – that everyone’s inalienable rights included ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’
In this first episode James begins with the 'pursuit of happiness' – the American search for opportunity. He begins on the site of the original gold rush in northern California, before journeying to farms and factories; small towns and big cities across the American Midwest. As he does, he reveals how from Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, to President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, Americans have always seen the connection between economic and democratic freedom - the ability to choose their own fates, and the fate of the country.
Producer: Giles Edwards.
SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002smx5)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
SUN 17:57 Weather (m002smx7)
The latest weather reports and forecast
SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002smx9)
Iran says it sees no reason for talks with US
The Iranian Foreign Minister says Tehran has "never asked for a ceasefire" in the war with Israel and America. Yesterday, President Trump said that Iran wanted to make a deal, but that he felt the terms were "not good enough". In Israel, an Iranian missile hits residential areas near Tel Aviv. Also: The government announces police-style measures to tackle fly tipping in England. And: Hollywood rolls out the red carpet ahead of the Oscars.
SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m002smxc)
Nikki Bedi
From the rebellious short poems uniting Afghan women to a long‑standing Newfoundland curse finally breaking, we’ll take you through the standout audio moments of the week. We revisit the simmering tensions of MAGA’s Civil War, and writer Lionel Shriver shares her sharply drawn, fictional take on modern dating. Plus, we relive the near death moment of a comedian who almost didn’t make it off stage.
Presenter: Nikki Bedi
Producer: Rachael O'Neill
Researcher: Caoilfhinn McFadden
A BBC Audio Northern Ireland production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 19:00 The Archers (m002smxf)
Tom’s feeling upbeat after the Bridge Farm audit, though Helen points out they need a conversation with Tony about getting rid of the Anguses. Helen then gets a call from Anna Tregorran, who’s abroad – her mum’s had a fall. Helen offers to go and wait with Carol for the ambulance, asking Tom to go with her. When they get there however, they have to climb in through a window before helping Carol up off the floor and into a chair. Fiercely independent Carol tells them she cancelled the ambulance when she heard they were coming. She’s sure nothing’s broken, apart from one of her best bone-china cups. Feeling awkward Helen then tells Anna that everything’s okay.
Lynda and Jolene are frustrated so few people want to help with Speedwatch these days. Jolene suggests a push for new volunteers to revive Ambridge’s community spirit, before broaching the subject of a new cricket team based at The Bull. Lynda is dead against and wants to come to the meeting about it later to make her disapproval known. Jolene isn’t sure that’s a good idea. Neither is Tracy, but she, Jolene and Tom listen while Lynda makes an impassioned case for the sacred tradition of the Ambridge cricket team. Her audience is dubious until Lynda points out a Bull team can’t be registered in time for the new season – plus she’s promised Ed grazing for his sheep on the outfield. The only way it’ll work is if they come back to Ambridge Cricket Club. But the problem is, no-one wants to.
SUN 19:15 Illuminated (m002smxh)
Swimming with Jimmy
‘Do nothing’.
So exhorts Jimmy as he overhauls the strokes, kicks and breathing of his adult swim learners at Cardiff International Pool.
They plunge, roll, extend. As they learn to let go and glide, they’re overcome with a sense of joy, freedom and bodily ease.
For journalist Selma Chalabi, Jimmy’s classes have been a lifeline. She joined the class to improve her swimming technique, but what she found was something so much more profound. Jimmy’s unique and philosophical style of teaching taught her not only how to move at one with the water, but also how to live her life - when to move and when to rest and how to breathe.
It’s in the pool that Selma meets a community of learners - all ages, shapes and cultures - who are doing so much more than learning to swim. There’s Maggs, who is determined to face her worst fear and overcome a deep childhood trauma, and working mum Doris, whose moment of peace is when she submerges into the water. As for Darius, he has transformed from absolute beginner to potential competitor.
This is a world you might find in any leisure centre around the country. A place so familiar to us, and yet in its depths and shallows, in its pools of chlorine and azure light, are stories of courage, determination, bliss and finding new meaning in the water.
Producer and presenter: Selma Chalabi
Executive Producer: Leonie Thomas
Sound Designer: Mike Woolley
Sound engineers: Meic Parry and Katie Hill
With deepest gratitude to Jimmy, his students, and the staff at Cardiff International Pool.
An Overcoat Media production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 19:45 Lent Talks (m002smxk)
Power and Vulnerability
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.
Mina Smallman is a retired vicar whose two daughters, Bibaa and Nicole, were murdered, in a case that resulted in two police officers being jailed for sharing photos of their bodies. In this episode, she explores power and vulnerability.
Producer: Dan Tierney.
SUN 20:00 Feedback (m002sg1p)
Illuminated, Charter Renewal, News Avoidance
Illuminated is Radio 4's home for powerful, original audio storytelling - and recently we've heard from listeners who were moved by a documentary called Functioning, about the effect of alcohol addiction on two women's lives. Andrea Catherwood talks to the programme's producer Jodie Taylor, and Radio 4 documentary commissioner Hugh Levinson, and hears a remarkable insight into how the programme came to be.
Feedback's listeners are pretty clued up when it comes to giving their thoughts to the BBC, but we came across one last week who seemed to know more than most - as it turned out, he did a PhD on charter renewal. Andrea talks to Dr Tom Chivers, academic at Goldsmiths, University of London, about what the BBC can do to reach its audience during a consultation that could result in radical change.
And following our discussion of news avoidance on last week's programme, we hear from a listener who has discovered his own method for avoiding news that feels excessive, or irrelevant.
Presenter: Andrea Catherwood
Producer: Pauline Moore
Assistant Producer: Rebecca Guthrie
Executive Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4
SUN 20:30 Last Word (m002sg62)
Paul Conroy, Kenith Trodd, Astrid Llewellyn, Jo Purvis
Matthew Bannister on
Paul Conroy, the photojournalist who worked extensively in war zones in the Middle East and the Balkans. He was with the Sunday Times reporter Marie Colvin when she was killed in Syria.
Kenith Trodd, the TV producer best known for his work with Dennis Potter on series like Pennies from Heaven and The Singing Detective. Stephen Poliakoff pays tribute.
Astrid Llewellyn who skippered the first all-female crew to take part in a Tall Ships Race.
Jo Purvis, the DJ who promoted LGBTQ+ ballroom dancing events in the 1970s and 1980s.
Interviewee: Stephen Poliakoff
Interviewee: Tim Llewellyn
Interviewee: Toni Krause
Interviewee: Peter Flockhart
Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies
Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell
Researcher: Jesse Edwards
Editor: Glyn Tansley
Archive used:
Paul Conroy interview, Music on the Front Line, Music Matters, BBC Radio 3, 03/05/2025; Paul Conroy: My Escape from Homs, Outlook, BBC World Service, 22/01/2013; Caught on a Train, Play for Today, Playhouse, Director: Peter Duffell, Writer: Stephen Poliakoff , BBC Two, 31/10/1980; The Ballroom of Romance, Play for Today, Playhouse, Director: Pat O'Connor, Writer: William Trevor, BBC Two, 05/11/1982; Pennies From Heaven, Episode 4: Better Think Twice, Director: Piers Haggard, Writer: Dennis Potter, BBC One, 28/03/1978; The Singing Detective, BBC Promo, 1991; The Singing Detective, Night Waves, BBC Radio 3, 16/06/2014; Sunday Feature: Dennis Potter - With Aggressive Affection, BBC Radio 3, 04/08/2015; Astrid Llewellyn interview and actuality, The Tall Ships Race 1974, BBC Television, 07/08/1974; Jo Purvis interview, Purvette, taken from the film ondon. Director: Alex Eisenberg, Courtesy of Alex Eisenberg, 2024;
SUN 21:00 Money Box (m002smxm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:04 on Saturday]
SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m002smvq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 today]
SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002smxp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:30 on Saturday]
SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m002smxr)
How is the Iran war affecting the cost of living in the UK?
Ben Wright is joined by the Labour MP and Commons Treasury Committee chair, Dame Meg Hillier; Conservative former Deputy Foreign Secretary, Sir Andrew Mitchell; and the Liberal Democrat Business spokesperson, Sarah Olney. They discuss President Trump's call for the UK and other nations to send warships to the Gulf and whether the government should help people with the impact of the Iran war on the cost of living at home. Geraldine Scott - assistant political editor of The Times - brings additional insight and analysis. And Ben speaks to the expert in parliamentary oratory, Tom Clark, about great speeches in the Commons.
SUN 23:00 In Our Time (m002sg10)
Archaea
Misha Glenny and guests discuss one of the most remarkable scientific discoveries of the 20th century: the archaea microorganisms. In the 1970s the American microbiologist Carl Woese (1928-2012) realised that the tiny bacteria-sized organisms he was studying were not actually bacteria but from an entirely different branch of the tree of life. It became clear that archaea, as he named them, share aspects of the cells in all plants and animals even if they often live in places where other life struggles including salty lakes, acidic pools, under the sea bed and in the gut. While aspects of what followed from Woese are still under debate, further discoveries suggest that life on Earth has been on a journey of separation and reunion: that the first cells developed into bacteria and archaea billions of years ago and that some of those later combined to form the complex cells from which we are made.
With
Christa Schleper
Professor of Genetics and Microbiology at the University of Vienna
Thorsten Allers
Professor of Archaeal Genetics at the University of Nottingham
And
Buzz Baum
Group leader at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge
Producer: Simon Tillotson
Reading list:
John Archibald, One Plus One Equals One: Symbiosis and the evolution of complex life (Oxford University Press, 2014)
Buzz Baum, ‘I’: A Biography of the Biological Self (Allen Lane, forthcoming 2027)
Franklin M. Harold, In Search of Cell History: The Evolution of Life's Building Blocks (University of Chicago Press, 2014)
Nick Lane, Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life (Oxford University Press, 2005)
David Quammen, The Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of Life (Simon & Schuster, 2018)
Jan Sapp, Evolution by Association: A History of Symbiosis (Oxford University Press, 1994)
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 (m002sg60)
The Shrinking by Nicola Rayner
A new short story for Radio 4, inspired by the news that some GLP-1 weight-loss drugs are soon to be available in pill form. The Shrinking imagines a parallel world where women can shrink to their “perfect height” with the help of a seemingly miraculous new medication. But the treatment has some unexpected side-effects.
Born in South Wales, Nicola Rayner is a novelist and journalist. She is the author of The Girl Before You, which was described as "the new Girl on the Train” by the Observer and translated into multiple languages. Her second novel, You and Me, another psychological thriller, was published in October 2020. A work of historical fiction, The Paris Dancer, was published in 2025. In her day job as a journalist, Nicola writes about dance and travel and her articles have appeared in a number of publications including the Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, The Stage and Dancing Times.
Read by Clare Corbett
Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio
MONDAY 16 MARCH 2026
MON 00:00 Midnight News (m002smxt)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
MON 00:15 Great Lives (m001z66f)
Lady Rachel MacRobert, chosen by Hayaatun Sillem
Lady Rachel MacRobert was born Rachel Workman in Massachusetts in 1884. She was sent to study in the UK where she developed a passion for geology, and attended the Annual General Meeting of the Royal Geological Society despite women not being allowed. She became Lady Rachel MacRobert through marriage to Alexander MacRobert in 1911. He was thirty years her senior and a successful businessman. When he was knighted Lady MacRobert refused to attend the ceremony saying "I will bow to no man." They had three sons who all died whilst flying, two of whom in active service. In response Lady MacRobert paid for a plane, 'MacRobert's Reply' to be commissioned in their memory. She ran her husband's businesses in India after his death and bred cattle on the family estate in Aberdeenshire.
Choosing Lady Rachel MacRobert is the Chief Executive of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Dr Hayaatun Sillem. When Hayaatun discovered that the MacRobert Award for engineering was named after a woman she began looking into her life and discovered an independent visionary who was once described as "charmingly volcanic." But it's her response to the loss of her three sons which Hayaatun admires most, praising its defiance and also how it seized agency from a situation that could have easily made her a victim. Gordon Masterton from Edinburgh University and Trustee of The MacRobert Trust joins the discussion and says after a recent speech to launch an AI version of Lady MacRobert young women came up to him and said "Who would have thought she was such a badass."
Presenter: Matthew Parris
Produced by Toby Field for BBC Studios Audio
MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m002smxw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:43 on Sunday]
MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002smxy)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002smy0)
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 (m002smy2)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
MON 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002smy4)
Susan Hulme examines the issues of voting for war, women in parliament and stablecoins.
MON 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002smy6)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002smy8)
A Day Off
Good morning.
When I was at university, in a philosophy course, one of the lecturers — Fr James McEvoy — said something that has stayed with me ever since. He spoke about the importance of taking a day off. If you do not take one day off, he warned, you will eventually end up taking them all off. Living seven days a week without pause overwhelms the body and the spirit; sooner or later, health pays the price.
I am glad to say I took that wisdom seriously. To this day I keep a weekly Sabbath on a Monday. It is a day when I step away from parish responsibilities to be with family, to breathe, and to remember that my worth is not measured by output.
The Jewish word Shabbat literally means rest or cessation. I was reminded of this again recently by a writer reflecting on Sabbath who suggested four simple practices for the day:
Stop — stop working, resist the pull of productivity, and let the world keep turning without you.
Rest — allow body, mind, and spirit to recover what the week has drained.
Delight — enjoy what gives life: family, food, conversation, music, laughter.
Contemplate — attend to God’s presence, cultivate gratitude, and notice the deeper meaning within ordinary days.
Sabbath reminds us that not every day is for doing; some are for resting and renewing.
God of creation and rest,
teach us to stop without guilt,
to rest without fear,
to delight without haste,
and to contemplate your loving presence.
Renew us in body, mind, and spirit,
so that we may return to our work with joy and humility.
Amen.
MON 05:45 Farming Today (m002smyb)
16/03/26: Impact of war on Ukraine's soil, village cut off by landslide, food processing
New research reveals the impact of war on the soils of Ukraine, and in a country once called the breadbasket of Europe that could have long term repercussions.
Farmers in South Wales are warning that “sheep will starve” if urgent steps aren’t taken to create access for suppliers cut off following a significant landslip. It has closed the main road to the village of Llanthony since the end of January.
All this week we are looking at food processing. Food and drink is Britain's biggest manufacturing sector with an annual turnover of about £148 billion - that's according to the Food and Drink Federation which represents these businesses, and it warns that at the moment weak consumer demand and cost pressures make this a difficult sector to be in.
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
MON 05:57 Weather (m002smyd)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for farmers
MON 06:00 Today (m002sn8f)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
MON 09:00 Start the Week (m002sn8h)
Consciousness and Identity
What makes us who we are? In Radio 4's discussion programme to start off the week, Tom Sutcliffe and guests explore consciousness and identity, and whether the face reveals our inner thoughts and character.
American science writer Michael Pollan is celebrated for his work on food and psychedelic drugs. His new book A World Appears, is a sweeping investigation into consciousness - examining where our sense of self comes from, how it is experienced across species, and what new theories from neuroscience, philosophy and plant biology reveal about awareness.
Cultural historian Fay Bound-Alberti traces the long, complex history of the human face, showing how it has been used to define identity, moral character and social status, and how new technologies – from photography to facial recognition – shape our understanding of selfhood in the modern world.
Mary Costello’s latest novel A Beautiful Loan, focuses on the life of Anna Hughes, a woman looking back across decades of love, loss and betrayal as she tries to understand the choices that shaped her and the deeper self she learns, slowly, to claim.
Producer: Katy Hickman
Assistant Producer: Natalia Fernandez
MON 09:45 Like and Subscribe: How YouTube Changed the World (m002b6wm)
It's time to review YouTube's music revolution
In 2012, PSY’s Gangnam Style exploded, taking him from a Korean artist of relative unknown to the first video on YouTube to hit 1 billion views.
Sophia Smith Galer explores what made it a global sensation, speaking to artists Rebecca Black and Dodie about the harsh reality of YouTube’s comment culture and its impact on them as teens. Billboard journalist Kristin Robinson also analyses how YouTube redefined the music industry and changed the way artists are discovered.
It's the story of Youtube, told by the content creators who were there.
Presented by Sophia Smith Galer
Producer: George McDonagh
Executive Producer: Leonie Thomas
Commissioning Editor: Tracy Williams
Artwork by Uptown Style
Mix and Mastering by Hannah Varrall
An Overcoat Media production for BBC Radio 4
MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002sn8k)
Jesse Buckley's Oscars win, Social work, Kiran Millwood Hargrave
It was an historic night for Ireland and for those watching in her home town of Killarney in County Kerry, as Jessie Buckley became the first Irish woman to win the Best Actress Oscar, honoured for her powerful performance as Shakespeare’s grieving wife in Hamnet. She had been widely tipped to win, and in her emotional acceptance speech she paid tribute to women and mothers. Ireland is an island of five million and punches above its weight in artistic and literary endeavours and success. So what's behind it as Ireland celebrates Jessie? Nuala McGovern is joined by Evelyn O'Rourke, RTE'S Arts and Media Correspondent in LA, who has been at the Oscars.
What if lasers could spot danger before anyone else does? After her own experiences of feeling unsafe in public spaces, Rosie Richardson is developing a laser-based system that can detect when someone’s behaviour shifts from ordinary to predatory. Working with innovation company Createc, she’s adapting technology already used to track crowds in major stations like King’s Cross and turning it towards women's safety.
A new public art project, Social Work Happens Here, is aiming to challenge the public’s misconceptions about the profession and honour the positive impact social workers can have on people’s lives. Figures show 86% of UK social workers are women, and while it can be hugely rewarding work, there are also plenty of challenges for the sector including recruitment and retention. Sarah Blackmore, Exec Director for Professional Practice at the regulator Social Work England, and Alex, who is a palliative social worker supporting people with an advanced serious illness or a life-limiting condition, join Nuala to discuss.
Author, poet and playwright Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s latest novel Almost Life is a queer love story about the paths not taken and two women whose lives become intrinsically linked over several decades. Her 13th book is adult fiction but she’s previously written for a range of ages and genres including 2020’s The Mercies and her debut fantasy novel, The Girl of Ink and Stars, which won the 2017 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and a British Book Award.
And new research from Bristol University indicates that children can show signs of deception as early as eight months old. Early ploys can include pretending not to hear their parents or hiding toys, while by the age of three they may be telling lies such as "a ghost ate the chocolate". We hear from Elena Hoicka, the professor of developmental pschology who led the research.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Sarah Jane Griffiths
MON 11:00 Understand (m002sn8m)
How Reading Made Us
2. How Reading Made Our Feelings
Reading seems an unremarkable skill. When we say something is as “easy as ABC”, we mean it is very easy indeed. In fact, learning to read has dramatic and irreversible consequences for people and for societies. Learning to read permanently alters your brain. It changes the emotions you experience and the way you relate to others. When a society learns to read the consequences are dramatic: wars break out, revolutions erupt and new political systems spring into being. Reading made us who we are. With time spent reading - and even reading ability - starting to nosedive, Times writer James Marriott explores how reading changed humanity, and what might happen if we stop.
In this programme, James asks whether the spread of novel reading in the 18th century caused a moral revolution, whether a book played a role in the abolition of slavery, and whether the rise of reading, a solitary and slightly lonely activity, was one of the factors setting us on the path to our atomized and isolated modern society.
Contributions from:
- Jung Chang, author
- Steven Pinker, professor of psychology at Harvard University
- Sarah Maxwell, founder of Saucy Books
- Robert Darnton, historian
- Naomi Alderman, writer and presenter
- Joseph Henrich, professor of anthropology at Harvard University
- Maryanne Wolf, professor and Director of the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice at UCLA
Producer - Beth Sagar-Fenton
Editor - Chris Ledgard
MON 11:45 Shock and War: Iraq 20 Years On (m001k7rq)
6. The Day After
Saddam’s regime in Iraq was removed quickly. But what came after proved disastrous as the country was plunged into chaos and violence. Was it always inevitable?
Presenter: Gordon Corera
Series Producer: John Murphy
Producers: Ellie House, Claire Bowes
Sound Designer: Eloise Whitmore, Naked Productions
Production coordinators: Janet Staples, Brenda Brown
Series Editor: Penny Murphy
MON 12:00 News Summary (m002sn8r)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
MON 12:04 You and Yours (m002sn8t)
Fuel prices, Middle East travel, Title Raiders
Following our look at heating oil prices on last week's programme, the government is putting in measures to help those affected by the sharp jumps in price caused by the strikes on Iran. We also look at the energy market more widely, and the knock-on effects of travel to the area and beyond.
Would you be interested in your Hot Cross Buns being chocolate orange flavour? We find out why bakers are turning to novel flavours for our Easter treats.
Plus we're in Vienna at an international fraud conference.
PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: JAMES WICKHAM
MON 12:57 Weather (m002sn8w)
The latest weather forecast
MON 13:00 World at One (m002sn8y)
Starmer discussing 'viable plan' to reopen Strait of Hormuz
Sir Keir Starmer says the UK is working on a 'viable plan' to reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which he described as the quickest way to bring down bills. The talks come after President Trump warned of 'a very bad future' for Nato if members didn't help the US. We ask Caroline Glick, a key advisor to Benjamin Netanyahu, why Israel and the US aren't taking responsibility for the problem. Plus, how can an outbreak of meningitis in Kent be contained? And: the 100-year anniversary of the UK's longest surviving Indian restaurant, Veeraswamy.
MON 13:45 The Race to Control the World (m002sn90)
1. Chips and Chatbots
The US and China are locked in a race to dominate the world of Artificial Intelligence - who has the edge?
While the US and the USSR fought the Cold War in the second half of the 20th Century, in the first half of the 21st Century, the US now finds itself in a different kind of rivalry with a different adversary - China. But this battle for supremacy is no longer being fought out via a nuclear arms race, but instead, a desire to dominate technology.
It’s a fight being realised in research labs, universities campuses, and the offices of cutting-edge start-ups - watched-over by leaders of some of the world’s richest companies, and the highest level of government.
In this series, Misha Glenny explores some of the key areas of this rivalry - from AI to robotics to satellites and explains how it's going to impact all our lives. It’s a global contest which is consuming vast resources, both physical and intellectual, and costing trillions of dollars as the modern-day super powers race to control the world.
In episode one, Misha looks at the race to control what many see as the definitive technology of our age: Artificial Intelligence.
GUESTS:
Rob Muggah, co-founder of the Igarape Institute
Parmy Olson, journalist and author of Supremacy: AI, ChatGpt and The Race that Will Change the World.
Karen Hao, journalist and author of Empire of AI
Stephen Witt, journalist and author of The Thinking Machine
Selena Xu, researcher who works on China AI policy in the office of former Google boss Eric Schmidt
Presenter: Misha Glenny
Producer: Ben Carter
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Studio mix: James Beard
Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
Archive:
Forbes, Imagination In Action AI Summit at Davos
CNBC
MON 14:00 The Archers (m002smxf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
MON 14:15 Prepper (m000x1fp)
Series 2
Fear of Going Out
Sylvia Garrett, a cut-throat shop-managing baby boomer, and 27 year old Rachel Olende, self-obsessed and having a quarter-life crisis, continue their podcast for anyone interested in surviving the coming breakdown of society - Prepper.
This week, Lydia's anxiety slightly gets the better of her as she engages with the outside world again, post-lockdown and attends a wedding. Luckily, technology means Sylvia is on hand with some stern crisis advice. We also visit the Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet for some tips on smelting pig iron in an emergency and imagine the knock-ons to modern society from the impact of an asteroid.
Preppers are a large and rapidly growing global community who have taken Armageddon readiness one step further than most. They’re actively skilling up, laying down supplies and readying themselves for ‘the end of the world’, in whatever form it comes. If people in south Manchester are prepping, it’s probably time to worry.
The first series of Prepper won the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Comedy 2020.
On this new series: 'A comic book and kitchen sink drama' - The Radio Times; 'A timely return for the sharply written comedy' - The Guardian; 'As enjoyably unhinged as the first series' Daily Mail.
In this series, while Sylvia (Sue Johnston - The Royle Family, Downton Abbey) continues to broadcast from her well-appointed double garage in south Manchester, Rachel (Lydia West - It's a Sin, Years and Years) is banished to a gazebo in the garden.
Cast:
Sylvia is played by Sue Johnston OBE
Rachel is played by Lydia West
Written by Caroline Moran
Technical Presentation: Jerry Peal
Producer: Steve Doherty
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4
MON 14:45 Opening Lines (m002smww)
[Repeat of broadcast at
14:45 on Sunday]
MON 15:00 A Good Read (m002sn92)
Victoria Pile and Julian Baggini
THE LIVES AND LOVES OF A SHE DEVIL by Fay Weldon, chosen by Victoria Pile
THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA by Ernest Hemingway, chosen by Julian Baggini
CLEAR by Carys Davies, chosen by Harriett Gilbert
Comedy writer and director Victoria Pile joins philosopher and author Julian Baggini to talk about their favourite books with Harriett Gilbert. On the menu is a feminist revenge novel that is as dark as it is funny, a classic Hemingway novella that casts us out to sea, and an evocative short story set on a remote island off Scotland.
Join the conversation on Instagram: agoodreadbbc
Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Becky Ripley
MON 15:30 You're Dead to Me (m002smys)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Saturday]
MON 16:00 Currently (m002smwt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
13:30 on Sunday]
MON 16:30 The Kitchen Cabinet (m002smyv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:30 on Saturday]
MON 17:00 PM (m002sn94)
President Trump criticises allies for lack of commitment in Strait of Hormuz
President Trump singles out Britain for criticism in his assessment of the involvement of allies in the Iran conflict. We hear the thoughts of the UK's former Permanent Representative to NATO, Lord Ricketts. The British journalist Mehdi Hasan -- one of Mr Trump's prominent critics in he US -- tells PM that he believes a majority of Americans do not support the war. The government's cost of living champion, the Executive Chair of Iceland Foods, Lord Walker, tells us what Britons can do to protect themselves from the economic shockwaves. Also on PM, we look at changes made by the hotel chain, Travelodge, to its key card policy following the sexual assault of a guest, and investigate the internet blackout in Moscow. And our AI clinic looks at AI agents -- the virtual personal assistants that some people believe we will one day all have.
MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002sn96)
Donald Trump has criticised the UK's response to the Iran war
President Trump has criticised the UK's response to the Iran war and the reluctance of some allies to help break the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Also: Hundreds of students queue at the University of Kent for antibiotics after two people die in a meningitis outbreak. And the government outlines more help for companies to take on young people.
MON 18:30 Unspeakable (m002sn98)
Series 3
1. Skedaddling Squirrels
In this episode we hear Tim Vine's word for suspicious squirrels, Olga Koch with an improvement on 'Googling oneself', and Aurie Styla's word for leaving a party early.
Ever struggled to find the right word for a feeling or sensation? Unspeakable sees comedian Phil Wang and lexicographer Susie Dent invite celebrity guests to invent new linguistic creations, to solve those all too relatable moments when we're lost for words.
Hosts: Phil Wang and Susie Dent
Guests: Olga Koch, Aurie Styla and Tim Vine
Created by Joe Varley
Writers: Matt Crosby and James Farmer
Recorded by Jerry Peal
Producer: Jon Harvey
Executive Producers: Joe Varley and Akash Lockmun
A Brown Bred production for BBC Radio 4
MON 19:00 The Archers (m002sn49)
Tom tries recruiting George to the Bull cricket team, but George points out he’s still barred from the pub. George probably wouldn’t want to play anyway, not after the way people like Tom treated him when he was looking for work. Later, George sympathises with Esme, who’s still waiting for her landlord to give her a figure for the rent, before she can make decisions like keeping George on. George asks for next Monday morning off, saying he has a dentist appointment. Esme’s landlord emails about the rent – and it’s more than she can afford. Esme despairs over the biodiversity protection figure quoted as well, but George encourages her to negotiate with the landlord, after getting advice from the Tenant Farmers Association.
At Berrow, distracted Ruairi gets a tractor bogged down in mud. After Neil tows it out Ruairi nearly breaks down in tears, but covers the reason why he’s feeling so bad. Sympathetic Neil offers to take him for a coffee, as Ruairi struggles to cope with Neil being so nice. At the Tearoom Ruairi berates himself to Neil before George comes over and mentions Amber’s pregnancy, to Ruairi’s surprise. Neil leaves them together, with George commenting on how Ruairi seems a bit out of it. When Neil returns, they check out the latest baby scan pictures. George mentions how close his child was to growing up without a dad, after he was attacked, before apologising for being so insensitive, given Ruairi’s loss of Siobhan. Ruairi tells George he’s sorry for what happened to him and George appreciates the sentiment.
MON 19:15 Front Row (m002sn9c)
The Oscars, Ryan Gosling, Self Esteem performs
Self Esteem, aka Rebecca Lucy Taylor, performs her new song written for David Hare’s play Teeth 'n' Smiles.
We bring you a roundup of the 2026 Academy Awards.
Ryan Gosling discusses his new sci-fi adventure film Project Hail Mary.
And a look at the BBC's new talk show format, The Claudia Winkleman Show, with Boyd Hilton, entertainment director at Heat Magazine, and Bea Ballard, executive producer on the Jonathan Ross show.
Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Harry Graham
MON 20:00 How Did We Get Here? (m002rvn8)
Israel and the Palestinians
6: From Israel’s Early Years to the Six Day War
The sixth of ten programmes exploring the origins and tracing the history of the Middle East conflict examines the years from the end of the first Arab-Israeli war to the Six Day War of 1967.
Presenter Jonny Dymond is joined by Mark Tessler, Professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan, USA, and author of ‘A History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict’ and by the BBC’s International Editor Jeremy Bowen.
They discuss the early years of the new state of Israel, the influx into Israel of Jews from Arab countries, the Suez campaign by Britain, France and Israel against Egypt in 1956, the origins of the Palestinian national movement and the founding of the Palestine Liberation Organisation. They trace the origins of the Six Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbours, and look at how it ended in a dramatic Israeli victory.
'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 (w3ct8ty3)
Is the Earth warming faster than we expected?
This week new research suggests that in recent years the Earth has been warming faster than we predicted. But scientists are undecided on whether this change is going to be permanent. Laura Wilcox, Professor of Aerosol-Climate Interactions at the University of Reading explains.
Tom Whipple is joined by Kit Yates, Author and Professor of Mathematical Biology and Public Engagement at the University of Bath. They mark the ten year anniversary of a game of ‘Go’ in which a computer programme called AlphaGo beat human Go champion Lee Sodol. Computer scientist at Google DeepMind Thore Graepel was witness to the game and talks about why the event has become a crucial moment in the story of AI.
Kit also brings Tom his pick of the science news.
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
Producers: Clare Salisbury and Alex Mansfield
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
MON 21:00 Start the Week (m002sn8h)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 today]
MON 21:45 Like and Subscribe: How YouTube Changed the World (m002b6wm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 today]
MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m002sn9f)
Two dead in Kent meningitis outbreak
The University of Canterbury has moved away from face-to-face teaching and students have been queueing for antibiotics amidst a meningitis outbreak that has killed two people. We get the latest from the BBC’s health editor and speak to a survivor of meningitis.
Also on the programme: Donald Trump hits out at the US’s allies over their perceived inaction in the Strait of Hormuz.
And the earliest recording of whale song has been rediscovered. What does it tell us about the changing song of the sea?
MON 22:45 Banshee (m002sn9h)
Diving for Pearls by Sheila O’Flanagan
‘Banshee: Mythological Irish Women Retold’ is a spellbinding short story collection, edited by Ailbhe Malone, featuring original stories by Ireland’s most exciting female writers retelling ancient Irish myths from a modern perspective. Read by Roísín Gallagher (‘How To Get To Heaven From Belfast’ and ‘The Dry’).
In these five abridged pieces of new writing from the collection, the stories of women who have too long stood in the shadows of warriors and kings are reclaimed in a celebration of womanhood and an homage to the ancient stories that still shape us.
Featuring stories by Sheila O’Flanagan (‘The Honeymoon Affair’), Naoise Dolan (‘The Happy Couple’), Jane Casey (‘A Stranger in the family’), Wendy Erskine (‘The Benefactors’) and Megan Nolan (‘Ordinary Human Failings’).
Reader: Roísín Gallagher
Writer: Sheila O’Flanagan
Abridger: Rowan Routh
Producer: Michael Shannon
A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 23:00 Limelight (m001lcgf)
An Eye for a Killing
1. The Trial On Christmas Eve
Welcome to hell. The true story of Scotland’s notorious serial killers, Burke and Hare.
On Christmas Eve in 1828, William Burke is on trial for murder at the High Court in Edinburgh. He’s accused of killing an old woman, Madgy Docherty. In the witness box is his accuser – William Hare - who is Burke’s accomplice in 16 murders.
What started these two former canal labourers on a mass killing spree? In 1828, Edinburgh is a world-leading centre of medical training and dissection. The anatomists need cadavers on which to demonstrate and practice – but the supply of bodies from hospitals and prisons isn’t enough to meet the demand. Burke and Hare discover they can earn £10 by selling a dead body and decide they will lure victims to their lodging house and murder them.
Powerful five-part drama-documentary series from BBC Radio 4 with bonus scenes on BBC Sounds.
Written and dramatised by Colin MacDonald.
Narrator ….. Jack Lowden
Burke ….. Gavin Mitchell
Hare ….. James Boal
John Fisher ….. Robert Jack
Mary Paterson ….. Helen Mackay
Janet Brown ….. Nicola Roy
Madgy Docherty ….. Maureen Carr
Jamie ….. Kyle Gardiner
Sheriff Tait ….. Ron Donachie
Sir William Rae ….. Stuart McQuarrie
Robert Knox ….. Simon Donaldson
Other parts played by the cast.
Producer/director: Bruce Young
MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002sn9k)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament
TUESDAY 17 MARCH 2026
TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m002sn9m)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 00:30 Shock and War: Iraq 20 Years On (m001k7rq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Monday]
TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002sn9p)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002sn9r)
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 (m002sn9t)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
TUE 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002sn9w)
Alicia McCarthy reports as MPs question the government about efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
TUE 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002sn9y)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002snb0)
St Patrick’s Quiet Resilience
Good morning.
Lá Fhéile Naomh Pádraig daoibh — Happy St Patrick’s Day.
Today, in many parts of the world, people will celebrate St Patrick in a variety of ways — with parades and music, with gatherings of family and friends, with laughter and stories, the colour green worn with pride, and perhaps the odd glass or two.
Yet behind the celebrations stands a quieter story. Thanks to some of Patrick’s own writings that have survived, we meet not a hero carved in stone, but a man formed slowly through loss, fear, prayer, and return.
In his Confession, Patrick recalls those years as a young shepherd in Ireland. He writes that he would rise to pray before dawn “in snow and ice and rain.” Anyone familiar with Irish weather can picture it easily-. In that sense, we still have something in common with the fifth century: the weather has not changed very much.
In those lonely places Patrick discovered something simple and profound — that God was already there, meeting him again and again in prayer whispered through wind and rain.
Patrick reminds us that resilience is staying open when closing would be easier. It is returning to prayer when the words feel thin. It is keeping going even when the weather hasn’t improved and the road still stretches on — the quiet resilience that keeps us moving forward.
God of wind and rain,
of long roads and longer memories,
teach us the quiet faith of Patrick.
When the road is hard and the skies are grey,
keep our hearts open to your presence.
Give us courage to begin again,
and trust that you walk with us always.
Amen.
TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m002snb2)
17/03/26 Energy bills in rural homes, new livestock worrying laws, processing venison
Rural households struggling to pay for heating oil are to receive government help with their bills. The war in the Middle East has had a massive impact on global supplies of oil, gas and fertiliser - pushing up prices. The Prime Minister has pledged to help people who have seen their bills soar: energy prices will be capped until the end of June; the cut in fuel duty has been extended until September; and the government's allocated £53 million to help vulnerable rural households with their heating oil bills. We speak to the Rural Services Network which welcomes the support, but says a long term strategy's needed to reflect the extra costs of living and working in the countryside.
New laws to protect livestock from dog attacks are coming into force. It's the first time the law around livestock-worrying has changed since it was introduced more than 70 years ago The government says livestock numbers have doubled since then, and more people are visiting the countryside with their dogs. The changes include new powers for police; the use of DNA testing to identify dogs which attack; and dog owners can now be ordered to pay for the cost of seizing and detaining their dog. There'll also be scope to issue an unlimited fine - previously the maximum penalty was one thousand pounds. We speak to a dairy farmer from Cheshire whose livestock have been attacked about the difference the new laws will make.
All week we're looking at food processing. We visit one of Scotland's biggest venison processors to hear how the raw product is delivered to them and how they deal with wildly fluctuating supplies.
Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
TUE 06:00 Today (m002sn3j)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
TUE 09:00 The Life Scientific (m002sn3m)
Jens Juul Holst on the gut hormone discovery behind weight-loss drugs
As recently as a few years ago, the idea of a self-administered injection that would deliver proven weight-loss results might have sounded fantastical. Today, these medications are a reality and a global phenomenon; hailed in many quarters as “miracle drugs" for their success in treating obesity and diabetes.
They do this by replicating a gut hormone called GLP‑1, which tells the brain you’ve eaten enough and nudges the pancreas to release insulin; and this hormone was discovered and decoded thanks to years of work by today's guest.
Jens Juul Holst is a Professor of Medical Physiology and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen. His efforts laid the groundwork for today’s weight loss jabs, earning him a slew of high-profile accolades and awards. Now it seems they might not only have positive impacts on obesity and diabetes, but also other health issues...
But alongside the big success comes some big questions: including concerns over side effects, weight regain post-treatment, the black market in such drugs, and their cost and accessibility.
In a frank conversation with Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Jens address these issues and shares his hopes for the future of GLP-1-focused research.
Presented by Jim Al-Khalili
Produced by Lucy Taylor
A BBC Studios production
TUE 09:30 Inside Health (m002sn3q)
What's driving the outbreak of meningitis among students?
More than 30,000 people are being contacted in the Canterbury area regarding the outbreak of bacterial meningitis in Kent. Two people have died, and others are seriously ill. James Gallagher speaks with immunologist Sir Andrew Pollard about the disease, and finds out what could have caused the outbreak.
That’s the major headline from the UK. But more broadly, for the last few weeks the news has been dominated by the situation in the Middle East. James speaks with Dr Antoine Abou Fayad, a microbiologist and medicinal chemist based in Beirut, Lebanon. He reveals that war, just like the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, provides the perfect storm to accelerate the spread of multidrug-resistant infections. And nobody is safe.
And finally, James finds out about an ongoing trial at the University of Exeter, where interactive computer games are being used by stroke patients to improve their recovery. And, of course, James has a go himself!
Presenter: James Gallagher
Producer: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell
Researcher: Tom Hunt
Editor: Ilan Goodman
TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002sn3s)
AI heart health mammogram, Prison family visits, The manosphere
Researchers in Australia have developed an AI tool that means a routine mammogram can also monitor your heart health. The study, published in Heart, the journal of the British Cardiovascular Society, shows it’s as accurate as the standard methods used by doctors. Cardiologist and Associate Professor Clare Arnott, Global Director of the Cardiovascular Program at The George Institute for Global Health, which is an independent medical research organization, joins Nuala McGovern from Sydney to discuss the work.
Prisons are failing to get the basics right when it comes to helping vulnerable inmates keep in touch with families, that's according to a report out today. The investigation by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons looked at jails in general, but visited two women's prisons as part of their inspections. They found keeping in touch with families was too often only seen as ‘nice to have,’ and having a detrimental impact on both prisoners and their children. Nuala talks to HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor, and also to Sophie Carter, whose partner is 18 months into a 25-year sentence.
Now for a moment of history in the Church of England. Dame Sarah Mullally, the new Archbishop of Canterbury, is today beginning a pilgrimage from St Paul’s Cathedral to Canterbury. She will walk the ancient Becket Camino which was once travelled by medieval pilgrims, and her office believes she is the first Archbishop of Canterbury to do this. It will be part of her spiritual preparation for her role. To help us explore more about this journey, we’re joined by the Rev Sally Hitchiner, who knows Dame Sarah and is the Parish Priest of North Lambeth, where she worked alongside the Archbishop when she was Bishop of London. She has also walked this 87-mile route herself, more than once.
On Woman’s Hour we've often spoken about how to tackle extreme misogyny online, and discussions have been sparked again following Louis Theroux's latest documentary, Inside the Manosphere, where he speaks with influencers who promote hyper-masculine, often misogynistic ideas and their impact on boys and young men. To discuss ideas on how to deal with manosphere misogyny, Nuala is joined by Professor Sarah Hawkes from the gender equality think tank 50/50, who specialises in gender equality and health equity, and Raewyn Connell, a feminist sociologist studying the social theory of gender relations and masculinity. She is Professor Emerita at the University of Sydney.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Andrea Kidd
TUE 11:00 Add to Playlist (m002sg6d)
Nicholas McCarthy and Amy Harman watch the clock
Bassoonist Amy Harman and concert pianist Nicholas McCarthy are the studio guests of Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe as they add five more tracks. Kicking off with an internationally famous track written in Ostend in Belgium, they end up in a gravel pit via a ticking clock or two.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Sexual Healing by Marvin Gaye
Clocks by Coldplay
The Clock (the 2nd mvt) from Symphony No 101 in D Major by Haydn
Precipitato (the 3rd mvt) from Piano Sonata No 7 in B Flat Major by Prokofiev
Gravel Pit by Wu-Tang Clan
Other music in this episode:
Etudes: Op 8 No 12 in D-Flat Minor by Scriabin, played by Nicholas McCarthy
Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D-Major by Ravel, played by Nicholas McCarthy
On the Road Again (Live) by Willie Nelson
Who'll Buy My Memories by Willie Nelson
Impulse by Hans Zimmer
Lux Aeterna by Clint Mansell
Nautilus by Anna Meredith
It's a Man's Man's Man's World by James Brown
Da Mystery of Chessboxin by Wu-Tang Clan
TUE 11:45 Shock and War: Iraq 20 Years On (m001k7vk)
7. Terror
The invasion of Iraq was supposed to be about dealing with security threats but the chaos would turbo-charge extremism both within Iraq and in the UK. How far did Iraq make the threats worse and were warnings ignored?
Presenter: Gordon Corera
Series Producer: John Murphy
Producers: Ellie House, Claire Bowes
Sound Designer: Eloise Whitmore, Naked Productions
Production coordinators: Janet Staples, Brenda Brown
Series Editor: Penny Murphy
TUE 12:00 News Summary (m002sn3y)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m002sn40)
Call You and Yours: Royal Mail
On this week’s Call You and Yours, we want to hear your experiences of Royal Mail. How good - or how bad - is the postal service where you live?
First‑class stamps are going up to £
1.80 in April. It’s the eighth increase since 2020, a rise of 137% in six years. Second‑class stamps will also increase, going up by 4p to 91p. At the same time, complaints about delayed post continue to grow. People tell us about lost mail, missed appointments, and letters stuck in limbo. And a recent BBC investigation heard claims from postal workers that parcels are being prioritised over letters — something Royal Mail denies.
For 500 years, Royal Mail has been part of the fabric of British life. But today, is it still trusted to deliver?
So tell us: How good or bad is the postal service where you live? Whether you experience is as a individual consumer, business owner or a postal worker - we want to hear from you.
Get in touch now - email youandyours@bbc.co.uk and please include a phone number so we can call you back. You can also call us on 03700 100 444 after
11am on Tuesday 17th February.
PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: CATHERINE EARLAM
TUE 12:57 Weather (m002sn42)
The latest weather forecast
TUE 13:00 World at One (m002sn44)
Israel claims killing of Iran's security chief
Defence Minister Israel Katz says Ali Larijani has been killed, along with Basij militia force commander Gholamreza Soleimani. We'll ask where this development leaves Iran's capacity to continue fighting the war. Plus: as economic shocks continue to be felt worldwide, we'll speak live to the owner of a Teesside chemical plant who is warning that it will have to close if energy prices don't fall.
TUE 13:45 The Race to Control the World (m002sn46)
2. Robot Wars
As a manufacturing economy, China is very good at making robot bodies. The US on the other hand is dominating when it comes to robot brains. Who will come out on top in the end?
In this second episode Misha Glenny moves on from the large language models to focus on agentic AI. This technology allows machines to think and carry out tasks for us - whether it's the lawnmower in your backgarden, a humanoid robot in a warehouse, or a drone swarm on the battlefield.
AI that acts autonomously has some very exciting possibilities but it also has some very scary ones.
GUESTS:
Selena Xu, researcher who works on China AI policy in the office of former Google boss Eric Schmidt
Parmy Olson, journalist and author of Supremacy: AI, ChatGpt and The Race that Will Change the World
Dr Nick Wright works on cognition, technology and security at University College London
Stephen Witt, journalist and author of The Thinking Machine
Presenter: Misha Glenny
Producer: Ben Carter
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Studio mix: James Beard
Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
Archive:
DW News
TUE 14:00 The Archers (m002sn49)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Monday]
TUE 14:15 Drama on 4 (m002sn4c)
The Counsellor
Winner of the Alfred Bradley Award 2025 - Abby Walker's debut audio drama.
When Miss Alexander, a disenfranchised counsellor in a run-down North East school faces redundancy, the opportunity to prove her worth arises in the form of Connor, a teenage boy with unnerving powers of persuasion. Armed with a dictaphone and the secrets of his classmates, Miss Alexander works to uncover the strange hold he has over his fellow pupils and the school. But the deeper she digs, the closer she is drawn into Connor’s orbit, with dangerous consequences. With one student dead and Connor’s attention now fixed on her, Miss Alexander must risk everything to prove his guilt before it's too late.
MISS ALEXANDER......Chelsea Halfpenny
CONNOR.....Lewis Bowes
JOSIE.....Sarah Balfour
ELLIE.....Charlotte Bradley
MARIA......Matilda Freeman
MR COLE.....George Bukhari
KATYA.....Angela Lonsdale
STUDENTS.....Gwenllian Mears, George MacGowan
Writer - Abby Walker
Director/ Producer -Nadia Molinari
Sound Designer and Technical Producer -Sharon Hughes
Script Editor and Production Co-ordinator - Pippa Day
Technical Producer- Kelly Young
Casting Manager - Alex Curran
A BBC STUDIOS PRODUCTION FOR BBC RADIO 4
TUE 15:00 History's Heroes (m002sn4f)
The Fairytale Life of Hans Christian Andersen
A young man sets out to find his place in the world by writing a story with an unusual hero at its heart.
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 production.
Producer: Lorna Reader
Written and presented by: Alex von Tunzelmann
Executive Producer: Paul Smith
Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts
TUE 15:30 Heart and Soul (w3ct6vpx)
The Divine Gift of Sex
Sex therapist Dr Rica Cruz is on a mission to destigmatise sex in the deeply Catholic Philippines.
As a practicing Catholic herself, she believes sex is a divine gift and should be intertwined with faith rather than in conflict. Using social media to advocate for this, she earned a strong following which led to her own TV programme, Private Convos with Doc Rica. But that show was banned by the country’s broadcast TV regulator, the MTRCB.
Jay Behrouzi speaks with Dr Cruz about her fight for better sex education which she believes is the key to a safer society for women and girls.
[Photo Description: Dr. Rica Cruz leading advocate for sexual health, giving her talk, "Unprude Awakening: Embracing Sexual Health as a Foundation to Wellness, at The Glass House, Rockwell Nepo Center. Photo Credit: Rica Cruz]
Presenter: Jay Behrouzi
Producers: Matt O'Donoghue
Editor: Rajeev Gupta
Production Coordinator: Mica Nepomuceno
TUE 16:00 Artworks (m002sn4j)
Under a Cloud
The Poet Laureate Simon Armitage writes about clouds a lot. And coming from Marsden in West Yorkshire he grew up in them too.
But he wants to bring clouds out of the background of his work and into the foreground - to consider why the floating grey blobs that ruin picnics hold such a fascination for artists.
He's always deployed them in his work as metaphors, but he's learning from great artists that they can be inspriational as entities in their own right.
They hold a particular grip on poets, and most of us know what Wordsworth wandered lonely as in his generational poetic banger "Daffodils".
Simon visits the poet's home to browse Wordsworth's notebooks and heads to The National Gallery to explore the meticulous approach of John Constable in The Haywain, which he developed in collaboration with the father of cloud classification, Luke Howard.
And Simon considers how Joni Mitchell used them in her beautiful song "Both Sides Now".
Throughout the programme, we follow Simon on a nerve-wracking challenge, as he brings a boyhood ambition full circle.
He's in serious training. He's going to present the weather, and as his slot for a recording of his bulletin just moments before the programme goes live nears, the tension builds...
Presented by Simon Armitage
Produced by Kevin Core
TUE 16:30 What's Up Docs? (m002sn4l)
How can you look after your hips?
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 hip health. How do your hips work? Why is it such a unique part of the body? What can go wrong? They also examine common hip injuries, how women’s hips differ from men’s, how our hips change over our lifetimes, whether a little wear and tear is normal, how best to protect and strengthen your hips and whether a hip replacement can really be avoided.
Joining them to discuss this is Dr Paulina Kloskowska - physiotherapist, academic, and researcher, with a particular focus on injuries involving the pelvis, lower back, hip and groin, as well as on improving injury prevention, biomechanics and rehabilitation in female athletes.
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 Paulina Kloskowska
Producer: Maia Miller Lewis
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Editor: Jo Rowntree
Researcher: Mili Ostojic
Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable
Social Media: Leon Gower
Digital Lead: Richard Berry
Composer: Phoebe McFarlane
Sound Design: Ruth Rainey
At the BBC:
Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
TUE 17:00 PM (m002sn4n)
President Trump say the US 'no longer needs' NATO allies
President Trump says he is 'disappointed" with Sir Keir Starmer and NATO over their failure to assist in the Strait of Hormuz. We'll discuss what the developments mean for 'TransAtlantic' ties. Also on PM, we'll get reaction to Chancellor Rachel Reeves' plan to strengthen relations with the EU. We'll assess the legacy of the Eden Project as the Cornish landmark it celebrates it's 25th anniversary and Sir Simon Schama tells us about the extraordinary life of thriller writer Len Deighton, who has died aged 97.
TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002sn4q)
A senior US counter-terrorism official has resigned
A senior US counter-terrorism official has resigned from President Trump's government saying he cannot in good conscience support the war in Iran. Also: Some students at the University of Kent are to be offered the meningitis B vaccine, in response to the outbreak in the county. And the spy novelist, Len Deighton, has died at the age of 97.
TUE 18:30 Wing It (m002sn4s)
Series 2
3. A Miracle at Spoons
Cariad Lloyd, Steen Raskopoulos, Luke Manning, and Emily Lloyd-Saini join host Alasdair Beckett-King for more improv comedy mayhem. Featuring some excited nuns, enemies who become lovers, and a fairy godmother.
"No Script. No Prep. No Clue."
Presented by Alasdair Beckett-King
Devised by Sam Holmes
Producer: Sam Holmes
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Production Co-ordinator: Katie Baum
Sound Editor: Chris Maclean
TUE 19:00 The Archers (m002sn4v)
Anna returns early from her trip to Venice, confessing to Helen her life’s all over the place, especially when it comes to making sure Carol’s okay, as she never admits to any problems. At Glebe Cottage Anna suggests Carol needs more support. She can’t just rely on neighbours helping out. Carol’s stubbornly resistant before Anna asks if she’ll come and live with her. Carol scoffs, they’d end up killing each other. She’s staying where she is, she values her autonomy too much. Anna then suggests someone checking in on Carol daily, but Carol hated having a cleaner even twice a week. It’s an impasse. When Helen turns up with soup, Carol denounces being seen as a charity case, but still accepts the offer. Anna and Carol continue sniping at each other, while Helen excuses herself to heat up the soup.
Seeing George waiting at the bus stop Ruairi offers him a lift to Felpersham. Grateful George is embarrassed to admit he’s going to a counselling appointment, but Ruairi is very encouraging. George then wonders if Ruairi has ever had counselling, before extolling the virtues of going and explaining how his counsellor is helping him see things differently. George is surprised Ruairi never talked to anyone about losing his mum, thinking he’s been lucky by comparison, still having both his parents. George then politely declines Ruairi’s offer to wait and drive him home again, and apologises for comparing his situation to Ruairi’s. Ruairi tells him he’s glad he did, before George thanks him for the lift. He won’t forget it.
TUE 19:15 Front Row (m002sn4x)
Gentleman Jack ballet, BTS reunited, Irish myths - a feminist retelling, Len Deighton remembered
Anne Lister, the 19th century landowner and diarist, better known by her nickname, Gentleman Jack, has inspired folksongs, television dramas, and now a ballet. As Northern Ballet begin a UK tour of their new Gentleman Jack production, Belgian-Colombian choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa explains how she translated Lister's diaries into dance.
As K-Pop super band BTS are set to return with a new album on 20th March and a live streamed concert and a documentary on Netflix, we hear from Julie Yoonnyung Lee from the BBC Korean Service and music journalist Katie Hawthorne about their comeback. We’ll also hear what’s been popular in K-Pop during their absence - including Korean Trot music which is having a resurgence.
New anthology, Banshee, aims to cast a feminist light on the female figures in Irish myths. Editor of the anthology, Ailbhe Malone, and one of the contributing writers, Salma El‑Wardany, discuss reimagining some of Ireland's oldest stories.
And we remember the writer Len Deighton whose death was announced today. He was the author of The Ipcress File along with over thirty other novels, cookbooks, and graphic novels. Fellow crime writer Martin Edwards reflects on Len Deighton's influential career.
Presenter: Nick Ahad
Producer: Ekene Akalawu
TUE 20:00 Today (m002sn4z)
The Today Debate: Is Donald Trump leading us to all-out war?
Each day brings another escalation in the US-Israel war against Iran. The cost of the conflict grows every hour: thousands killed in strikes in Iran and Lebanon, more lives lost in the retaliation launched against Israel and the Gulf States. And then the economic damage as oil prices spiral.
President Trump says this war will stop Iran being a threat. But could things get even worse? Is Donald Trump leading us to all-out war? That's the question for tonight's Today Debate, presented by Anna Foster.
TUE 20:45 In Touch (m002sn51)
The 50th Winter Paralympic Games
In Touch reflects in the Milano Cortina Winter Paralympic Games. Although the GB team did not return home flush with medals, ParalympicsGB are taking these games as a win in terms of some stand-out performances and future stars. In Touch digs into the visually impaired team's overall performance, how the sighted guiding works when plummeting down a mountain at speeds of 100mph and above and the experiences of the debutant athletes. Guests include six-time medal winning alpine skier Menna Fitzpatrick, debutants Hester Poole and Fred Warburton, ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission Phil Smith and BBC commentator and reporter Ed Harry.
Clips featured within the programme are courtesy of Channel 4.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Helen Surtees
Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image and he is wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three separate white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch" and the Radio 4 logo (the word ‘radio’ in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside of a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one is a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.
TUE 21:00 The Law Show (m002sf5p)
Is it legal for police to use live facial recognition technology?
The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says she makes “no apology” for announcing the roll-out of Live Facial Recognition (LFR) to all the police services in England and Wales.
Under a government white paper on policing, the number of Live Facial Recognition vans will increase from 10 to 50.
Police say it’s groundbreaking technology in the fight against crime, but civil liberties groups say it’s authoritarian and a step towards a "surveillance state".
Facial recognition cameras are already used in shops; the difference with LFR is that the software used by police tracks faces against a watchlist - a specific database of faces - from a live video feed.
But the legal framework regulating the use of the technology is a patchwork of common law, human rights legislation and police guidelines, which has been challenged in the High Court.
There is also concern about a lack of oversight over how police watchlists are compiled, and why the number of people on the list now stretches into the thousands.
So is LFR legal?
Presenter: Dr Joelle Grogan
Producers: Ravi Naik and Charlotte Rowles
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Contributors:
Sonja Jessup, BBC London’s home affairs correspondent
Professor Karen Yeung, Interdisciplinary Professorial Fellow in Law, Ethics and Informatics, Birmingham Law School
Dr Asress Gikay, Senior Lecturer in AI, Disruptive Innovation and Law, Brunel, University of London
Richard Ryan a barrister from Blakiston’s, specialising in drone and unmanned aviation law
TUE 21:30 Evan Davis's Heat Pump Challenge (m002sg1b)
Episode 1: Heat Pumps in the home
In this new series, Evan Davies explores the challenges the government faces to encourage us to have heat pumps in our homes. Heat Pumps are a technology that's been around for years, and are installed in homes in other, colder European countries. They're now being installed into new build homes as standard. They're far more efficient than the gas boilers that UK homes are used to. But, it's the way our traditional housing stock is built that's the problem - many are old, not very well insulated, and need upgrades to make the heat pumps a cost effective replacement.
The government is offering incentives like grants to encourage take up - but we're still hesitant about the extra costs of installing one, alongside insulation, under floor heating and new radiators if we need them.
In this first programme Evan finds out how heat pumps work, and speaks to people having them installed in their homes. With an expert panel, he will have advice and expertise to make sure you have the information to make a decision on how this technology could be right for your home.
If you have any questions for the panel you want answering about heat pumps, you can email evanschallenge@bbc.co.uk
PRESENTER: EVAN DAVIS
PRODUCER: LYDIA THOMAS
TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m002sn53)
Scottish MSPs reject assisted dying
Members of the Scottish Parliament have voted 67 to 59 against legalising assisted dying. The debate featured tears, applause and impassioned pleas, and we hear from MSPs on both sides of the debate.
Also on the programme: in the US a top counter-terrorism official resigns over the Iran war, saying the country posed “no imminent threat" to America.
And remembering the writer Len Deighton, who rode the wave of social change in post-war Britain, and created the working-class spy.
TUE 22:45 Banshee (m002sn55)
The Swans by Naoise Dolan
‘Banshee: Mythological Irish Women Retold’ is a spellbinding short story collection, edited by Ailbhe Malone, featuring original stories by Ireland’s most exciting female writers retelling ancient Irish myths from a modern perspective. Read by Roísín Gallagher (‘How To Get To Heaven From Belfast’ and ‘The Dry’).
In these five abridged pieces of new writing from the collection, the stories of women who have too long stood in the shadows of warriors and kings are reclaimed in a celebration of womanhood and an homage to the ancient stories that still shape us.
Featuring stories by Sheila O’Flanagan (‘The Honeymoon Affair’), Naoise Dolan (‘The Happy Couple’), Jane Casey (‘A Stranger in the family’), Wendy Erskine (‘The Benefactors’) and Megan Nolan (‘Ordinary Human Failings’).
Reader: Roísín Gallagher
Writer: Naoise Dolan
Abridger: Rowan Routh
Producer: Michael Shannon
A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 23:00 Illuminated (m002smxh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:15 on Sunday]
TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002sn58)
Alicia McCarthy reports as Health Secretary Wes Streeting updates MPs on an "unprecedented" meningitis outbreak and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper faces MPs questions over the crisis in the Middle East.
WEDNESDAY 18 MARCH 2026
WED 00:00 Midnight News (m002sn5b)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
WED 00:30 Shock and War: Iraq 20 Years On (m001k7vk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Tuesday]
WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002sn5d)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002sn5g)
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 (m002sn5j)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
WED 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002sn5l)
Susan Hulme reports as Ukraine's President Zelensky makes a speech to Parliament and the Foreign Secretary says the Middle East crisis mustn't help to refill Russia's war chest.
WED 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002sn5n)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002sn5q)
When in Rome
Good morning.
In January this year, during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, an inter-church group from a Belfast Christian arts festival made a pilgrimage to Rome.
During our visit we spent time exploring some of the great basilicas and churches of the city, as well as making a very poignant visit to the catacombs. I found it deeply moving to experience this as part of a group of Christians, especially seeing the deep respect shown by those from the Reformed tradition as we entered places that hold such significance for the Catholic faith.
On the Wednesday we joined pilgrims and visitors from many parts of the world for the General Audience given by Pope Leo.
Afterwards we were very blessed to have the opportunity to greet the Pope. When our moment came, I thanked him for his prayer and his work for Christian unity. He listened attentively and blessed us. Then, as he moved away, he turned back and spoke five words to our group: “Work all together for peace.” Those words have stayed with me ever since.
Spoken to an inter-church group from Belfast, those five words spoke into our history and pointed towards the future. They reminded us that peace is not built by goodwill alone, nor unity by polite agreement, but by shared labour, honest encounter and sustained commitment.
God of peace,
we thank you for moments of grace that clarify our calling.
Help us to work all together for peace
in our churches, in our city and in our shared life.
Give us patience, courage and humility,
and keep us faithful to the work of reconciliation you entrust to us.
Guide us by your Spirit each day.
Amen.
WED 05:45 Farming Today (m002sn5s)
18/03/27 England's new land use framework
The government's launched its long-awaited land use framework for England. It describes it as a "blueprint to protect food security". The farming minister says it won't tell farmers, developers or local authorities what they must do, but it will give them better, more comprehensive data - including the creation of a national soil map. There'll be support to grow more drought and flood resilient strains of crop - to help farmers adapt to a changing climate. We speak to farming minister Angela Eagle as she tours the crop research unit at Reading University farm.
Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney
WED 06:00 Today (m002sr00)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
WED 09:00 Sideways (m002snhy)
85. The Hands of Forgiveness
Almost twenty years ago, an armed man stormed a small Amish school in Pennsylvania. It was a horrific attack in which he shot at ten girls. He then turned the gun on himself. The attack claimed the lives of five young girls and severely injured five others, including one who remained profoundly disabled for the rest of her life, and died at the age of just 23. Within hours, the affected Amish community took the most extraordinary steps to extend compassion to the family of the gunman. And it set off a life-altering process for Marie, his wife.
Matthew Syed follows Marie’s inconceivable journey navigating the complexities of forgiveness. He delves into Amish theology to understand how forgiving is a frequently misunderstood discipline, embedded in the collective identity of the Amish community, and considers how their approach to forgiveness challenges conventional wisdom.
Matthew also hears from one of the foundational figures in forgiveness science on the tangled journey of forgiving oneself. This is something Marie found herself grappling with after going through a process of forgiving her husband for things she would never fully understand. It prompts Matthew to reflect on the quiet and rippling power inherent in the many acts of forgiveness that emerged from a day of unimaginable tragedy.
Featuring Marie Monville, speaker and author of the memoir One Light Still Shines: My Life Beyond the Shadow of the Amish Schoolhouse Shooting; Steven Nolt, Professor of History and Anabaptist Studies at Elizabethtown College, Pennsylvania, and co-author of Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy; and Everett Worthington, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University and a leading researcher in the psychology of forgiveness.
Presenter: Matthew Syed
Producer: Vishva Samani
Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey
Sound Designer: Mark Pittam
Production Coordinator: Joe Savage
Theme by Ioana Selaru
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4
Featuring archive from:
CBS News Special Report, October 2, 2006
Meyer, Jack, Amish neighbour speaking to Associated Press, “Amish urge forgiveness after school shootings,” Associated Press, October 3, 2006; copyrighted by Associated Press (AP)
WED 09:30 Everything Is Fake (m002sr02)
Everything Is Fake and Nobody Cares
2. Kayfabe Country
In episode two, Jamie ventures into the strange world of 1980s WWF wrestling - where performers and fans share an unspoken agreement to treat the whole spectacle as real. A shared illusion where everyone knows it's fake, but plays along because it feels true. It sounds like harmless fun. And for a while, it was. But Jamie soon wonders: what happens when an idea like that escapes the ring and changes the world?
Credits:
Presenter: Jamie Bartlett
Series Producer: Tom Pooley
Sound Design: Rob Speight
Production Coordinator: Neena Abdullah
Original music: Coach Conrad
Editor: Craig Templeton Smith
A Tempo+Talker production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002sr04)
Meningitis, FA's Director of Women's Football, Abortion amendments
According to the UK Health Security Agency, five new cases of meningitis have been confirmed in Kent. Two people have died in the outbreak. Health Secretary Wes Streeting has described it as an 'unprecedented' outbreak although the risk of the disease spreading is low. So what are the facts parents and young people should be aware of? Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, Deputy Director, Immunisations and Vaccine Preventable Diseases at the UK Health Security Agency, and GP Dr Ellie Cannon join Anita Rani.
Today, the Football Association is launching new educational resources to tackle the barriers girls face in playing football in school. Sue Day, director of women's football at the FA tells Anita how we can get more girls onto the pitch, and how she kept playing sport as a teenager.
MI5 will pay compensation and has apologised to a woman who was coercively controlled and attacked with a machete by one of its agents. The woman, who is being called Beth, made a legal claim following a BBC investigation four years ago, which showed that the man was a neo-Nazi misogynist who used his security service role as a tool of abuse. Joining Anita are Kate Ellis from the Centre for Women's Justice who represented Beth, and BBC investigations reporter Daniel de Simone.
Have you ever stopped to think about how our gardens got to be filled with so many different plants and flowers? A new exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford answers exactly that question, taking visitors across the world. Anita talks to Dr Francesca Leoni, the co-curator of In Bloom - How Plants Changed Our World.
Last year, MPs voted to decriminalise abortion for women in England and Wales, meaning a woman would no longer face prosecution for ending her own pregnancy. The amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill removes criminal liability for the woman herself, but medical professionals and others who assist an abortion outside the legal framework could still be held criminally liable. The Bill is still passing through Parliament, and according to research by the Guardian, women are still being arrested. We hear from Guardian reporter Hannah Al-Othman.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Kirsty Starkey
WED 11:00 Today (m002sn4z)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Tuesday]
WED 11:45 Shock and War: Iraq 20 Years On (m001k7m7)
8. The Retreat
The failures in post-war Iraq would have wider consequences for the Western desire to intervene in crises. As first Libya and then Syria slip into violence, how far did Iraq lead to a retreat and were the right lessons learned?
Presenter: Gordon Corera
Series Producer: John Murphy
Producers: Ellie House, Claire Bowes
Sound Designer: Eloise Whitmore, Naked Productions
Production coordinators: Janet Staples, Brenda Brown
Series Editor: Penny Murphy
WED 12:00 News Summary (m002sr08)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
WED 12:04 You and Yours (m002sr0b)
Customer Water Panels, Consumer Spending, Fraud Minister
Last year, consumer satisfaction with the UK's water companies hit a 13-year low. As a result, the Consumer Council for Water has started holding consumer panels across the country to ensure that community members get to directly ask the water companies about things like cost, poor service and sewage treatment. We’ll hear from some panel members that have already had their say.
This week some of the first data has emerged to show that consumer sentiment is being hit by the war in Iran. The S&P Global UK consumer sentiment index fell to a 14-month low in March. It showed that household finances and current finances had both declined, but perhaps more worryingly its index that tracks our future finances hit a 27-month low.
The City of London police estimates that around 75% of fraud in the UK has an overseas element. That’s why, over the last few days, delegates from around the world have been at the United Nations Global Fraud Summit in Vienna. Our reporter Shari Vahl hears from Lord Hanson of Flint, the UK's fraud minister, about what is being done to stop international operations like scam factories, romance fraud and investment scams.
Small local abattoirs have been closing in huge numbers over the last few years. It could have a large impact on our food system, with 60% of farmers surveyed by the Sustainable Food Trust saying they wouldn't be profitable without these local abattoirs.
And, Costa Coffee is a fixture of UK high streets and services, with over 2750 branches. However, despite being the largest coffee chain in the UK, its financial results have been somewhat mixed over the last few years. It is about to open its 400th drive through next week, but will this strategy change its fortunes?
PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: CHARLIE FILMER-COURT
WED 12:57 Weather (m002sr0d)
The latest weather forecast
WED 13:00 World at One (m002sr0g)
Five new meningitis cases in Kent outbreak
The Kent meningitis outbreak, described by the UK Health Security Agency as being of an "explosive nature", now has five confirmed new cases. It brings the suspected and confirmed number of cases to 20. We look into why the strain is spreading so quickly, and hear from someone who attended the nightclub believed to be at the centre of the infections. Also, as another senior Iranian figure is killed, we look into reports that President Trump is considering giving the green light to a special forces raid to capture or destroy the regime's enriched uranium. And how do you test drugs on pregnant women? We hear about the call for them to be included in clinical trials.
WED 13:45 The Race to Control the World (m002sr0j)
3. Europe's AI Challenge
Can Europe end its reliance on US and Chinese tech companies before it's too late?
Europe is waking up to the risks of over-relying on US and Chinese technology. Misha Glenny explores the challenges and importance of 'digital sovereignty' - and whether it's too late for Europe to catch up.
In this third episode, Misha Glenny reveals how Europe's pension funds are key to tech innovation - and how they invest far more in the US tech giants than the continent's own start-ups.
He also hears how China managed to end its dependency on US tech at the start of the millennium - and the risks facing Europe if it fails to do the same.
GUESTS:
Scott Singer, a fellow in the Technology and International Affairs Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Parmy Olson, journalist and author of Supremacy: AI, ChatGpt and The Race that Will Change the World
Marietje Schaake, former Dutch MEP and current fellow at Stanford’s Cyber Policy Center at the Institute for Human-Centered AI
Presenter: Misha Glenny
Producer: Ben Carter
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Studio mix: James Beard
Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
WED 14:00 The Archers (m002sn4v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Tuesday]
WED 14:15 Drama on 4 (m002sr0l)
The Prompt
The last 12 months have seen an astonishing acceleration in the pace and intensity with which tech firms are developing more sophisticated AI models. As recently as 2023, 100 leading figures in the industry, including Elon Musk, put their names to an open letter calling for a moratorium on development while the risks of the technology were assessed.
Many think that caution has now been discarded as the tech giants compete to achieve AGI, or artificial general intelligence, the point at which AI systems become as capable as – or smarter than – highly qualified humans. Research into the potential negative consequences of AGI has fallen behind, prompting some in the industry to warn of dire scenarios. Others dismiss this as ‘doomerism’ and insist that AGI will usher in a new era of prosperity and progress.
There is a vanguard of professionals, both within the big companies and in watchdog organisations, who research what AI is actually capable of. Three years after the best-known public-facing AI, ChatGPT, was released, these evaluators have produced a large body of evidence, some of which appears to indicate that misuse of AI could lead to outcomes as worrying as anything in the doomerist imagination.
The UK’s Online Safety Act came into force in July 2025. Although it has been hailed as a breakthrough in child protection, and is being replicated elsewhere, there are concerns that the rapid pace of AI development makes enforcement of the Act more difficult. For many months, Grok, the AI owned by Elon Musk, repeatedly failed to take down its nudification tool, which enabled users to create naked images of women and children. Musk finally relented when global regulators, including the UK government and Ofcom, threatened to block access to both Grok and Musk’s broader platform, X.
Despite this, Silicon Valley free-speech fundamentalists remain openly contemptuous of any government-level attempts to constrain them.
This is the background to The Prompt, a taut and compelling reactive drama that explores how some in the tech sector are now painfully conflicted about potential misuses of the pioneering AI models they helped to create.
Written by Hugh Costello
AGGIE - Lucy Doyle
CLEM - David Menkin
RUTH - Jane Slavin
FRANK - Hugh Ross
VINCENT - Ian Conningham
SHAUN - James Downie
Directed by Eoin O'Callaghan
A Big Fish Radio production for BBC Radio 4
WED 15:00 The Law Show (m002sr0n)
When is it legal to go to war?
Under international law, when can a country declare war on another?
Was it legal for Israel and the United States to have carried out "pre-emptive" airstrikes across most of Iran’s provinces, which started the war? The USA says the attacks were justfied, because of an imminent threat from Iran's nuclear programme, and Israel claims it acted in self-defence.
The Israeli President went further - telling the BBC that focusing on the legality of the war instead of regional security is "mind-boggling" to him.
And what of Iran's response? Was it reasonable under international law? In the last few weeks, practically all its Gulf-state neighbours have been targeted, as well as its drones or missiles landing in Syria, Cyprus, Turkey and Azerbajan.
So does the Iranian retalliation justify the American and Israeli attacks under international law?
And if any country breaks international laws - are there any real consequences?
Presenter: Dr Joelle Grogan
Producers: Ravi Naik and Charlotte Rowles
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Contributors:
Susan Breau, Professor of International law at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London
Christian Henderson, Professor of International Law, University of Sussex
Éamon Chawke, intellectual property, data protection and commercial law solicitor, Briffa Legal
WED 15:30 Money, Influence and the NHS (m002sr0q)
Nice shoes, now about those drugs!
Margaret is a GP and academic who has campaigned to expose hidden influences in medicine. She goes back to the powerful 2005 Health Select Committee; a parliamentary investigation called The Influence of the Pharmaceutical Industry, to discover what they found.
WED 16:00 When It Hits the Fan (m002sr0t)
Can You Spin ChatGPT?
In the good old days, if you wanted some favourable PR for a client, you could call up a journalist and take them out for a jolly good lunch. It's not so easy when the thing you're trying to influence is a bot. So is it possible to spin the likes of ChatGPT?
This week David Yelland is joined by Lauren Beeching - a crisis management expert with clients that count their followers in millions.
They discuss how AI is changing so much of the nuts and bolts of the PR reputation game - from having to become a tech wizard to work out if 'evidence' is real, to understanding how to influence what AI chatbots say.
And on the extended edition on BBC Sounds, the Fan Hitter that almost broke the internet is back. The woman at the centre of the Coldplay KissCam scandal, Kristin Cabot, has done a big interview with Oprah - and discusses the PR advice she was given.
She claims she was told, "Stay quiet, everything will blow over in three days."
Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
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 (m002sr0w)
Lisa Nandy on saving local news and the future of the BBC, reporting from inside Iran & behind the scenes at the Oscars
Ros Atkins and Katie Razzall with some of the week’s biggest media stories:
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy talks about her plans to support local news, the £12 million funding package she’s announced, and what she thinks the future holds for the BBC.
CNN Senior International Correspondent Frederik Pleitgen explains how he gained access to Iran to report from the ground during the war and how he navigated restrictions, safety, and criticism of his coverage.
And behind the scenes at the Oscars with the BBC’s Tom Brook and The Ankler's Katey Rich. From falling TV ratings to rising production costs, the move to streaming, and what this year’s ceremony reveals about the state of the film industry.
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Assistant Producer: Laura Cain
WED 17:00 PM (m002sr0y)
World’s largest gas field hit
The South Pars gas field, shared between Iran and Qatar, was reportedly struck by Israeli airstrikes. Iran have responded threatening retaliatory strikes and issuing evacuation orders across the Gulf. We have the latest, and also ask about the UK's energy policy amidst rising prices. Also: the UK Health Security Agency has declared an urgent public health alert following the meningitis outbreak in Kent. And a look at how AI is shaking up the race to find a job.
WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002sr10)
The price of oil surges again
Iran has threatened to attack key energy sites belonging to its Gulf neighbours, after refineries on a gas field it shares with Qatar were hit with air-strikes. Also: UK health officials put out an urgent public health alert because of the meningitis outbreak in Kent. And the government of Senegal calls for an investigation after its football team was stripped of its Africa Cup of Nations title.
WED 18:30 Stand-Up Specials (m002sr12)
Live from the UK
S2 E4: Shut Up About Car Insurance!
Angela Barnes traverses the country once again to the best comedy clubs in the country, bringing you the funniest stand ups around.
So if you want to know what to expect at a valleys wedding, why being a Scottish Dr Who isn't groundbreaking, and the best way to survive a dinner party, then this is the programme for you.
In this episode, you can hear;
Ayo Adenekan at Monkey Barrel in Edinburgh
Sarah Levine at Hot Water Comedy Club in Liverpool
Priya Hall at the Swansea Grand
Jo Caufield at Monkey Barrel in Edinburgh
Additional Material by Ruth Husko
Recorded by David Thomas and Sean Kerwin
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 (m002sr14)
Lynda’s heard Azra’s being interviewed on the radio about mental health and offers advice on interview techniques. Azra’s grateful, but worries about making false promises over how much support can realistically be offered. Ben suggested making it a call to action by the community, while Lynda thinks it’s enough to prompt the conversation and point people towards support groups. Lynda then offers to drive Azra to the radio station, allowing her to prepare without distraction. Afterwards, Lynda tells Azra she was brilliant. Azra admits she followed Lynda’s advice, pretending she was in a one-to-one conversation with a close friend: Lynda.
Ruairi tells Brian about his conversation with George and how stressed he’s feeling. He wants to tell the police that he attacked George. Brian thinks it’s a terrible idea, as Justin approaches. Keeping his voice raised Ruairi insists he wants Brian to go with him, before making an excuse and leaving. Awkward Brian makes a flimsy excuse for Ruairi’s behaviour, then admits how deeply vulnerable Ruairi is. At which point Justin owns up to knowing about Ruairi’s relationship with Julianne, which involved payment for his company, and how troubling that was. Brian listens intently, pretending he knew as well, before Justin switches subject to confirm he’s finally found a potential buyer for his BL shares, making Brian’s day even worse. Later, Brian pulls Ruairi into a hug. Ruairi can’t stop mulling over what George said about nearly dying, but Brian can’t bear the thought of Ruairi going to prison. He’s determined to protect Ruairi and won’t let him down this time.
WED 19:15 Front Row (m002sr16)
Sylvia Plath's final year, and Hue and Cry perform Labour of Love
From bellringing to beekeeping - Author Helen Bain talks about the highly detailed research she conducted for the writing of her The Daffodil Days, inspired by Ted Hughes and Sylvia Pllath's year in North Tawton in Devon in 1962, and on why she has told the story in reverse, through the observations of the locals who came into contact with them at the time.
Hue & Cry, who first made their name in the mid 80s and who won the Outstanding Contribution prize at last year's Scottish Music Awards, are back with a new single, a 16th studio album and a UK tour. We speak to brothers Pat & Greg Kane about their four decades in the music business, and about fusing acoustic and synth technologies and the duo perform one of their biggest hits in the Front Row studio.
At the height of the AIDS crisis in the 1990s, American photographer Catherine Opie honoured members of the gay community with portraits inspired by court artist Hans Holbein. Since then she's become known as an "all-American subversive" for her groundbreaking depictions of queer America. A retrospective of her work - To Be Seen - which also features a new commission of a portrait of Sir Elton John and his family - has opened at the National Portrait Gallery in London and she joins us live to talk about it.
Plus the Artistic Director of Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum Theatre, James Brining, and The Scotsman's theatre critic, Joyce McMillan, discuss the theatre's decision not to let critics from UK-wide media in to review the world premiere of the new stage production One Day, adapted from David Nicholls' bestselling book.
Presenter: Kirsty Wark
Producer: Mark Crossan
WED 20:00 Moral Maze (m002sr18)
Economic shocks: is there a duty to accept sacrifice?
Rising oil prices triggered by war have renewed fears of an economic shock. Governments are already under pressure to step in: to cap prices, cushion bills and shield households from the consequences. Yet crises were once understood differently. During earlier shocks, citizens were often told to tighten their belts, to accept rationing, higher prices and shared sacrifice. But memories of past hardship can also be misleading. There is sometimes a tendency to romanticise earlier generations’ stoicism. Today the assumption seems different: if living standards fall, the government must intervene.
The idea of sacrifice raises difficult questions. Who exactly is the “we” being asked to shoulder the burden? A rise in energy costs may be uncomfortable for some but devastating for those already living precariously. Hardship is rarely shared equally. If sacrifice is demanded, how should it be distributed? There is also a deeper question about what we mean by sacrifice at all. The word is often used simply to mean going without. Yet traditionally it carried a stronger philosophical meaning: the willingness to give something up for a higher purpose or the common good. Some argue that modern democracies have become reluctant to ask citizens for such things, fearing the political cost. Governments promise protection instead, even when the resources to deliver it are limited.
And yet the challenges ahead may demand difficult choices. From energy shocks to climate change, societies may have to decide whether they are prepared to accept lower living standards in pursuit of wider goals. So in a democracy, should citizens expect protection from every crisis? Does the government have a duty to be open and honest with us about the hard choices we face? Or do we have a duty to accept sacrifice when circumstances demand it?
Chair: Michael Buerk
Panel: Matthew Taylor, Ash Sarkar, James Orr and Ella Whelan.
Witnesses: James Bartholomew, Grace Blakeley, Rupert Read and Adrian Pabst
Producer: Dan Tierney
Assistant producer: JayUnger
Editor: Tim Pemberton
WED 21:00 The Life Scientific (m002sn3m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Tuesday]
WED 21:30 Inside Health (m002sn3q)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:30 on Tuesday]
WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m002sr1b)
European leaders urge Israel to call off Lebanon ground offensive
Israel has ordered Lebanese civilians as far as 25 miles from the border to leave their homes. The UK, German, French and Italian governments have warned of "devastating humanitarian consequences" if Israel does not halt its ground operation. We report from southern Lebanon and hear from an Israeli government spokesperson.
Also on the programme: the government says the adoption system needs to change after a BBC investigation finds parents were left without support and even faced false accusations by adoptive children.
And a decision that's rocked African football, people in Senegal react to their team being stripped of the Africa Cup of Nations.
WED 22:45 Banshee (m002sr1d)
The Changeling by Jane Casey
‘Banshee: Mythological Irish Women Retold’ is a spellbinding short story collection, edited by Ailbhe Malone, featuring original stories by Ireland’s most exciting female writers retelling ancient Irish myths from a modern perspective. Read by Roísín Gallagher (‘How To Get To Heaven From Belfast’ and ‘The Dry’).
In these five abridged pieces of new writing from the collection, the stories of women who have too long stood in the shadows of warriors and kings are reclaimed in a celebration of womanhood and an homage to the ancient stories that still shape us.
Featuring stories by Sheila O’Flanagan (‘The Honeymoon Affair’), Naoise Dolan (‘The Happy Couple’), Jane Casey (‘A Stranger in the family’), Wendy Erskine (‘The Benefactors’) and Megan Nolan (‘Ordinary Human Failings’).
Reader: Roísín Gallagher
Writer: Jane Casey
Abridger: Rowan Routh
Producer: Michael Shannon
A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 23:00 Stand-Up Specials (m002s5tv)
Slim's Guide to Life
5. Forties
Comedian, Uncle, Father, and now Grandfather. Slim is racking up the titles as he heads into his forties
Starting his forties as a grandad, and ending it with a massive career highlight, how else did Slim see his forties? He examines his growth in the comedy circuit from 'younger brother' to 'uncs' to 'OG'. He also tells us about how you should look after yourself in your forties, but maybe avoid the gym. We also hear about his dating life as a young grandad - even though his efforts nearly land him in the hospital
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 (m002sr1g)
Aurie Styla: Tech Talk
Series 2 Ep 4: Say Hello to My Little Friend
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 he considers the hottest topic in technology today - AI, and whether it's going to change our lives...or wipe us out entirely.
An Impatient production for BBC Radio 4
WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002sr1j)
PMQs and other top stories.
THURSDAY 19 MARCH 2026
THU 00:00 Midnight News (m002sr1l)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
THU 00:30 Shock and War: Iraq 20 Years On (m001k7m7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Wednesday]
THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002sr1n)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002sr1q)
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 (m002sr1s)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
THU 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002sr1v)
News, views and features on yesterday's stories in Parliament
THU 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002sr1x)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002sr1z)
Sleeping and Dreaming
Good morning.
There is a statue in St John’s Church on the Falls Road in West Belfast, where I serve as parish priest, of Sleeping Saint Joseph. Joseph is lying on his side, eyes closed, resting peacefully, one arm tucked under his head, completely at ease.
Pope Francis used to keep a statue of Sleeping Saint Joseph on his desk. Joseph is one of the great figures in the Gospel story, Again and again, God speaks to Joseph in dreams but not a wrd of his is recorded in any of the Gospels
In the Gospel of Matthew an angel appears to him in a dream and tells him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife. Later, he is warned in a dream to flee to Egypt to protect the child Jesus. And later still, another dream tells him it is safe to return home.
Joseph listens in the night — and in the morning he trusts and he acts.
Pope Francis once said that when he had a worry or a problem, he would write it down on a small piece of paper and place it beneath the statue so that, as he put it, “Saint Joseph can dream about it.”
Joseph shows us another way of living. He listens for God’s voice, he acts with quiet courage, and then he steps aside so that God’s plan can unfold.
Lord God,
you entrusted your Son to the care of Saint Joseph.
Teach us the quiet strength of trust
and the courage of obedience.
When we are anxious, give us peace.
When we are uncertain, give us guidance.
And when we have done what you ask of us,
help us to rest in your care.
Amen.
THU 05:45 Farming Today (m002sr21)
19/03/26 Land Use Framework, oat drink production
We get reaction to the Government's 'vision for how we use our land'. What difference will England's Land Use Framework make?
And oats - they're increasingly attractive as a crop because they need relatively low inputs, are compatible with environmentally friendly rotations, and are rising in value in food markets. Like the oat drink market, for people looking for an alternative to dairy. All this week we are looking at food processing, and today we see how you get from an oat to a drink.
Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
THU 06:00 Today (m002sr41)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
THU 09:00 In Our Time (m002sr43)
Dadaism
Misha Glenny and guests discuss the provocative artistic phenomenon that first startled audiences in 1916 in Zurich. There, at the Cabaret Voltaire at the Holländische Meierei on the Spiegelgasse, Emmy Hennings and Hugo Ball and others gathered on a small stage, sometimes dressed in cardboard, often performing nonsense poems. This was the start of Dada, a spirit more than a movement which spread to other cities in Europe during the war. In part the Dadas (as they called themselves) were protesting against the inevitability of constant wars on the continent and in part this was an artistic experiment around the absurd; they were creating poems, songs, costumes and art that made no obvious sense, just as the war around them made no sense to the artists, designers and poets at the Cabaret Voltaire.
With
Dawn Ades
Emeritus Professor of Art History and Theory at the University of Essex
Ruth Hemus
Professor of French and Visual Culture at Royal Holloway, University of London
And
Stephen Forcer
Professor of French at the University of Glasgow
Produced by Martha Owen
Reading list:
Dawn Ades (ed.), The Dada Reader: A Critical Anthology (Tate Publishing, 2006)
Hugo Ball (trans. Ann Raimes and ed. John Elderfield), Flight out of Time: A Dada Diary (first published 1927; University of California Press, 1996)
Stephen Forcer, Dada as Text, Thought and Theory (Legenda, 2015)
Ruth Hemus, Dada's Women (Yale University Press, 2009)
David Hopkins, Dada and Surrealism: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2004)
Jed Rasula, Destruction was my Beatrice: Dada and the Unmaking of the Twentieth Century (Basic Books, 2015)
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 (m002sr45)
You Don't Have to Worry (with Marina Hyde)
Marina Hyde returns to join Armando for a positive look at some positive language.
Pete Hegseth tells us not to worry about the Strait of Hormuz, Trump tells us the 'war' is 'already won' - is this inspired by The Power of Positive Thinking? Or by Noel Edmonds?
Elsewhere we discuss guessing shoe sizes, tie-dye thinking, and whether we have the stomach for a culture war about badgers on bank notes.
Got a strong message for Armando? Email us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk
Sound editing: Chris Maclean
Production Coordinator: Asha Osborne-Grinter
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Recorded at The Sound Company
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.
THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002sr47)
Glasgow fire, Sibling relationships, Artist LR Vandy
**This programme has been edited since originally broadcast**
This month a legal case in the High Court has shed light on an industry of so-called 'Chatters' who work with online creators. 'Chatters,' are people, often women, who chat to fans of creators or models on subscription platforms such as OnlyFans - and other platforms - where users can pay creators, often for adult content, and can message them directly for a fee. The fans think that they are speaking directly to the creator or model. The court heard that many of those messages aren’t actually written by the creators themselves, but by these chatters, agency workers, whose purpose is to keep conversations going. Anita Rani is joined by Lara Bowman, a freelance journalist who has been reporting on the story.
For many of us, our relationships with our siblings will be the longest of our lives, sometimes closing in on a century. Whether loving or fraught, competitive or codependent, these dynamics are integral in shaping us. Author and journalist Catherine Carr says it’s time we acknowledge their significance in our lives. She joins Anita to discuss her new book Who’s the Favourite? The Loving, Messy Realities of Sibling Relationships.
Women in Glasgow are pulling together after a fire near the city’s Central Station forced several female‑run salons and small businesses to shut their doors. For nearly two weeks, nail technicians and hairdressers have been unable to trade after their businesses were destroyed by the blaze. But amid the shock and uncertainty, a powerful network of local women has stepped in—rallying support, fundraising, and even donating equipment to help these business owners get back on their feet. Anita speaks to Carolyn Currie from Women's Enterprise Scotland, a membership body for businesswomen and Carina McCreedy who runs Bonos Nail Salon and who has received some of that help.
The artist LR Vandy’s new exhibition Rise has opened at Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Lisa has transformed the space into an immersive environment using her trademark rope and found materials. The show explores the themes of power, cultural traditions and international trade and at its centre is a monumental maypole, celebrating communal gathering, ritual and collective dance. Lisa joins Anita to talk about what it was like to become a full-time artist later in life and how she challenges traditional representations of women’s bodies with her rope work.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Rebecca Myatt
THU 11:00 The History Podcast (m002gjdt)
The Second Map
2. The Secrets in the Safe
In Episode 2 of The Second Map, the war against Japan enters a new phase. Some of the most significant battles of the Second World War were fought on the Asian front - including by the 14th Army, which was known as ‘The Forgotten Army’, even at the time. It was formed after a string of defeats to Japan and was made up of nearly a million men, the majority from India and across the British empire. Their main aim: to win Burma back. Assisting them was a remarkable British woman from North London who became known as “The Jungle Queen,” and the tribal group she was living with. Their intervention would be critical. And we hear rare voices from Japanese forces, as the war shifts against them.
Creator, Writer and Presenter: Kavita Puri
Series Producer: Ellie House
Script Editor: Ant Adeane
Sound Designer: James Beard
Series Editor: Matt Willis
Production Coordinators: Sabine Scherek, Maria Ogundele
Commissioners for Radio 4 and The World Service: Dan Clarke, Jon Zilkha
Original music: Felix Taylor
Archive Curator: Tariq Hussain
Voice actor: Dai Tabuchi
Translators: Hannah Kilcoyne, Sumire Hori
With thanks to Dr Diya Gupta, Dr Vikki Hawkins, Dr Peter Johnston, Professor Rana Mitter and Tejpal Singh Ralmill.
THU 11:45 Shock and War: Iraq 20 Years On (m001k7xn)
9. Broken Trust
The widespread view among the British public that they had been misled about the reasons for war would leave deep scars. What is the legacy of the Iraq war on trust in public life and politics, and what has been the toll on individuals and societies?
Presenter: Gordon Corera
Series Producer: John Murphy
Producers: Ellie House, Claire Bowes
Sound Designer: Eloise Whitmore, Naked Productions
Production coordinators: Janet Staples, Brenda Brown
Series Editor: Penny Murphy
THU 12:00 News Summary (m002sr4c)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
THU 12:04 Evan Davis's Heat Pump Challenge (m002sr4f)
Episode 2: The Spark Gap
Heat Pumps use electricity rather than the gas in our traditional boilers - but electricity is more expensive. This can often put people off installing a heat pump because they're worried their energy bills will go up.
In this episode Evan explores where our electricity in the UK comes from; how the government is trying to change that to greener sources, and also for the UK to be more self sufficient, and less reliant on global energy markets.
Evan's joined by Greg Jackson, the Chief Executive of Octopus Energy. Octopus Energy is the biggest installer of heat pumps in the UK. At the moment they cater for the simpler install - end of the market, but are investing and researching to make more powerful heat pumps, that they hope could go into other homes that arn't so straightforward.
Dale Vince also joins Evan, the founder of Ecotricity. Despite having a heat pump himself installed in his home Dale doesn't believe heat pumps will work for everyone and come with significant install costs a typical family can't afford. He talks to Evan about what he thinks the government strategy should be.
We also hear from Claire Dykta, Director of Strategy and Policy at the National Energy System Operator, as well as Martin McCluskey, Minister for Energy Consumers, about the government's drive to install heat pumps.
In this series Evan, along with his expert panel of guests will equip you with the information you need to know about heat pumps. From cost, to how they work, to the people you need to speak to if you're considering one in your home.
If you have any questions for the panel you want answering about heat pumps, you can email evanschallenge@bbc.co.uk
PRESENTER: EVAN DAVIS
PRODUCER: LYDIA THOMAS
THU 12:32 Sliced Bread (m002sr4h)
Dough - Eyewear
Could smart glasses with built-in video cameras become widely accepted?
Greg Foot, host of BBC Radio 4's 'Sliced Bread' brings you 'Dough', examining the rise of future wonder products.
Greg is joined by experts, entrepreneurs and industry innovators to discuss the trends we're seeing today and where they may lead us 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 eyewear - asking whether smart glasses with built-in video cameras might see past previous failures to become widely accepted?
And whether you might soon be wearing smart contact lenses that can not only display websites and messages, but also potentially monitor your eye health?
Greg is joined by the futurist Tracey Follows and guests including:
- Priya Morjaria, Assistant Professor in International Eye Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Head of Global Programme Development at Peek Vision
- Alex Himel, Vice President of Wearables at Meta which is selling smart glasses with embedded artificial intelligence, cameras, microphones and speakers.
- Professor Philip Morgan, Head of Optometry at the University of Manchester
Produced by Jon Douglas. Dough is a BBC Audio North Production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
THU 12:57 Weather (m002sr4k)
The latest weather forecast
THU 13:00 World at One (m002sr4m)
Iran and Israel target oil and gas in the Gulf and energy prices soar
Iran and Israel continue to attack energy plants in the Gulf. The assistant secretary general of the Arab League says "it's madness". Also, what a reset with the EU might mean.
THU 13:45 The Race to Control the World (m002sr4p)
4. Space Race 2.0
Satellite technology is driving a new space race, benefiting commerce, communications - and warfare. Space X has given the US the huge advantage - but China is keen to catch-up.
If you get yourself a telescope you might notice that the night sky it’s a lot busier than it was even 5 years ago such is the rapid expansion of satellites. They're increasingly important to our daily lives, providing internet coverage in hard to reach places which in turn enables real time banking, the tracking of ships and planes, and the ability to monitor hurricanes, wildfires and flooding.
Misha Glenny explains how US is leading this race in terms of sheer numbers. Elon Musk's Starlink system is responsible for two-thirds of the current active satellites in lower earth orbit, but China has grand ambitions of its own.
Satellites are also crucially important in helping navigate next generation weapons like Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICMB's), which travel through space very quickly and can carry nuclear payloads.
GUESTS:
Namrata Goswami, Professor of Space Security at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland
Clayton Swope, Deputy Director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies
Selam Gebrekidan, reporter for The New York Times
Presenter: Misha Glenny
Producer: Ben Carter
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Studio mix: James Beard
Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
Archive:
CBC
Fox News
THU 14:00 The Archers (m002sr14)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Wednesday]
THU 14:15 Drama on 4 (m002rkpq)
Good People
6. The Reckoning
With populist party Fightback gaining ground, Abbie’s star is rising fast. And Sonia can’t escape the part she played in creating it.
Back at the Ness for the final time, she remembers how her life changed after her mentor Faith's death a year ago. A reckoning awaits her.
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 sixth and final episode in an ambitious six-part state of the nation drama from award-winning political writer Steve Waters.
CAST
Sonia ..... Natalie Simpson
Abbie ..... Iona Champain
Kieran ..... Nicholas Armfield
Ayad ..... Ikky Kabir
Indigo ..... Alby Baldwin
Gabe ..... Django Bevan
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 (m002sr4r)
Stroudwater's missing mile
The Stroudwater canal in Gloucestershire was built in the 1770s. It brought coal to the mills along the Stroud valleys, which had become an important centre for the manufacture of woollen cloth, but the arrival of the railways in the mid 19th century led to the canal's decline and eventual abandonment. A mile-long section of it was filled in when the M5 motorway was built in the 1960s, cutting the canal off from the rest of the inland waterways network. Now ambitious multi-million plans are underway to restore and re-open the "missing mile" and reconnect the canal.
Martha Kearney visits the Stroudwater canal to see how the work is going. She talks to volunteers, and finds out what difference the work will make to the canal - as a local amenity, as a tourist attraction and as a wildlife corridor.
Producer: Emma Campbell
THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m002smvq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
07:54 on Sunday]
THU 15:30 Feedback (m002sr4t)
Inside Health, Radio 4 Extra, and Jeremy Bowen on Today.
A recent episode of Radio 4's Inside Health, presented by James Gallagher, reported a groundbreaking advance in the biomedical study of ME - myalgic encephalomyelitis, sometimes known as chronic fatigue syndrome. On Feedback, we've heard from listeners with ME who were encouraged by the good news but wanted more personal stories that gave a message of hope. Andrea Catherwood talks to Dr Charles Shepherd, honorary medical advisor to the ME Association, about the change in attitudes to ME.
It's also a big moment for all fans of Radio 4 Extra - it's time for another All Request Weekend. We hear from a listener who put something forward for selection, and talk to the station's Editor Richard Culver about how it all works.
And we hear from listeners reacting to the Today programme's unusual decision to air an 11 minute monologue from BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen about the strands of history of US interventions in the Middle East and involvement of US Presidents.
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 (m002sr4w)
What's the current state of the UK's armed forces?
As contemporary hi-tech wars rage - Russia and Ukraine and the US-Israel war with Iran - The Briefing Room takes a hard look at the UK's armed forces. After telling his allies - including the UK - that he didn’t need them, President Trump called for them to help him open up the Strait of Hormuz, which has raised not just the question of should we, but could the UK do this? David Aaronovitch asks when it comes to big military operations what have we got? In this dangerous 21st century what do we need? Can we get it? And what about closer co-operation with other European countries?
Guests:
General Sir Richard Barrons, Senior Consulting fellow with the International Security Programme, Chatham House.
Dr Jack Watling, Senior Research Fellow, Royal United Services Institute
Shashank Joshi, Defence Editor, The Economist
Ruth Harris, Executive Director for National Security and Data Science, RAND Europe
Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Caroline Bayley, Nathan Gower, Kirsteen Knight
Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound Engineer: Neil Churchill and James Beard
Editor Richard Vadon
THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (w3ct8ty4)
Is quantum computing having its moment?
In a bid to invest in the future of computing and keep emerging quantum companies on their shores, the UK government has announced a £2 billion ‘Quantum Leap’ fund. Tom Whipple heads to ORCA Computing in London to find out exactly how close we are to realising that quantum future and the industries that may be revolutionized in the process.
After Iranian missiles have hit a key helium production plant in Qatar, stability of the global supplies of the element have been called into question. Dr Rebecca Ingle from University College London clues us in on just how much of the world relies on Helium and why it is the irreplicable “cryogenic king” of the elements.
Plus, can potatoes grow on the moon? And what can pythons tell us about weight loss? Reporter Gareth Mitchell joins Tom for their pick of this week's science news.
Presenter: Tom Whipple
Producer: Alex Mansfield and Katie Tomsett
Production co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
Editor: Martin Smith
THU 17:00 PM (m002sr4z)
US demands thanks despite war raising energy prices
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth says allies should be grateful that the US and Israel is taking on Iran despite the strikes sending the cost of gas to a three-year high. Bob McNally, a former advisor to President Bush on energy, tells PM he believes markets have failed to appreciate how dangerous the energy crisis could be. At home, the Bank of England says the war could cause interest rates to rise - scuppering government hopes of cutting inflation. Plus, Kirsty Allsopp takes a tour of Parliament to see how it could be refurbished.
THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002sr51)
Iran vows 'zero restraint' as it launches new attacks
Iran has warned it will show "zero restraint" if its energy facilities are again hit by airstrikes, as the focus of the war shifts to key oil and gas infrastructure across the Middle East. Also: The BBC finds multiple reports of sexual abuse of children taking place in minimarts in the West Midlands. And the King goes for a walk on England's new coastal path named after him.
THU 18:30 The Matt Forde Focus Group (m002sr53)
Series 2
The Politics of Incentives
Governments are constantly trying to nudge, cajole, bribe and even threaten people into behaving differently. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it goes badly wrong.
Top comedian Matt Forde convenes his Focus Group in front of a live theatre audience, with a politically eclectic panel — Baroness Ayesha Hazarika, former Tory MP Dehenna Davison, and Green Party MP Siân Berry — to dig into one of politics' most fascinating and frustrating puzzles: why do incentives so often produce exactly the opposite of what was intended?
Written and performed by Matt Forde
Additional writing from Karl Minns, Katie Storey and Richard Garvin
Producer: Richard Garvin
Co Producer: Daisy Knight
Broadcast Assistant: Sahar Rajabali
Sound Design and Editing: David Thomas
An Avalon production for BBC Radio 4
THU 19:00 The Archers (m002snh8)
When Neil pops to Meadow Farm with George’s lunch, nervous George admits he thought Neil could be bringing bad news. Neil sympathises, before getting a guided tour of the farm. Esme’s delighted when her landlord messages offering a reduced rental and better terms on their environmental commitment. She’ll take over the tenancy next Wednesday, Lady Day, and plans a gathering to celebrate. George excuses himself, but Esme insists he’s coming too. Neil’s annoyed when Ruairi texts to say he’s sick, but George has a feeling Ruairi isn’t right at the moment.
While Tracy’s working on Chelsea’s horsebox at the Dower House niggly Justin says he only agreed to it being there because Lilian forced him. Tracy stands her ground before a solicitor, Olivia, arrives for a meeting. Justin tells Olivia he’s disappointed with the offer for his BL shares by the consortium she represents. She calls his bluff, suggesting he can’t find another buyer, before Tracy interrupts, wanting to heat up her lunch. Justin tells her to wait outside, but Olivia’s happy for Tracy to stay. When asked, Tracy explains what the horsebox is for and Olivia pushes Justin into agreeing he’ll act as Chelsea’s business mentor. The two women bond over having daughters of the same age and laugh at the idea of Justin as Ambridge’s sweetheart. Later, Justin thanks Tracy for breaking the ice with Olivia, who ended up making a more acceptable offer. Tracy clarifies that Justin really will mentor Chelsea, then pushes her luck over keeping the horsebox at the Dower House longterm. Justin agrees to think about it.
THU 19:15 Front Row (m002sr55)
Review: La Grazia, the latest film from The Great Beauty director Paolo Sorrentino
Writer Alexander Larman and journalist Zoe Williams join Tom Sutcliffe to discuss the film La Grazia - which was written and directed by The Great Beauty’s Paolo Sorrentino, and stars Toni Servillo as a fictional Italian President.
They also review Summerfolk at the National Theatre in London. Brother and sister writers Moses and Nina Raine have adapted this version of Maxim Gorky’s play which centres around a privileged group of friends at a country retreat.
Will Page, industry analyst and former Chief Economist for Spotify, discusses the impact of AI generated fake music as Sony Music requests the removal of more than 135,000 songs impersonating its artists on streaming services.
Finally, Tom reviews The Tribe by Michael Arditti, an epic family drama which spans five decades and three continents.
Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Claire Bartleet
THU 20:00 When It Hits the Fan (m002sr0t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:00 on Wednesday]
THU 20:15 The Media Show (m002sr0w)
[Repeat of broadcast at
16:15 on Wednesday]
THU 21:00 Loose Ends (m002smzp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:15 on Saturday]
THU 21:45 Strong Message Here (m002sr45)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:45 today]
THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m002sr57)
Israeli PM denies dragging US into war with Iran
The Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that US-Israeli attacks are massively degrading Iran's capacity to attack its neighbours as he insisted Israel had not dragged the US into war. He claimed Iran could no longer make ballistic missiles and the war could end sooner than people think. We hear from a former Trump administration official on whether the US and Israel are on the same page when it comes to conducting the war.
Also on the programme: We speak to a survivor of county lines grooming in London. And we hear from the 89 year old scientist who has made it her life's work to study the links between chemicals and fertility.
THU 22:45 Banshee (m002sr59)
plus she can drive your getaway car faster than any by Wendy Erskine
‘Banshee: Mythological Irish Women Retold’ is a spellbinding short story collection, edited by Ailbhe Malone, featuring original stories by Ireland’s most exciting female writers retelling ancient Irish myths from a modern perspective. Read by Roísín Gallagher (‘How To Get To Heaven From Belfast’ and ‘The Dry’).
In these five abridged pieces of new writing from the collection, the stories of women who have too long stood in the shadows of warriors and kings are reclaimed in a celebration of womanhood and an homage to the ancient stories that still shape us.
Featuring stories by Sheila O’Flanagan (‘The Honeymoon Affair’), Naoise Dolan (‘The Happy Couple’), Jane Casey (‘A Stranger in the family’), Wendy Erskine (‘The Benefactors’) and Megan Nolan (‘Ordinary Human Failings’).
Reader: Roísín Gallagher
Writer: Wendy Erskine
Abridger: Rowan Routh
Producer: Michael Shannon
A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 23:00 Radical with Amol Rajan (m002sr5c)
The Legacy of Empire: How to Reckon with the Past (Simukai Chigudu)
Is removing statues and decolonising the curriculum the answer?
A member of the first generation born after the end of colonial rule in Zimbabwe, Simukai Chigudu came to the UK as a teenager and later became one of the founding members of a campaign to try to get the statue of imperialist Cecil Rhodes moved from Oriel College in Oxford.
Now an associate professor of African politics at the University of Oxford, he’s written a memoir called Chasing Freedom: Coming of Age at the End of Empire.
In this episode he discusses the legacy of the Rhodes Must Fall campaign and whether countries like Britain should pay reparations for slavery.
TIMECODES:
(
00:03:00) The history of colonialism in Zimbabwe
(
00:05:10) Cecil Rhodes’ role in Zimbabwe and the ‘Rhodes Must Fall’ campaign
(
00:09:35) Attitudes to England
(
00:16:37) Decolonising the curriculum
(
00:18:47) Statues
(
00:34:53) Experiencing racism
(
00:44:40) The case for reparations
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 and Cordelia Hemming. Digital production was by Gabriel Purcell-Davis. Technical production was by Philip Bull. The editor is Sam Bonham. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.
THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002sr5f)
Alicia McCarthy reports as MPs protest over cuts to overseas aid - and MPs examine the cost of rebuilding Parliament.
FRIDAY 20 MARCH 2026
FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m002sr5h)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 00:30 Shock and War: Iraq 20 Years On (m001k7xn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
11:45 on Thursday]
FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002sr5k)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002sr5m)
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 (m002sr5p)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4
FRI 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002sr5r)
Susan Hulme reports as MPs question the foreign secretary about her priorities for overseas aid.
FRI 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002sr5t)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002sr5w)
Being Happy
Good morning.
Today is World Happiness Day.
When we hear the word happiness, we often imagine smiling faces, good news, and everything going well. But most of us know that real life is not always like that — and for some of us, maybe seldom.
Our days carry both light and shadow. There are moments of joy, but also moments of worry, disappointment, or uncertainty.
One practice I have found helpful is the simple discipline of gratitude.
Each day I take a few quiet minutes to look back over the last twenty-four hours and notice the things for which I am grateful. Often they are very ordinary: a kind conversation, a moment of laughter, a task completed, a glimpse of sunlight, the support of family or friends.
Over time I have discovered that paying attention in this way gently changes how I see life.
Gratitude does not deny the difficulties we face or pretend that everything is perfect. Instead, it helps us notice that even on difficult days there are still good things present.
Perhaps happiness grows in us not because life becomes easier, but because we learn to recognise the quiet gifts already there — the kindness and goodness that surround us.
So on this World Happiness Day, we might pause for a moment and simply ask: What is one thing I am grateful for?
Loving God,
in the midst of the changing days of our lives,
help us to notice the quiet gifts around us.
Give us hearts that recognise goodness,
eyes that see light even in difficult times,
and a spirit of gratitude that deepens our joy.
Amen.
FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m002sr5y)
20/03/26 Commoners excluded from environmental schemes, bean processing, new science at the Commonwealth Potato Collection
Computer says no - why nearly 4,000 farmers are excluded from the government’s new environmental support schemes.
Scottish seed potato growers have been gathering in Dundee this week to hear how a 5-year long project might save their industry from the impact of a tiny but devastating worm, called the potato cyst nematode.
We’re looking into how the food our farmers grow is processed all this week. Most of the beans and peas we grow for human consumption in the UK pass through just one large processing company.
Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
FRI 06:00 Today (m002sngn)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m002smwh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:00 on Sunday]
FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002sngq)
FIFA's women's football tournaments, Women in Cuba, Adoption
New regulations state that every team in FIFA's women's football tournaments must include at least one female head coach or assistant coach.
The requirements will come into effect during the under 17s and under 20s Women's World Cup and Women's Champions Cup competitions this year. Kylie Pentelow caught up on the news with Fern Buckley, sports presenter and former Talksport commentator, and Claire Buzzeo, a football coach at the Sunderland football academy.
Cuba is experiencing one of its worst economic and humanitarian crises in decades. We hear from entrepreneur Idania del Rio who explains what it’s like for Cuban women to live under longstanding embargo restrictions and BBC Cuba Correspondent Will Grant joins Kylie from Havana to explain the political landscape and the impact of US sanctions.
This week the Government told the BBC that they need to make big changes to the adoption system. Josh MacAlister, the Children and Families minister, apologised to adoptive parents and said that too many of them have been left isolated, to battle a system that doesn’t understand them. His comments follow a BBC investigation last year which found there was widespread blame of parents who were pleading with the authorities for support. Kylie speaks to BBC Special correspondent Judith Moritz who led the investigation and Sara Taylor, an adoptive mum of two and CEO and founder of peer support organisation, It Takes A Village.
Shelley Klein is a writer and psychotherapist whose new novel follows the story of a woman whose husband of 25 years announces he’s leaving her, just at the same time that she finds out she has cancer. She tells Kylie about why she wanted to write the book: My Husband and Other Rats.
Presenter: Kylie Pentelow
Producer: Corinna Jones
FRI 11:00 The Food Programme (m002sngs)
Is Food Processing the ‘Missing Middle’?
Much focus goes on food growing and selling, but is the missing link in increasing the UK's food self sufficiency actually food processing?
It might be all about Ultra Processed Foods in the news, but there is another, much older, side to food processing that plays an integral role in getting food from fields to our plates.
Beans, peas, oats, veg and barley can all be produced in the UK in abundance, but producers often have to transport their crops for miles to reach basic processing facilities like cleaning, sorting, de-hulling or grading. The UK’s processing factories are part of a globalised food supply chain, importing vast volumes of grains and pulses from overseas as ingredients in our food. But it wasn’t always the case, as we hear from a Sheffield historian who has uncovered the city’s link with pea canning and the female pea pioneer who transformed the processing industry.
From the farmer making oat milk in his own barn, to the UK’s last remaining processing facility for peas and beans, Sheila Dillon lifts the lid on this hidden part of the supply chain, and finds an industry at a crossroads.
Produced by Nina Pullman.
FRI 11:45 Shock and War: Iraq 20 Years On (m001k83m)
10. Legacy
Have new generations of Iraqis got the freedom they were promised? What is the legacy within Iraq today particularly for a new generation seeking democracy? And the BBC's Security Analyst Gordon Corera asks how those directly involved in events reflect on the legacy of war twenty years on?
Presenter: Gordon Corera
Series Producer: John Murphy
Producers: Ellie House, Claire Bowes
Sound Designer: Eloise Whitmore, Naked Productions
Production coordinators: Janet Staples, Brenda Brown
Series Editor: Penny Murphy
FRI 12:00 News Summary (m002sngx)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
FRI 12:04 Rare Earth (m002sngz)
America and the Planet
President Trump has been very clear in his views on climate change but how much of his rhetoric will have real impacts on the environment in the US and worldwide? Tom Heap and Helen Czerski are joined by an expert panel to examine the consequences for the planet's temperature and its wildlife of the second Trump administration.
Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton
Assistant Producer: Toby Field
Rare Earth is produced in collaboration with the Open University
FRI 12:57 Weather (m002snh1)
The latest weather forecast
FRI 13:00 World at One (m002snh3)
World faces "most severe" energy crisis in history
The International Energy Agency warns the impact of the Iran war is being underestimated and could be worse than the oil shock of the 1970s or the Ukraine war. Economist Mohamed El-Erian lays out the potential consequences on fuel, food supplies and finances. Plus, Greenland's preparations for war with America are revealed, and is praying in a public place an "act of domination"? Jonathan Sacredoti and Naveed Asghar discuss.
FRI 13:45 The Race to Control the World (m002snh5)
5. Power Plays
Artificial Intelligence is incredibly thirsty for energy, which is fueling a renewables revolution in China - could this be the key to gaining an advantage over the United States?
In this final episode, Misha Glenny finds out how the energy race to keep all the technology running is evolving.
As the appetite for AI increases so will its energy requirements expand. Misha reveals how one data centre is capable of consuming the same amount of electricity as city with a population in the millions.
He also hears how the US and China have increasingly divergent approaches to energy. China is placing an emphasis on renewables whereas Donald Trump's 'drill baby, drill' mantra is seeing a greater reliance on oil and gas.
GUESTS:
Stephen Witt, journalist and author of The Thinking Machine
Kyle Chan, fellow at The Brookings Institution, where he researches China's technology development and industrial policy
Karen Hao, journalist and author of Empire of AI
Marietje Schaake, former Dutch MEP and current fellow at Stanford’s Cyber Policy Center and at the Institute for Human-Centered AI
Presenter: Misha Glenny
Producer: Ben Carter
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Studio mix: James Beard
Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
FRI 14:00 The Archers (m002snh8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Thursday]
FRI 14:15 Limelight (m002rw5z)
The Dentist
Episode 4
When Kerry made the snap decision to assume her dead sister’s identity, she didn’t think through the consequences of posing as a dentist.
So far those consequences have been pretty fatal.
And now, as she digs deeper and deeper into her deception, she finds herself butting up against the criminal underworld.
Cast:
Kasia … Leah Byrne
Leanne … Gabriel Quigley
Paul Rennie… Jonathan Watson
DI Hickman … David Ireland
Bob … Grant O’Rourke
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 (m002snhd)
Life Without Sex
Gen Z are famously having less of it. Do we even need it all? In this episode of Life Without, Alan Davies looks at what happens when we lose one of our most primal instincts?
Where do we currently stand in reproductive technology and how important is sex in understanding our biological function?
This episode features Miranda Kane a comedian, writer, and former sex worker who uses her platform to destigmatise the sex industry and Sarah Johns, a biological anthropologist at Kent and Medway Medical School with specialized expertise in human sexual behaviour.
An ITN production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002snhj)
From the Archives: Water
Kathy Clugston steers the ship through the deep waters of the GQT archive where a variety of panellists, old and new, discuss solutions to a variety of water related gardening challenges.
They debate the question of rainwater vs tap water for plants, restoring waterlogged clay soil and alternatives to water butts in narrow terrace gardens. There's also advice on flood‑damaged garden recovery and recommendations for trees for flood‑prone & drought‑prone parkland.
Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Assistant Producer: William Norton
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 15:45 Short Works (m002snhn)
The Real Housewives of the Wife House
Corinthia is starring in a new reality show called The Wife House. It keeps her SO busy – what with the preparations for the Galas, and throwing wine at all the other wives – that she barely even has time to think! Which is probably a good thing, because if she did have time to think, she might be wondering: why aren’t any of the Wives allowed to leave the Wife House? Are there really monsters in the woods? And... is she even actually called Corinthia?
An uncanny new comedy by Andrew Doherty, read by Ambika Mod.
Andrew Doherty is the writer of Gay Witch Sex Cult (“the funniest fringe horror since Garth Marenghi” – The Guardian)
Ambika Mod is a multi-award-winning actor and writer, and the star of One Day and This Is Going To Hurt
Directed by David Tyler
Produced by David Tyler and Katie Sayer
A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4
www.pozzitive.co.uk
FRI 16:00 Last Word (m002snht)
Yanar Mohammed, MP Phil Woolas, Professor Robin Weiss, Jane Lapotaire
Matthew Bannister on
Yanar Mohammed who campaigned for women’s rights in Iraq and set up a secret network of shelters for those fleeing abusive relationships. She was shot dead on 2nd March.
Phil Woolas, a key figure in the New Labour project who became MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth.
Professor Robin Weiss, the eminent virologist who carried out important work to understand HIV.
Jane Lapotaire, the classical actor who won a Tony Award for her portrayal of Edith Piaf.
Interviewee: Nawal Al-Maghafi
Interviewee: Nick Jones
Interviewee: Jonathan Weber
Interviewee: Zoë Wanamaker
Producer: Ribika Moktan
Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell
Researcher: Jesse Edwards
Editor: Glyn Tansley
Archive used:
Outlook, BBC World Service, 09/05/2005; News 1800, BBC Radio 4, 14/12/2003; BBC News, 1/04/1992; BBC News, 02/05/1997; Daily Politics: 2010 Election, Debates: The Immigration Debate, 4/05/2010; BBC News at Ten, BBC, 07/05/2009; BBC News at One, 09/12/2010; BBC News, 21/11/1986; Frontiers, BBC Radio 4, 24/02/1996; Piaf, playwright Pam Gems, director Howard Davies, production by Royal Shakespeare Company, broadcast on Arena: Theatre, BBC 12/02/1979; The 35th Annual Tony Awards, dir Clark Jones, Producer Alexander H. Cohen, produced and written by Hildy Parks, A Bentwood Television Production, CBS, 07/06/1981; Desert island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 22/08/1986; Richard II, dir Gregory Dean, The Royal Shakespeare Company, 2013; Woman's Hour, Radio 4, 24/04/2003
FRI 16:30 Sideways (m002snhy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:00 on Wednesday]
FRI 17:00 PM (m002snj2)
Iran's new Supreme Leader issues defiant statement for Persian New Year
Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, issues defiant statement ahead of Persian New Year. PM hears from people in Iran and exiles abroad about the mood in the country.
FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002snj4)
Three victims of IRA bombs in England halt their civil court case
Three victims of IRA bombings in England have ended their civil court case against the former Sinn Féin leader, Gerry Adams. Also: The government has given its approval for UK bases to be used by the US to launch strikes on Iranian sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz. And Nasa’s huge Moon rocket has completed its four mile journey to the launchpad at Cape Canaveral in Florida.
FRI 18:30 The Naked Week (m002snj6)
Series 4
Shipping, Shopping and Shagg... you know what, never mind
The team launch the Naked Week Investment Portfolio for Hard Done-By Young People and go shipping, shopping and shagg...you know what, never mind.
From The Skewer’s Jon Holmes and host Andrew Hunter Murray comes The Naked Week, a fresh way of dressing the week’s news in the altogether and parading it around for everyone to laugh at.
With award-winning writers and a crack team of contemporary satirists - and recorded in front of a live audience - The Naked Week delivers a topical news-nude straight to your ears.
Written by:
Jon Holmes
Katie Sayer
Gareth Ceredig
James Kettle
Jason Hazeley
Additional Material:
Karl Minns
Viverinne Hopley Jones
Cooper Mawhinny Sweryt
Darren Phillips
Kevin Smith
Investigation team:
Cat Neilan
Katie Sayer
Becky Pinnington
Abigail Mableson
Mia Jones
Ben Stanton
Nathaniel Peutherer
Cailtin Holtzman
Paola Matha
with thanks to Richard Danbury.
Guests: Rosalie Minnitt, Jo Saunderson, and the voice of the Shipping Forecast Amanda Litherland.
Production Team: Tony Churnside, Jerry Peal, David Riffkin.
Production Coordinator: Molly Punshon
Assistant Producer: Katie Sayer
Executive Producer: Philip Abrams
Produced and Directed by Jon Holmes
An unusual production for BBC Radio 4
FRI 19:00 The Archers (m002snj8)
Helen tells Alan about Carol’s fall, suggesting more people should call in on her. Alan offers to go round later, before Helen apologises for adding to Alan’s burden. When Alan visits, spiky Carol tells him he looks dreadful. Alan mentions her fall and Carol thinks Anna and Helen are as bad as each other, fussing over her. Alan then hands her a list of various services offering help and friendship, but Carol rebuffs his overtures. However, after he leaves, Alan reports to Helen that he could barely get away as Carol was so clearly desperate for company – and notes how frail she looks. Helen suggests he could ask Carol to help with a church activity and Alan says he’ll have a think about something she could do over Easter.
Brian asks George for a word about Ruairi, then tells him to leave Ruairi alone. George defends himself, suggesting Ruairi needs more help than Brian can give him. Brian accuses George of winding Ruairi up, but George reckons Brian is manipulative and has made plenty of mistakes of his own. Later, at The Bull, Tracy expresses surprise that Brian even gives George the time of day, after what he did to Alice. Brian thinks it’s better for everyone to move on, but does wonder how George will cope financially, with a baby on the way. Brian then tells George to stay away from Ruairi, offering him a one-off payment to do so. George wants to know how much. Brian suggests helping help with his drone business, but insists George must cut off all contact with Ruairi.
FRI 19:15 Add to Playlist (m002snjb)
Anne Dudley and Guy Barker are Thunderstruck
Trumpeter and bandleader Guy Barker and composer and arranger Anne Dudley join Jeffrey and Anna as they add five more tracks, taking us from a high-octane heavy-metal classic to Run-D.M.C. via signature stage moves and dreamy Ella.
Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe
The five tracks in this week's playlist:
Thunderstruck by AC/DC
I Got You (I Feel Good) by James Brown
Hommage à Rameau by Claude Debussy
My Reverie by Ella Fitzgerald
Peter Piper by Run-D.M.C.
Other music in this episode:
Love's Theme by The Love Unlimited Orchestra
Gravel Pit by Wu-Tang Clan
Surrender by Swing Out Sister
It's a Man's Man's Man's World by James Brown
Reverie by Debussy, performed by Lang Lang
A-Tisket A-Tasket by Ella Fitzgerald and Chick Webb
Humpty Dumpty by Aimee Mann
All The King's Horses by Dusty Springfield
Take Me To The Mardi Gras by Bob James
Take Me To The Mardi Gras by Paul Simon
FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m002snjd)
Jess Brown-Fuller MP, Dame Meg Hillier MP, Peter Hitchens, Paul Holmes MP
Alex Forsyth presents political debate from The Point Theatre in Eastleigh with Liberal Democrats MP and Justice Spokesperson Jess Brown-Fuller, Labour MP and Treasury Committee Chair Dame Meg Hillier, Conservative MP and Shadow Housing Minister Paul Holmes, and author and columnist Peter Hitchens.
Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies
Assistant producer: Jo Dwyer
Production co-ordinator: Ishmael Soriano
Lead broadcast engineer: Phil Zentner
Editor: Glyn Tansley
FRI 20:55 This Week in History (m002snjg)
March 16th to March 22nd
Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
March 21st In 1556 - the first Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, was burnt at the stake in Oxford during the reign of Queen Mary.
March 17th 1921 - the first family planning clinic opened in Holloway, North London, by Marie Stopes.
March 20th 1966 - the World Cup trophy was stolen from its display in Central Hall, Westminster - only to be discovered by a dog, Pickles, a week after.
FRI 21:00 Free Thinking (m002snjj)
Oral tradition and oracy
Oracy - the ability to express oneself fluently - has been included in plans to modernise the national curriculum, with a new focus on equipping young people with the skills they need for life and work. In Radio 4's round-table discussion programme, Anne McElvoy and guests look at how you teach oracy and explore the value of passing on traditional knowledge using methods like songs and poems. Joining Anne are
Reetika Subramanian is based at the University of East Anglia and is currently a researcher in residence with BBC Radio 4. She hosts the Climate Brides podcast and studies women’s work songs as records of environmental change
Edith Hall, Professor of Classics at Durham University who champions the use of Classical rhetoric to foster oracy in schools
Philip Collins, former speechwriter to Tony Blair
Edith and Philip have taken part in Our Public House, a theatre performance staged by Dash Arts that builds on workshops with over 700 people nationwide who shared their visions for our nation's future. Our Public House opens at Leeds Playhouse and tours the UK from May.
Stephen Batchelor, secular Buddhist teacher and writer and author of Buddha, Socrates and Us: Ethical Living in Uncertain Times, published by Yale University Press (2025).
Tom F. Wright, historian of rhetoric at the University of Sussex
Producer: Eliane Glaser
FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m002snjl)
Britain allows US to use bases to strike Strait of Hormuz targets
The UK has agreed to allow the United States to use British bases to launch strikes on Iranian sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer previously allowed US forces to use the bases only for defensive operations to prevent Iran firing missiles that put British interests or lives at risk.
Also on the programme: Dame Jenni Murray, who hosted BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour for more than three decades, has died at the age of 75. Broadcaster Ritula Shah reflects on her former colleague.
And after 70 years of service, the British Army announces plans to retire its fleet of Land Rovers. We get the reaction of motoring journalist, Top Gear veteran and Land Rover owner, James May.
FRI 22:45 Banshee (m002snjn)
Diarmuid and Gráinne by Megan Nolan
‘Banshee: Mythological Irish Women Retold’ is a spellbinding short story collection, edited by Ailbhe Malone, featuring original stories by Ireland’s most exciting female writers retelling ancient Irish myths from a modern perspective. Read by Roísín Gallagher (‘How To Get To Heaven From Belfast’ and ‘The Dry’).
In these five abridged pieces of new writing from the collection, the stories of women who have too long stood in the shadows of warriors and kings are reclaimed in a celebration of womanhood and an homage to the ancient stories that still shape us.
Featuring stories by Sheila O’Flanagan (‘The Honeymoon Affair’), Naoise Dolan (‘The Happy Couple’), Jane Casey (‘A Stranger in the family’), Wendy Erskine (‘The Benefactors’) and Megan Nolan (‘Ordinary Human Failings’).
Reader: Roísín Gallagher
Writer: Megan Nolan
Abridger: Rowan Routh
Producer: Michael Shannon
A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 23:00 Americast (w3ct8bz9)
Trump v Anthropic: The battle over who controls AI
Away from the war in Iran, the Pentagon is engaged in another battle, with Anthropic and its AI chatbot Claude. After awarding the company a contract potentially worth $200 million last year to integrate their artificial intelligence into the Department of Defence’s classified systems, that relationship has ended with a lawsuit and a threat which puts the future of Anthropic in jeopardy.
Anthropic says it cannot acquiesce to the government’s demand that it breaches its own ‘red lines’ in how its technology is used. The company insists it cannot be used for mass surveillance of US citizens nor in lethal weapons that are operated without human oversight. It has filed lawsuits against the Pentagon.
Justin and Marianna speak to Dean Ball, Trump’s former AI adviser who helped devise much of the Trump administration’s AI policy, about Anthropic’s position and why he thinks the Pentagon have gone too far. They also discuss the controversy around domestic surveillance and how policy makers still do not fully understand how AI technology actually works.
Presenter: Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter and Marianna Spring, social media investigations senior correspondent
Producer: Purvee Pattni, Ben Carter and Alix Pickles
Sound engineer: Michael Regaard
Editor: Sam Bonham
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FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002snjr)
Peers continue their debate on the assisted dying bill.