SATURDAY 20 JUNE 2026

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m002xpd2)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:30 Heatwave: The Summer of 1976 by John L Williams (m002xpbr)
The End of the Long Hot Summer

Writer John L Williams remembers the stifling summer that loosened societal norms and laid the foundations for modern-day Britain.

"Just six baking hot weeks after they first played to 40 people, the Sex Pistols returned to an audience of at least three times as many. When they played, the violence of the music swiftly provoked actual violence in the crowd."

Read by Dean Rehman
Abridged by Rosemary Goring
Produced by Eilidh McCreadie
A BBC Audio Scotland production for BBC Radio 4.


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002xpd4)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002xpd6)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:30 News Summary (m002xpd8)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002xpdb)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002xpdd)
Naming

Spiritual reflection to start the day with Bryan Kerr, a Church of Scotland Minister in Kilmacolm, Inverclyde.
Script: Good morning. A few years back, a young school pupil stopped me in a corridor and asked, "What's Jesus actually like?" Not who is he. What is he like. I remember standing there, as the school chaplain, trying to find an honest answer that wasn't a sermon. I think I said something about kindness, and about courage, and about not giving up on people. She smiled, and ran off to play.

What's Jesus actually like? The American theologian Marcus Borg once wrote that Jesus, for Christians, is the clearest picture we have of what God is like, and of what a life filled with God actually looks like. I like that. Jesus takes the abstract and makes it visible. He makes it something we can name.

We name what matters to us. We name the people we love. We give our children names with care, sometimes after grandparents, sometimes after places, sometimes just because the sound was right. Naming is how we say: this one is mine, this one belongs.

For people of faith, naming Jesus does something similar. It says, this matters here. Not just on a Sunday. In how I speak to the person serving us. In how I treat the colleague nobody likes. In the choices I make when no one's watching. To name Jesus is to put a face on what we mean by grace, by kindness, by the stubborn refusal to give up on each other.

You don't have to share my faith to recognise the principle. We become what we name. We grow into the words we use about ourselves and the people around us. The things we name shape the people we turn into.

So perhaps the question that pupil asked me is one worth carrying into any day. What's the thing you name and love actually like, and how does it show in the way you live?

God of every name, help us today to name what matters. Help us live what we name. Amen.


SAT 05:45 The Hackers (m0012q69)
Series 1

Wetware

Biella explores biohacking - the hacking of the human body - and the different reasons why people are becoming cyborgs.

She speaks with artist Moon Ribas about how tech can be used to push the boundaries of creative expression while putting humans in touch with the earth, and even the cosmos, and Winter Mraz an engineer who in the aftermath of a horrific car crash, used various implants to improve her body, and hack her way to an easier way to live with mental and physical disabilities.


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m002xzl1)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 06:07 Ramblings (m002xp6r)
The Wrekin with Marlon Patrice

Clare meets Marlon Patrice for a walk up The Wrekin in Shropshire. Marlon is the founder of We Go Outside Too, a community organisation he created in Birmingham after the death of his 17 year old son who was killed by knife violence. In the aftermath of this loss, Marlon turned to nature as a way to cope with the overwhelming grief. He soon recognised how powerful these experiences could be for others who lacked access to green spaces. What began as a personal lifeline grew into the group he runs which takes people of colour into the outdoors.

Clare met Marlon and his group in The Wrekin car park, postcode TF6 5BH. It’s a famous hill in the region, so much so that ‘around the Wrekin’ is a Midlands expression meaning ‘around the houses’. Joining them was Tanya Matthews who led the group in a silent-disco style warm up, and a breathwork meditation session on the summit.

Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer for BBC Studios: Karen Gregor


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m002xzl5)
20/06/26 - Royal Highland Show, Scottish farming policy and South West octopus bloom

The Royal Highland Show hopes to welcome 200,000 visitors across four days. In this programme we report from the show, hearing farmers' views on the Scottish Government's plan for a supermarket price cap on essential food items, speaking to the new Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs and hearing about the hardest job on the showground... ice cream tasting!

Meanwhile in the south west of England, we hear about an emergency by-law that's been passed in Cornwall, to restrict the number of boats coming in to fish for octopus. The ongoing octopus bloom has been described as a 'gold rush' as huge sums are being made - two weeks ago Brixham fish market experienced a record catch of 103 tonnes, worth £400,000. But the octopus are also causing problems - eating crab and lobster and devastating that industry locally.

Presented by Caz Graham
Produced by Heather Simons


SAT 06:57 Weather (m002xzl9)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m002xzlf)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m002xzlk)
Ruby Wax, Social History, Memoirs & Music, plus the Inheritance Tracks of Lorraine Kelly

Joining Adrian Chiles on this week's programme is Professor of social history, a writer with a first class degree from Cambridge and a TV legend with a masters from Oxford.

Ruby Wax is as well known now for her work in mental health, but she’s been looking back at some of her biggest interviews to see what she can learn about herself as well as her subjects.

Professor Carl Chinn is a social historian, proud son of Birmingham and great grandson of a Peaky Blinder.

Sathnam Sanghera’s written novels, an acclaimed memoir, acclaimed histories of the British Empire. Now he’s exploring the meaning of one of his heroes - George Michael.

Plus the Inheritance Tracks of the broadcaster Lorraine Kelly.

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies
Assistant Producers: Catherine Powell and Imy Harper
Researcher: Jesse Edwards
Editor: Andrea Kennedy

If you have been affected by any of the details discussed in today’s programme you can find information for help and support in the UK at bbc.co.uk/actionline


SAT 10:00 The History Podcast (m002xzlm)
Sixty Years of Hurt

6. England v Hope

In the last episode of his series on the history of the England Men's football team, David Baddiel looks at that most magical, and most tantalising of all things - hope.

Sixty Years of Hurt with David Baddiel' explores the meaning of England and Englishness through the history of the England Men’s Football team. This is a social and cultural history as much as a sporting one, examining the story England tells about itself and how it's changed, via the medium of the international game. In episode three, David tackles the ‘English disease’ of hooliganism and looks at how it was, if not cured, then certainly treated.

England fans are not defined by hooliganism, but it’s impossible to look at the story of the England team without examining the headline grabbing behaviour of some of its fans. As applause for the 1966 World Cup faded away, the England story didn’t take long to add violence and extremism to its mix of patriotism, enthusiasm and natural sporting tension. Contributors including Cass Pennant, Kevin Day, David Goldblatt, and Roy Williams, share their experience of English football’s violent surges through the seventies and eighties, before a charting a change in fan behaviour as football emerged into the 1990s.

The series delves deep into how national myths are both forged and reflected in the fate of eleven young men with three lions on their shirts. It takes in the view from England’s sporting rivals, from Wales to Argentina, and asks what light the success of England’s Woman casts on the story of England’s Men. Across the series, David Baddiel will be joined by contributors including Stephen Fry, Alex James, Maisie Adam, Elis James, Barney Ronay, Roy Williams, Des Lynam, Stuart Pearce, Jean Williams, David Goldblatt, Pippa Grange, Jonathan Wilson, David Seaman, Omid Djalili and many more.

Sixty Years of Hurt with David Baddiel is produced by BBC Studios Audio for BBC Radio 4, in collaboration with Left Bank Pictures who are producing the upcoming drama Dear England for BBC iPlayer and BBC One.
Host: David Baddiel
Producers: Rich Power and David Baddiel
Assistant Producer: Isaac Fisher


SAT 10:30 Legend (m002xzlp)
The Miles Davis Story

5. Lost and Found

Clarke Peters concludes the series exploring Miles Davis's final decade. After nearly five years of reclusive silence, Miles emerges from his New York brownstone, determined to channel a new generation of musicians to spark his final reinvention of jazz. Miles is back! News of the comeback ignites the media, and packed audiences, from rock royalty to his old jazz associates, flock to his early gigs, left reeling as Miles boldly pushes the genre squarely into the electronic age.

Through albums like The Man with the Horn and the Grammy-winning Tutu, Miles and his visionary key collaborator, Marcus Miller, stubbornly defy the critics to forge a triumphant new legacy. Along the way, he crosses paths with Prince, while his late-career sonic experiments deeply inspire a burgeoning generation of hip-hop artists.

But It wasn't just the music that was rejuvenated. With the fierce support of his wife, actress Cicely Tyson, Miles battles back from the severe physical pain and exhausting excesses of the 1970s to clean up his lifestyle. Yet, as his fragile body is pushed to its absolute limits, a lingering question remains - how much longer can his flame burn? Before the final curtain falls, a man who spent a lifetime refusing to retrace his steps prepares one last, profound twist - a closing gesture that forces him to look back and finally embrace the very past he spent decades running from.

Narrator and longtime fan Clarke Peters (The Wire, The Boroughs, Treme) explores the restless genius and radical evolution of Miles Davis. Across five episodes, Clarke traces a 50 year odyssey of constant reinvention - from a teenage outsider in 1944 to a global icon who redefined what it meant to be Black, to be cool, and to be an artist.

Blending archival recordings with fresh perspectives, the series reveals how Miles’ "take no shit" attitude and aesthetic fearlessness influenced everyone from rock stars to Oscar-winning filmmakers. Yet, Clarke also grapples with the darker truths of Miles’ legacy, including the substance issues and domestic abuse that left a trail of pain for those closest to him. It is a searching investigation into an artist capable of the most sublime beauty and the most brutal behaviour - a man who refused to be palatable, refused to be a "legend", and simply refused to stop moving forward.

Presenter: Clarke Peters
Series Producer: Clem Hitchcock
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Editor: Kirsten Lass
Commissioning Editors at the BBC: Dan Clarke and Matthew Dodd
Production Manager: Emily Duffy
Music Consultant: Guy Barker
Additional Music by Guy Barker, James Pearson and Joseph Tzabar
Archivist: Simon Rooks
Script Consultant: Anne Harbin
Technical Production and Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4

Tracks featured:

Zimbabwe - Miles Davis
Gondwana - Miles Davis
Shout - Miles Davis
The Man with the Horn - MIles Davis
Ursula - Miles Davis
Fast Track - Miles Davis
My Man's Gone Now - George and Ira Gerswhin, feat. Miles Davis
Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper feat. Miles Davis
Tutu - Marcus Miller feat. Miles Davis
Portia - Marcus Miller feat. Miles Davis
Full Nelson - Marcus Miller feat. Miles Davis
I believe - Courtney Pine
Can I Kick it? - A Tribe Called Quest/Lou Reed
Airbag - Radiohead
Boplicity - Miles Davis
It Never Entered my Mind - Rogers and Hart feat. Miles Davis
My Funny Valentine - Rogers and Hart feat. Miles Davis

John McLaughlin, Bill Evans and Marcus Miller from BBC Jazz File with Ian Carr, 2001.
Miles Davis from Talking Jazz with Ben Sidran, 1986
Q Tip from Red Bull Academy, 2013
Jonny Greenwood from The Adam Buxton podcast, 2016


SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m002xzlr)
Vicki Young assesses Andy Burnham's Makerfield by-election win, which paves the way for a leadership challenge against Sir Keir Starmer.

She is joined by FT political editor, George Parker; New Statesman political editor, Ailbhe Rae; GB News political editor Christopher Hope and Labour peer and broadcaster Ayesha Hazarika.


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002xzlt)
Trump, the G7, and the Iran deal

Kate Adie introduces stories on the G7 summit and Donald Trump's Iran deal, the ongoing Ebola crisis in DRC, Peru's knife-edge elections, South Korea's feminist literary circles, and Ghana's World Cup dreams.

President Donald Trump once again dominated the agenda at the latest G7 summit in France, as he presented his prospective peace deal with Iran, and agreed to continued support for Ukraine. James Waterhouse was in Evian-les-Bains where he watched as leaders scrambled to keep up with the President's evolving agenda.

Health clinics in the Democratic Republic of Congo are battling to bring the latest Ebola virus outbreak under control. The head of Africa’s Centres for Disease Control warned this week that the current spread of the virus – which is also affecting Uganda - could be the worst ever. Anne Soy has been in Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak.

Peru recently held its second round of voting in a knife-edge presidential election which has pitted two very different candidates against each other – the right-wing Keiko Fujimori and left-wing Roberto Sanchez. Ione Wells has been speaking to voters in Lima.

The women of South Korea have experienced an anti-feminist backlash in recent years, following the MeToo movement’s breakthrough in 2016. One of the responses has been a rise in book clubs and writing rooms for women, offering a space to gather and talk freely. Leehyun Choi reports from Seoul.

And England take on Ghana in the World Cup next Tuesday - one of ten African countries playing in this year’s tournament. Sara Wheeler has been in Jamestown where she heard more about football’s cherished place in Ghanaian life.

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


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m002xzlw)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m002xzly)
Pension delays and fraud figures

Capita chiefs promised MPs on the Public Accounts Committee it would fix long-running problems with its administration of one of the biggest pension schemes in the country by the end of this month.
Tens of thousands of retired and serving civil servants have been reporting long delays to payments, leading to serious financial hardship to pensioners and their families. 
But Money Box has learned the deadline isn't likely to be met. We speak to the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee about what happens next.
And cases of reported are still increasing. We explain how AI has become the latest weapon in the fraudsters' armoury.
Also, holiday season is upon us. What can we do to minimise the hit from those annoying non-sterling transaction fees levied every time we use our plastic. A consumer expert shares his advice.


SAT 12:30 Dead Ringers (m002xpcj)
Series 27

Makerfield Maketh Man

The Dead Ringers team are back to train their vocal firepower on the week’s news with an armoury of impressive impressions.
This week: Andy Andy Burnham Bright, Thomas Tuchel talks tactics, and Curious Cases considers a conundrum.

Starring Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Lewis Macleod, Duncan Wisbey and Jess Robinson.

Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Produced by Jon Holmes
Production Co-ordinator: Giulia Lopes Mazzu

A BBC Studios Production


SAT 12:57 Weather (m002xzm0)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News (m002xzm2)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m002xpcq)
Catherine Atkinson MP, Nigel Huddleston MP, Fraser Nelson, Polly Toynbee

Alex Forsyth presents political debate from Hixon Memorial Hall in Staffordshire with justice minister Catherine Atkinson; shadow culture secretary Nigel Huddleston; Times columnist Fraser Nelson; and Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee.

Presenter: Alex Forsyth
Producer: Paul Martin
Assistant producer: Lowri Morgan
Production co-ordinators: Ishmael Soriano & Sam Grist
Editor: Andrea Kennedy


SAT 14:05 Any Answers? (m002xzm4)
Listeners respond to the issues raised in the preceding edition of Any Questions?


SAT 14:45 The Archers (m002xpcl)
Bill and Anne Marie drop in unexpectedly at 1 The Green, while George and Amber are out. Anne Marie’s keen to see if the house meets her expectations for when the baby arrives, before Will gives a guided tour, glossing over how tight a squeeze it will be fitting the cot and baby clothes storage in the bedroom. Will implies that he expects them to stay through the baby’s childhood, before proudly showing Amber’s parents George’s cot in the shed. Anne Marie expresses concern over safety standards, before Amber arrives with George, wishing they’d warned her they were coming. George assures them he used baby-safe paint and Will then tells them how Nic died. Anne Marie assures Amber and George they’ll support them financially as they bring up their child, before Bill and Anne Marie take their leave. Outside, Amber chastises them for turning up without warning and trying to find fault with George. They repeat their offer to help financially. Amber agrees to accept the odd gift, then suggests they meet up at Borchester Show but not before.

Amber admits to feeling wrung out by her parents’ visit. George felt they were judgmental, looking down their noses at the small house. When Amber talks about wanting a space of their own one day, George accuses her of planning her escape and thinking his family aren’t good enough for her. Irritated Amber is tired of trying not to upset both George and her parents, before declaring she’s going for a walk.


SAT 15:00 Drama on 4 (m000y64d)
Joseph Andrews Remixed

Episode 2

Written by Shaun McKenna and based on Henry Fielding’s novel.

Henry Fielding is in the middle of writing his new novel, his first big prose work, a comic romp satirising the manners and morals of the day. In Shaun McKenna's new version, Harry's wife is helping him write it. Smart, witty Charlotte and her famous husband talk (and often disagree) about the twists and turns in the concluding episode of the story and introduce some new comedic characters. Joseph's misadventures on the road continue but will they end happily?

Episode Two
Harry.....Max Bennett
Charlotte.....Lyndsey Marshal
Joseph.....Angus Imrie
Fanny.....Lauren Cornelius
Parson Adams.....Michael Bertenshaw
Slipslop.....Helen Longworth
Constable 1/Pedlar.....Ben Crowe
Constable 2.....Stephen Critchlow
Lady Booby.....Jane Whittenshaw
Pounce/Justice Frolick/Gaffer.....Simon Ludders
Pamela.....Elinor Coleman
Booby.....Joseph Ayre
Wilson/Squire.....Tony Turner
Gammer.....Jane Slavin
Stranger.....Stewart Campbell

Directed by Tracey Neale.

The Writer
Shaun McKenna's recent radio credits include Eleanor Rising, China Towns, The Forsytes and The Complete Smiley and Home Front.

Technical Producer, Keith Graham
Production Co-ordinator, Jenny Mendez
Producer & Director, Tracey Neale


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m002xzm6)
Dr Precious Lunga on Jon Snow's Alzheimer's, Peptides, Flower farmers

Peptides have become a new buzzword in the wellness industry. Social media influencers have spoken about using them for optimising performance in the gym and improving their appearance, and they’re increasingly popular with women. But some unregulated peptides haven’t been through clinical trials and could be ineffective, or even harmful. Nuala McGovern is joined by BBC Health reporter Ruth Clegg, who has been looking into the way women are using peptides, and Adam Taylor, Professor of Anatomy at the University of Lancaster.

Jon Snow, the lead presenter of Channel 4 News for over three decades. has revealed he has Alzheimer's disease. During his career, he reported on stories including the fall of the Berlin Wall, the release of Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama's inauguration. In a new Channel 4 documentary, made in conjunction with the Alzheimer’s Society, Jon Snow: A Last Big Story, he is seen uncovering an environmental disaster in Zambia. In her first broadcast interview since the diagnosis was announced, Jon’s wife, Dr Precious Lunga, joins Anita Rani to talk about how they are navigating life now.

Actor Geraldine James is renowned for a host of roles in theatre and on screen, from Jewel in the Crown to The Cage. Now she's making her Chichester theatre debut in the stage premiere of the 2015 film 45 years, alongside Gabriel Byrne. The couple are about to celebrate 45 years of marriage, when news arrives in a letter from Switzerland about a woman's body that's been discovered in a melting glacier, sending shockwaves through their marriage.

There is rising demand for homegrown blooms. According to the trade association Flowers From the Farm, small-scale growers now generate £30 million a year — with women making up 80% of members. British Flowers Week is celebrating both the flowers and the women behind them, while highlighting the sector’s economic and environmental impact. Nuala is joined by two women behind Flowers From the Farm, Olivia Wilson, a florist and flower farmer, and Georgie Newberry who has a flower farm in Somerset.

The Government recently launched a consultation on employment rights for unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children. It includes consideration of Hugh’s Law, named after Hugh Menai-Davies, who died aged six from cancer in 2021. His parents are campaigning for a standalone statutory entitlement to leave and pay for parents of seriously ill children. To discuss, Nuala is joined by Frances and Ceri Menai-Davies, and Professor Lorna Fraser from King’s College London, who has been researching the impact on parents of caring for a seriously or terminally ill child.

Eli Davies has embarked on a nostalgic and cultural exploration of the single woman's kitchen, unpacking women’s complicated history with domesticity and how their choice to couple up may shape mealtimes and their relationships with food, cooking habits and self-care. Eli’s book The Spinster Cookbook: Culture, Politics and Pleasure in the Single Woman’s Kitchen is also a story of rebellion, explaining how cooking for one as a woman can become an act of care, defiance, pleasure, and self-expression.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Dianne McGregor


SAT 17:00 PM (m002xzm8)
Bedford train crash: nine in critical condition

Pressure mounts on the prime minister to set out a timeline for his departure. We speak to the veteran Labour MP John McDonnell. We hear from Stockton-on-Tees, which has made a multimillion bet to save the high street. And we celebrate James Burrows, the Spielberg of TV who helped create sitcoms such as Cheers, Friends and Will and Grace, and has died aged 85. Presenter: Joe Pike.


SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m002xzmb)
From Downing Street... to California Governor? Former Tory adviser Steve Hilton on making the Golden State great again

Former Tory adviser and candidate for California Governor Steve Hilton on the frustrations that drove his political journey and why he believes the Golden State can turn red.


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002xzmd)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m002xzmg)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002xzmj)
Iran says it is closing the Strait of Hormuz again

Iran's military says it has again closed the Strait of Hormuz -- in response to Israel's continued strikes on southern Lebanon. Israel launched a wave of attacks this morning -- just hours after agreeing a ceasefire with Hezbollah -- saying it was responding to the firing last night of dozens of projectiles by the Iran-backed group. President Trump had said the Strait of Hormuz would reopen to shipping as part of the framework peace deal agreed between the US and Iran, and signed three days ago.

Police say nine people remain in a critical condition in hospital after yesterday's fatal train crash near Bedford. A train driver was killed and scores of passengers were injured when one East Midlands Railway passenger service ran into the back of another.

Counter terrorism police are investigating a series of suspected anti-Muslim attacks that left five men injured in Edinburgh last night. Officers say they have arrested a 36-year-old white Scottish man.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m002xzml)
Daniel Sloss, Horse McDonald, Helen Watson, Stuart Maconie, Dan Richards, Darren Brownlie

Stuart Maconie sets up camp at Borders Book Festival in the Scottish Borders.

Comedian Daniel Sloss continues his world domination with his latest show Bitter which is helping him tick off 60 different countries.

She perhaps can't claim 60, but Helen Watson visited an incredible list of countries when she cycled 15,000km from Glasgow to China along the Silk Road in 2009. Her book Tea and Grit dives back in to memories of that expedition.

Actor Darren Brownlie's latest project takes us on another journey, to Cumbrae on the west coast of Scotland where musical Crocodile Rock tells a beautiful story of coming out and finding out who you really are.

Dan Richards adventures have been very much in the dark, as his book Overnight explores the many wonders and workers of the nighttime, from the high seas, to the top of a crane.

Plus, singer-songwriter Horse fills the tent up with glorious music, picked from her decades-long back catalogue.

Presenter: Stuart Maconie
Producer: Caitlin Sneddon
Technical Producers: Andrew Hay and Fraser Jackson
Production Co-ordinator: Lauren Stewart


SAT 19:00 Profile (m002xzmn)
Rupert Lowe

Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe is the newest disruptor in right-wing politics but the path he has taken to get there is a familiar one.

Born in Oxford in 1957 Lowe attended an elite all boys boarding school before studying for a degree in Estate Management. After university he was a commodity broker in the City and went to Japan to work in securities but when British football clubs emerged as attractive financial assets in the 1990's he became chair of Southampton after a reverse takeover. Lowe resigned in 2006 after a decade in charge – having been blamed by many fans for relegation in 2005 after 27 years in the top flight. He made a return but resigned again in 2009 as the club’s holding company went into administration.

Next he decided to try his hand at politics. In 2019 Lowe became an MEP for the Brexit Party before switching to national politics after the UK left the EU in 2020, this time for Reform UK. In 2024 he became MP for Great Yarmouth but after falling out with Reform leader Nigel Farage he became an independent MP and launched his own party, Restore Britain.

Production:
Presenter: Becky Milligan
Producers: Annabel Deas and Mhairi Mackenzie
Production Coordinator: Maria Ogondele
Sound: James Beard
Editor: Justine Lang

Credits:
@bedbox via YouTube, Rock Against Rupert - Rupert Lowe Michael Wilde out protest (1 February 2009)
Channel 4, Reform UK infighting escalates as Farage and Lowe trade blows (9 March 2025)
Channel 5 Vanessa, Is it wrong to put your pet down yourself? (24 June 2025)
GB News, Rupert Lowe - ‘I wouldn’t hire Boris Johnson for my organisation’ (5 December 2021)
Restore Britain, Rupert Lowe - Restore Britain Launch Speech (14 February 2026)
Sky News, Restore Britain leader: Farage 'tried to politically assassinate me' (18 June 2026)
The News Agents, Rupert Lowe- In His Own Words (15 March 2025)
The Spectator, Farage - Lowe is ‘a vengeful man’ (9 June 2026)


SAT 19:15 This Cultural Life (m002xp5s)
Frank Cottrell-Boyce

The writer Frank Cottrell-Boyce talks to John Wilson about his cultural influences and career. He started out as a screenwriter on the television soaps Brookside and Coronation Street, before publishing his debut children's novel Millions in 2004. The book won the prestigious Carnegie Medal and a screenplay version was made into a film by Danny Boyle. He also wrote five films for the director Michael Winterbottom, including Welcome To Sarajevo and Twenty Four Hour Party People. In 2012, Frank renewed his creative partnership with Danny Boyle as the writer of the opening ceremony of the London Olympics. After many bestselling children’s books including Framed, Cosmic and The Astounding Broccoli Boy, in 2024 he was appointed as the Children’s Laureate.

Producer: Edwina Pitman


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m002xzmq)
Resonance FM: The Art of Listening

Comedian and writer Stewart Lee explores the founding ideas and extraordinary archive of Resonance FM, the UK’s greatest radio art station.
The summer of 1998 - a new guerrilla radio station, broadcast from an attic on London’s South Bank, with a tiny crew and an unsteady aerial, mixed improvised music, endless birdsong and angry pensioners demanding their rights with experimental comedy, polyglot children’s programming, circuit bending and the heady whiff of full broadcasting freedom.

Nearly thirty years and several precarious office spaces later it is still broadcasting and now reaches the entire world – a beacon of brilliance and an ongoing work of radio art in its own right.

Resonance platforms the unplatformed. Broadcasts the unbroadcastable. An audio outgrowth of a radical creative underground, it also pioneered the idea of community radio in the UK as a space where outside voices could find a platform - from devotees of Congolese dance music to Calling All Pensioners, where a reformed bank robber yelled angrily about senior citizen rights. From the beginning it’s been committed to the idea of what its founders called ‘radical hospitality’ – that anyone with a good idea can have a spot. Resonance is an ongoing invitation.

Having fronted several shows for the station over the years, Stewart meets Resonance broadcasters past and present, its founders and current visionaries; its constituency of artists, musicians and comedians; its brilliant volunteers and engineers, and dives into the station’s extraordinary archive.

Presented by Stewart Lee
Produced by Simon Hollis

A Brook Lapping Production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:00 Moral Maze (m002xp4c)
What Makes Us Human?

In his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV warned that artificial intelligence threatens the dignity of the human person.

Human exceptionalism - the belief that we are special, both within the animal kingdom and in the eyes of God - rests on a single distinction. We don't just think. We know that we're thinking. We have moral agency. Our religions tell us we have souls. That distinction is now under threat from two directions simultaneously.

Firstly, we have discovered that the creatures we share this planet with are vastly more capable than we thought. Animals we considered simple-minded - octopuses, bees, parrots, elephants - can plan, learn, teach and use tools. Some display altruism, grief, loyalty and shame.

Secondly, artificial intelligence and biotechnology are acquiring the characteristics we thought were uniquely ours. AI is developing personality, intentionality and self-awareness at a speed that has no historical precedent. The quantum computer, which Richard Feynman imagined less than half a century ago, is now being built. And in our laboratories, researchers are growing neuron networks and may soon create hybrid creatures combining animal instinct with human-like reasoning. Only our ethics stand in the way.

If the boundaries between human, animal and machine are dissolving from both directions, the question is no longer academic. What - if anything - makes us morally exceptional?

Chair: Michael Buerk
Panel: Ash Sarkar, James Orr, Mona Siddiqui and Tim Stanley
Witnesses: Steve Cooke, John Milbank, Nick Bostrom and Carmody Grey
Producer: Dan Tierney
Assistant producers: Peter Everett and Liberty Phelan
Editor: Tim Pemberton.


SAT 22:00 News (m002xzms)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 The Food Programme (m002xpbp)
Could Food Do More in Cancer Care and Prevention?

Fifteen years after her cancer diagnosis, Sheila Dillon asks what role food could play in cancer treatment, prevention and recovery - and why it is still so often overlooked.

Earlier this year, the Government published a new 10-year National Cancer Plan for England, aiming to save 320,000 lives and ensure three in four people survive at least five years after diagnosis by 2035. It’s been welcomed as an ambitious strategy, yet some say it has little to say about diet. References to food focus largely on reducing obesity - by making supermarkets to monitor and report on sales of healthy and unhealthy foods, and expanding access to weight-loss drugs. It also includes commitments to improving hospital food for children with cancer, and introducing prehabilitation programmes via the NHS App by 2028.

So where does that leave food itself - in treatment, in recovery, and in the risk of relapse?

Featuring interviews with:

Clare Doney, the clinical lead for personalised care for the Northern Cancer Alliance covering the North East and North Cumbria.
Dr Giota Mitrou, Executive Director of Research and Policy at World Cancer Research Fund International
Prof. Robert Thomas, head of oncology at the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine, part of University College Hospital and consultant oncologist at Addenbrooks hospital in Cambridge.

Produced by Natalie Donovan for BBC Audio in Bristol

Resources:

https://mywellbeingspacenca.nhs.uk/

https://www.wcrf.org/living-well/living-with-cancer/cancer-and-nutrition-helpline/

These links will take you to an external website. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.


SAT 23:00 The Many Wrongs of Lord Christian Brighty (m002xzmv)
Series 2

4. The Fiancée I Didn’t Fancy

Brighty, Babs and Churley are looking forward to attending the celebrated final Ball of the Season at Mr Twouft’s country estate. However, party-time is put on ice when they run into Brighty’s ex-fiancée Lady Penelope.

Lord Christian Brighty used to be the most notorious rake of the Regency. But after a hazing ritual for a new chambermaid led to a self-inflicted cannonball injury, Brighty, compelled by the chambermaid in question - the uneducated but forthright Babigail – resolves to mend his ways. Accompanying him in his quest are Babs (elevated beyond her station to a chambermaid-cum-adviser role), and his butler, Mr Churlington (although Churley would actually prefer everything to stay exactly as it used to be).

Written by Amy Greaves & Christian Brighty

Cast:
Lord Christian Brighty ….. Christian Brighty
Babs ….. Jessica Knappett
Churlington ….. Colin McFarlane
Lady Penelope – Brighty’s former fiancée ….. Chiara Goldsmith
Christopher, her son ….. Jodie Mitchell
Mr Twouft’s butler – Jason Forbes
Mr Twouft – David Reed
Mr Twouft’s Cook – Jason Forbes
Mr Twouft senior (Mr Twouft’s father) – Joz Norris

Script Editor ….. David Reed
Sound & Recording ….. Sonica Studios
Photographer ….. Will Hearle
Producer ….. Ben Walker

A DLT Entertainment Production for BBC Radio 4

Christian Brighty and Amy Greaves’ viral sketches based on Bridgerton, Poldark and Jane Austen have catapulted them to viral stardom, securing Christian’s place as the internet’s answer to Mr Darcy and amassing 250 million views across TikTok and Instagram (@brightybuoy). Amy and Christian both have a deep love for the work of Jane Austen, traditional regency romance (not smut), and historical romance set in the regency (smut). The first series of The Many Wrongs of Lord Christian Brighty was nominated for Best Radio Show at the Chortle Awards 2025, and listed in The i's Best Radio Comedies Ever.


SAT 23:30 Déjà News (m002xnt4)
Episode 1

Lucy Porter hosts a brand new quiz as contestants are questioned on a century of news archive which tests their knowledge of the sound of stories from the last 100 years.

Presenter: Lucy Porter
Team One - Phil Donaldson and Adrian Field
Team Two - Ann Higgs and Ian Guest

Writers: Ali Panting and Laura Grimshaw
Researcher: Hannah Ratcliffe
Production Co-Ordinator: Molly Punshon
Consultants: Paul Bajoria and Lizzie Foster
Producers: Jon Holmes and Laura Grimshaw

An unusual production for BBC Radio 4

SUNDAY 21 JUNE 2026

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m002xzmx)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 00:15 Take Four Books (m002xnt0)
Douglas Stuart

The Booker Prize-winning Scottish author, Douglas Stuart, speaks to Take Four Books about his latest novel, John Of John, and, together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other works of fiction.

John Of John follows the character of John-Calum Macleod who, when his art school education comes to an end, catches the ferry home to the island of Harris to find that not much has changed except for him. In the windswept croft where he grew up, Cal resumes his old life, caught between the two poles of his childhood: his father John, a sheep farmer, weaver, and pillar of their local Presbyterian church, and his Glaswegian grandmother Ella, who has kept a faltering peace with her son-in-law for decades.

For his three influences Douglas chose: The Lost Language of Cranes, by David Leavitt from 1986; Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson, from 2004; and John McGahern’s Amongst Women, from 1990.

This episode was recorded at the Hay Festival 2026.

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


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002xzmz)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002xzn1)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:30 News Summary (m002xzn3)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002xzn5)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m002xzn7)
The Church of St Michael and St Felix in Rumburgh, Suffolk

Bells on Sunday comes from the Church of St Michael and St Felix in Rumburgh, Suffolk. The building dates from the 13th-century and is the former church of a Benedictine Priory that was supressed in the 16th century by Cardinal Wolsey to provide funds for building of Cardinal College in Ipswich. The tower houses a ring of six bells the oldest of which date from 1624. The Tenor bell weighs seven hundredweight and is tuned to the note of A. We hear them ringing Grandsire Doubles.


SUN 05:45 In Touch (m002xrps)
Guided Shopping, Swimming Sisters

Shopping doesn't come without potential challenges if you're blind or partially sighted: locating the items you want and, depending on your level of sight, being able to get up close enough to understand if what you’ve found is really what you were after. Well, John Lewis is the latest brand trying to help, developping a pilot guided shopping scheme within their flagship store in London. In Touch sent along Emma and Dave Williams to try it out and John Lewis' Head of the Oxford Street branch tells us about any potential plans for a wider roll-out of the scheme.

The Commonwealth Games will be taking place in Glasgow in July. The Games run every four years and welcome athletes from across the Commonwealth of Nations. This year, visually impaired sisters Astrid and Ursula Carroll will be competing in swimming, but for different teams (Astrid for Team Scotland and Ursula for Team England). How did this happen? The pair explain more and discuss their training, and what they are looking forward to about the Commonwealth Games.

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


SUN 06:00 News Summary (m002xznt)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Thinking Allowed (m002xrpb)
Rethinking Sociology: Empire, Knowledge and Connection

What happens when we tell the story of modern Britain as part of a much bigger, global history? Professor Kate Pickett OBE has recently been appointed as the UK's first-ever Professor for the Public Understanding of Social Science at the University of York. She tells Laurie about the importance of her new role at a time when social inequalities are starker than ever. Les Back (Professor of Sociology at the University of Glasgow) and Gurminder Bhambra (Professor of Historical Sociology at the University of Sussex) continue the discussion on the crucial nature of sociology in contemporary society and consider the ways in which it can help us rethink the past.

As the current President of the British Sociological Association, Les Back reflects on its seventy-five years of existence and reflects on a discipline that has often felt under pressure. From early post-war concerns with the welfare state to ideas inspired by feminism and anti-racism, he traces sociology’s shifting priorities - and argues for a more open, inclusive “sociological imagination”, alive to the importance of community in an increasingly individualised world.

Gurminder Bhambra argues that rather than simply “decolonising” knowledge, we need to put colonial histories back at the centre of how we understand society. From the global networks that made the Industrial Revolution possible to the overlooked contributions of colonial subjects to British prosperity, she explores how these hidden connections continue to shape debates about migration, belonging and inequality.
She has co-edited and contributed to a new book - The Modern World After Colonialism, Remaking the Social Sciences.

Producer: Natalia Fernandez
Editor: Robyn Read


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m002xznw)
Reviving Ruins

Medwyn Evans’s farm at Gwerncarnyddion is tucked in a plateau between the high mountains and the coast in Eryri National Park in Ardudwy, North Wales. The mixed farm of cattle and sheep has been in his family for generations. Now, the ruined cottages on the farm are revealing more about the communities and individuals who lived and worked on the farm in the past. Collaborative research into the ruins by Medwyn, his neighbour Iolyn Jones and a team from the Eryri National Park and University of Sheffield, is giving insight into these cottages.

Built more than two centuries ago for labourers and the rural poor, the stone buildings endure in the landscape when the memories of those who have lived there have faded. They tell of a history of squatting (in Welsh, tŷ unnos, the one-night house), and their ruins reflect the hardships that the people working in this landscape endured.

But the research project on the ruined cottages has brought new communities to the farm, in the form of archaeologists and groups of school children, locals and artists. We hear from archaeologists John Roberts (Eryri National Park), Jess Johns (researcher for the project) and Bob Johnston (University of Sheffield) about the work they have been undertaking with Medwyn at the farm. And at one of the cottages, we see the work that Medwyn has been doing to restore the building, and with it the stories and memories of the people who lived in it.

Presented and produced by Rose Ferraby


SUN 06:57 Weather (m002xzny)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m002xzp0)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m002xzp2)
C of E Adoption Apology; Anish Kapoor; Burnham’s Catholicism

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally, this week apologised for the Church of England's role in the forced adoption of children in the decades after the Second World War. We hear from former Labour MP Ann Keen, a trustee of the Movement for an Adoption Apology, on her experience and reaction to the apology, and Joanne Grenfell, the Bishop of Suffolk, who chaired the Church of England's working group on historical adoption practices.

A new Anish Kapoor exhibition opened this week at the Hayward Gallery in London. Assistant curator Thomas Sutton tells us of the optical illusions, and blood and gore used to depict religious sacrifice. Dr Siobhan Jolley, lecturer in Christian studies at Manchester University, explains the significance of religious sacrifice throughout art history.

Following Andy Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield by-election, professor of politics at the University of Liverpool, John Tonge, explores whether the Labour MP’s Catholic upbringing will make a difference to the way he governs if he were to secure the keys to Downing Street.

Presenter: Ed Stourton
Producers: Alexa Good and James Graham
Studio Managers: Phil Booth and Joe Stickler
Editor: Chloe Walker


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m002xzp4)
Rafiki Thabo Foundation

Patron Amar Latif makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the Rafiki Thabo Foundation. The charity supports around four hundred and fifty scholars each year from Kenya, Uganda and Lesotho, paying for education for young people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford it.

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

Registered Charity Number: 1118430. If you’d like to find out more about the charity’s work visit *https://rafiki-foundation.org.uk/
*The BBC is not responsible for content on external websites

Producer: Katy Takatsuki


SUN 07:57 Weather (m002xzp6)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m002xzp8)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m002xzpb)
Tuned for Praise

A service from the Chapel of St John's College, Cambridge, to celebrate the new Willis/Harrison organ, which is central to the building's music and worship. The service includes music and readings which reflect the theme that Christians are called to be instruments of praise, people who are made for song, and who embody the love of God in their lives. The College choir leads the congregation in the hymns 'Good Christians, all, rejoice and sing' and 'When in our music God is glorified'.

Introit: Upon your heart (Eleanor Daley)
O filii et filiae (Martin Baker)
Reading: Isaiah 35 vv1-10
Hymn: Good Christians, all, rejoice and sing (Vulpius)
Reading: Romans 8 vv31-39
Sermon
Hymn: When in our music God is glorified (Engelberg)
Psalm 150 (Wayne Marshall)
Organ Voluntary: Fantasia in G (Parry)

The Revd Canon Dr Victoria Johnson (Dean)
The Revd Graham Dunn (Chaplain)
Christopher Gray (Director of Music)
Tingshuo Yang and Pascal Bachmann (Organ Scholars)

Producer: Ben Collingwood


SUN 08:48 Sporting Witness: First official penalty shootout (w3ct7zt5)
On 5 August 1970, a pre-season match between second division Hull City and European giants Manchester United changed football forever.

With the game drawn, it became the first professional competitive fixture in the world to be decided by a penalty shootout. Tied matches were previously decided by coin tosses, the drawing of lots, or replays.

The match was in the inaugural season of the Watney Cup which was a short-lived English knockout competition.

Manchester United’s team included George Best, Denis Law and Bobby Charlton.

Hull City player Frankie Banks and fan Martyn Kelly, who was 11 at the time, tell Phil Jones how the penalties played out.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded.

Recent episodes explore the forgotten football Women’s World Cup, the plasterer who fought a boxing legend, international football’s biggest ever beating and the man who swam the Amazon river. We look at the lives of some of the most famous F1 drivers, tennis players and athletes as well as people who’ve had ground-breaking impact in their chosen sporting field, including: the most decorated Paralympian, the woman who was the number 1 squash player in the world for nine years, and the first figure skater to wear a hijab. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the tennis player who escaped the Nazis, how a man finally beat a horse in a race, and how the FIFA computer game was created.

(Photo: The penalty shootout between Hull City and Manchester United. Credit: Hull City AFC)


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m002xzpd)
Anita Sethi on the House Sparrow

As a child growing up in Manchester, nature writer Anita Sethi used to dream of becoming a bird and flying away to the hills and moors beyond the city. Always on the lookout for signs of nature thriving in urban parks and streets, one of her favourite birds to spot was the noisy and sociable house sparrow.

With greyish-brown plumage and a loud, chattering song, house sparrows aren't particularly flashy or exciting birds to many people, but they are highly resourceful and adaptable creatures and have made the city their home. Sadly, their numbers are in decline in many parts of the UK, but they still remain one of Manchester's most populous birds.

Presented by Anita Sethi and produced by Jo Peacey. A BBC Audio Bristol production.


SUN 09:00 Broadcasting House (m002xzpg)
Keir Starmer is 'reflecting on political reality'

We get the latest on the prime minister's future from Henry Zeffman - as business secretary Peter Kyle tells the BBC that Keir Starmer is 'reflecting on political reality'. Dame Mary Beard draws parallels between the politicians of today and those of the classical world, and we get advice on political instability from Italian journalist Beppe Severgnini.

Also, we mark the moment of the summer solstice with Scotland's astronomer royal, Professor Catherine Heymans; Frank Gardner talks about rare butterflies, and we review the papers with journalists Joey D'Urso and Stephen Bush, and TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp.


SUN 10:00 Desert Island Discs (m002xzpj)
Jo Nesbø, writer

Jo Nesbø is a writer, known as the king of 'Nordic Noir'. His internationally bestselling crime thrillers following the exploits of detective Harry Hole have been translated into fifty languages, sold over sixty million copies and have been adapted for film and TV.

Being a bestselling author was not his first job. As a teenager, he played football professionally before an injury put paid to his sporting career. He played guitar and wrote songs for a band which then became very successful in Norway and he combined his gigging nightlife with a day job on Norway’s stock market.

His relentless schedule led to him taking time off from both the band and the stock market and whilst he was travelling on a plane to Australia, he wrote his first draft of his debut Harry Hole novel. He has since gone on to write thirteen Harry Hole novels along with children’s stories and other standalone books.

Jo lives in Oslo.

DISC ONE: Perfect Skin - Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
DISC TWO: Ticket To Ride - The Beatles
DISC THREE: Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) - Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
DISC FOUR: I Can’t Be Satisfied – Muddy Waters
DISC FIVE: Bus to Baton Rouge - Lucinda Williams
DISC SIX: Hand of God - Nick Cave, Warren Ellis
DISC SEVEN: Swamp - Talking Heads
DISC EIGHT: Independence Day - Bruce Springsteen

BOOK CHOICE: Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski
LUXURY ITEM: A shoehorn
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Independence Day - Bruce Springsteen

Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Sarah Taylor

Desert Island Discs has cast other writers away over the years including Lee Child, Steven King and Martina Cole. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.


SUN 11:00 The Archers Omnibus (m002xzpl)
14th - 19th June 2026
Writer: Sarah Hehir
Director: Kim Greengrass
Editor: Jeremy Howe

Brian Aldridge … Charles Collingwood
David Archer …Timothy Bentinck
Pip Archer … Daisy Badger
Jolene Archer … Buffy Davis
Alice Carter … Hollie Chapman 
Miranda Elliott … Lucy Fleming
Amber Gordon … Olivia Bernstone
George Grundy … Angus Stobie
Will Grundy … Philip Molloy
Brad Horrobin … Taylor Uttley
Alistair Lloyd … Michael Lumsden
Adam Macy … Andrew Wincott  
Kate Madikane ... Perdita Avery
Kirsty Miller …. Annabelle Dowler 
Oliver Sterling … Michael Cochrane
Bill Gordon ... Matthew Gravelle
Anne-Marie Gordon … Kate Ashfield
PC Nicola Trueman … Clare Corbett


SUN 12:15 Profile (m002xzmn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 12:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m002xnpw)
Series 85

2. Job Interview or Bedroom

The godfather of all panel shows returns to the Brighton Dome. On the panel are Richard Coles, Tony Hawks, Rachel Parris and Marcus Brigstocke, with Jack Dee in the umpire’s chair. Regular listeners will know to expect inspired nonsense, pointless revelry and Colin Sell at the piano.

Producer: Jon Naismith
A Random production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 12:57 Weather (m002xzpn)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m002xzpq)
The Prime Minister considers his position

Our political editor Chris Mason says the PM has lost the support of his cabinet. Also on the programme, US-Iran talks have begun in Switzerland. We discuss the geopolitical consequences of this conflict and what it tells us about America's place in the world.


SUN 13:30 Currently (m002xzps)
Ten Years After Brexit: Tribal

It's often said that the Brexit vote exposed a deep schism over Europe at the heart of the country. Professor James Tilley argues this is not the case.

The Referendum simply forced people to pick a side. And the minute you pick a side, you enter the world of tribalism.

And tribalism goes some way to explain a decade of division and vitriol, amid the emergence of two entirely new political identities, the leaver and remainer.

This programme lists the phenomena that happen once you pick a side, from loving your own guys, to hating your opponents, to the motivated reasoning which sees the information around you processed in a way which aligns with your existing beliefs.

Citing examples from the tortuous aftermath of the vote, and speaking to experts on group thinking, Professor Tilley head to his first football match, to explore how it is indeed possible to become passionate, and committed, to a cause which just a short while ago, was not on your radar.

The challenge is, whether you can perceive the effects of tribalism in your own political thinking.

Presented by Professor James Tilley
Produced by Kevin Core


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002xpc6)
Postbag Edition: Regents Park

Peter Gibbs and the GQT panel visit the Queen Elizabeth II Garden in Regent’s Park, London, tackling gardening challenges in tough conditions.

Pippa Greenwood, Matthew Pottage, Bunny Guinness and Head Gardener of Regents Park Fiona Packe answer questions on creating a sensory hedge in rubble, choosing resilient perennials, and finding long-flowering wildflowers for shade. They also offer advice on rescuing a struggling lavender hedge and planting to support bats.

Plus, the panel discuss managing unseasonal growth in perennials and diagnose a problem with a young monstera sharing practical tips for gardeners indoors and out.

Producer: Dan Cocker Alison Vernon-Smith and Matthew Smith
Assistant Producer: William Norton

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

*If listening on BBC Sounds and you wish to view the plant list, please go to the Gardeners' Question Time website and open this week's episode page. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002xpc6


SUN 14:45 Naturebang (m002hkt3)
Running Wild and the Science of Endurance

Why do animals move the way they do? And why do we humans love to run? Becky Ripley and Emily Knight enlist dogs, horses, armadillos, and some uncooperative rabbits to find out.

Featuring Professor Lewis Halsey from the University of Roehampton, and Dr Andrew Yegian from Harvard University.
Produced and presented by Emily Knight and Becky Ripley.


SUN 15:00 Drama on 4 (m002xzpv)
A Venetian Reckoning

Episode 2

A Venetian Reckoning is the third installment in our Donna Leon series, a dark criminal investigation that reveals some ugly truths about those who control power and money in Venice.

When a lorry crashes on one of the treacherous hairpin bends in the Italian Dolomites, fatally killing all those on board, even the crime-hardened Commissario Brunetti is appalled when he learns of its terrible cargo - a group of girls trafficked from Eastern Europe.

This is Donna Leon's fourth novel to feature Guido Brunetti but she doesn't allow her love for Venice to constrain her view of a city that can at times harbour the vilest of criminals engaged in the most appalling crimes - in this case sex trafficking, and worse, with devastating consequences.

Even the usually buoyant Brunetti finds it hard to find any forgiveness for those responsible in an investigation which sorely tests his already slender faith in humanity.

COMMISSARIO GUIDO BRUNETTI - Julian Rhind-Tutt
SERGEANT LORENZO VIANELLO - Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong
PROFESSORESSA PAOLA FALIER - Jeany Spark
CONTESSA DONATELLA FALIER - Siobhan Redmond
SIGNORINA ELETTRA - Emily Bruni
VICE-QUESTORE GIUSEPPE PATTA - David Horovitch
CHIARA BRUNETTI - Lauryn Sherwood
ORNELLA TREVISAN- Jane Slavin
REGINA CERONI - Greta Scacchi
GIORGIO GRAMSCI/TV ANNCR/FRANCO/TOURIST 1 - Clive Hayward
FRANCESCA TREVISAN - Sarah Agha

Dramatised by D.J. Britton
Music by Julie Cooper

Produced and directed by Eoin O'Callaghan
A Big Fish Radio production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 16:00 Take Four Books (m002xzpx)
Maggie O'Farrell

The bestselling author of Hamnet returns with her tenth novel - Land - which is a soaring history set in Ireland in the years before and after the Great Famine.
Maggie has sold more than eight million books worldwide and is translated into 44 different languages. She won the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2020.

For her three influences Maggie chose: Joseph O’Connor’s Star of the Sea from 2002; Marie Heaney’s Over Nine Waves from 1994, which is a retelling of many of the Irish myths; and the non-fiction book, Map Of A Nation, by Rachel Hewitt from 2010.

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


SUN 16:30 Déjà News (m002xzpz)
Episode 2

Lucy Porter hosts a brand new quiz as contestants are questioned on a century of news archive which tests their knowledge of the sound of stories from the last 100 years.

Presenter: Lucy Porter
Team One – Ian Musgrave and James Musgrave
Team Two – Jason Hill and Harriet Anderson

Writers: Ali Panting and Laura Grimshaw
Researcher: Hannah Ratcliffe
Production Co-Ordinator: Molly Punshon
Consultants: Paul Bajoria and Lizzie Foster
Producers: Jon Holmes and Laura Grimshaw

An unusual production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 17:00 Witness History (w3ct985t)
The fossil that revealed the first dinosaur feathers

In 1996, a fossil unearthed in China became the first confirmed record of a dinosaur covered in feathers.

Before this discovery, some palaeontologists had suggested that dinosaurs might have developed feathers and eventually evolved into modern birds, but the idea remained controversial due to the lack of concrete evidence.

Canadian palaeontologist Philip Currie was among the first experts to examine the specimen and recognise it as a feathered dinosaur. He tells Stefania Gozzer about the scientific debate the fossil ignited, as well as the challenges of accessing the specimen at a time when it was still difficult for Western researchers to study fossils in China.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about 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 how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.

(Photo: A cast of a Sinosauropteryx prima is on display in the Royal Ontario Museum. Credit: Bernard Weil/Toronto Star via Getty Images)


SUN 17:10 The Verb (m002xzq2)
The Verb - a house of multipoet occupancy

The celebrated writer Daniel Mendelsohn on his acclaimed translation of Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey.

Poet Lydia Unsworth on finding inspiration for her new collection, Stay Awhile, in ring roads, shopping centres, and cooling towers.

BBC New Generation Thinker, Joe Shute, on using poetry to reconnect communities to the waterway which powered Manchester's industrial revolution - the River Irk.

Khadijah Ibrahiim discusses her choice of Neon Line for The Verb's long-running feature which asks a guest to talk about a line from a poem that shines out to them.

Presenter Ian McMillan
Producer: Ekene Akalawu


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m002xzq4)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m002xzq6)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002xzq8)
Growing expectations PM will resign

Sir Keir Starmer is pondering his political future tonight amid growing expectations he will resign as Prime Minister -- with an announcement possible as early as tomorrow. The US vice-president, J D Vance, has hailed the start of talks with Iran in Switzerland as "historic". The Met Office has expanded its extreme heat warning -- saying temperatures could reach the high 30s in parts of England and Wales in the coming days.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m002xzqb)
Jeffrey Boakye

This week, we have an ear over some of the playlist Motherland's Anna Maxwell Martin experienced on her continental childhood coach trip; if there was a service station stop or two on the way, would it have been an enjoyable experience or one to forget? The Food Programme is looking at grabbing a bite on the go from our motorway service stations. There’s books galore as well: from a labour movement simmering in the heatwave of 1976, to Douglas Stuart’s intimate portrait of masculinity in his novel John of John. Plus, poet Bradley Taylor tells the entire Ancient Greek pantheon to shove it.

Presenter: Jeffrey Boakye
Producer: Anthony McKee
Editor: Steven Hobson
Production Coordinators: Caoilfhinn McFadden, Findlay Adams and Sylvie Conway

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland production for BBC Radio 4.

Programmes featured in this episode include:

In Our Time: Machado de Assis
Desert Island Discs: Anna Maxwell Martin, actor
The Food Programme: Food on the Move
'Round Midnight, 15/06: Nduduzo Makhathini's 4/4
The Official UK Afrobeats Chart Show with Eddie Kadi, 14/06: With special guest Patoranking
Heatwave: The Summer of 1976 by John L Williams - May - Costa del Trico
Take Four Books: Douglas Stuart
Woman's Hour, 17/06: Sine Plambech's Global Sex
Mary Bourke: Who Cares? Episode 1: Being thrown into the system
The History Podcast: Sixty Years of Hurt - England v Penalties
The Verb, 14/06: Myths to nourish your life: poetry with Ian McMillan and Angie Hobbs, Rishi Dastidar, Bradley Taylor, Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m002xzqd)
Keira’s not keen on her upcoming work experience placement at Amside – Henry’s sounds much more fun. She invites Henry to her Father’s Day tea with Ed – she could do with someone to chat with George so that she doesn’t have to. The atmosphere gets awkward in the busy Tearoom as Keira accuses George of rudeness when he takes a phone call in the middle of proceedings. Later Keira does her best to blank George, but he tries to engage, giving her advice about how to charm Lilian when she takes on her planned work experience. Keira’s scathing, pointing out that George is hardly in a position to give advice on how to handle Lilian, given he’s been barred from her pub for the past six months.

Anne Marie rings George on the pretext of having questions about the Borchester Show, but it becomes clear she’s fishing for information about elusive Amber.
Ian and Adam discuss the solicitor’s letter that’s been sent to Brian, and his subsequent lack of response. Ian’s keen that Brian’s held to account; Adam needs to fight for what he’s owed. Adam just wants to enjoy Father’s Day. Even if he gets a pay-off from Brian, he’ll never own a farm now. Ian reckons that with his talent, Adam could build something amazing to hand on to Xander. Adam agrees to do some research. Ian suggests that in the meantime they present Brian with a settlement figure. Adam’s sceptical, but Ian reckons a meeting might succeed if they have a mediator. How about Ruth Archer?


SUN 19:15 Illuminated (m002xzqg)
If We Can Walk Together

What does it take to choose peace when you have every reason not to?

Aziz Abu Sarah is a Palestinian who grew up under Israeli occupation in East Jerusalem. He was first shot at when he was seven years old, and in 1991, when he was ten, his older brother Tayseer died after being arrested and beaten while in Israeli military custody.

Maoz Inon is an Israeli who grew up in a community just 200 metres from the Gaza border. On 7 October 2023, his parents and many of his childhood friends died in the Hamas attacks.

Everything about their histories suggests Aziz and Maoz could never become friends. Yet, despite experiencing profound personal loss on opposite sides of one of the world’s most enduring conflicts, they have turned away from hatred and towards each other in a shared mission of peacemaking. A single text message to a stranger in a moment of empathy, sparked a friendship that would overcome seemingly insurmountable differences.

If We Can Walk Together follows their remarkable stories, from pivotal childhood experiences to moments of political awakening, and their shared decision to rise above fear and revenge.

Moving, inspiring and radically hopeful, their story offers a rare perspective on a conflict often portrayed as intractable. In bearing witness to what human connection can overcome, it invites us to imagine a future shaped not by division, but by our capacity to walk together.

This programme is part of BBC Radio 4's Common Ground season, examining the challenges of social cohesion and how to address them.

Producer: Guy Natanel
Executive Producers: Shannon Delwiche and Chris Jones
Composer: Pat Moran
Sound Mixer: John Scott
Sound Engineer: Rob Fanner
A Sound and Bones production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 19:45 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m001rq3z)
Reheat Pasta

Load up on those leftovers - because it’s surprisingly easy to make your bowl of pasta better for you! In this episode, Michael uncovers how reheating carb-heavy foods actually boosts the resistant starch in them. Resistant starch is a healthy carb that can benefit your gut, reduce blood sugar spikes and lower your cancer risk. Dr Darrell Cockburn, Assistant Professor of Food Science from Penn State University, reveals how these carbs can benefit your microbiome. They discuss why reheating leftovers can not only reduce food waste, but also make your food more nutritious than the original dish!

New episodes will be released on Wednesdays, but if you’re in the UK, listen to new episodes, a week early, first on BBC Sounds: bbc.in/3zqa6BB

Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
Science Producer: Catherine Wyler
Assistant Producer: Gulnar Mimaroglu
Trainee Assistant Producer: Toni Arenyeka
Executive Producer: Zoe Heron
A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.


SUN 20:00 Feedback (m002xp6w)
Misha Glenny, Today Programme, and Social Media Ban

It's a new series of Feedback. Andrea Catherwood sits down with Misha Glenny, former foreign correspondent and investigative journalist to talk about taking on the reins of In Our Time, following Melvyn Bragg's departure from the programme last year. Did Misha's long years in the fields of academia, Investigative journalism and being a BBC Foreign correspondence prepare him from taking on topics that range from cybernetics to Handel's Messiah?

We also received a comment from a listener who feels that the Today programme is changing editorially with too much chat between presenters.

And coverage of the new social media ban for under 16s in the UK has been featured heavily on BBC radio's news programme. A listener shares their opinion on PM's recent coverage of this move.

Finally, another nomination for our annual search for Interview of the Year. This time it's for an episode of Private Passions on Radio 3, in which presenter Michael Berkeley interviews sports and nature writer Simon Barnes.

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 (m002xpcb)
A “bone marrow love for the Labour party” Lord Kinnock remembers Lord Hattersley

Lord Roy Hattersley, the former Deputy Leader of the Labour party. He was born and brought up in Sheffield. In his book A Yorkshire Boyhood, he confessed to being passionate about three things: Sheffield Wednesday Football Club, Yorkshire County Cricket and socialist politics. His friend and colleague, Lord Kinnock, pays tribute.

Daphne Hamilton-Fairley, spoke out for tolerance after her husband was killed by an IRA bomb. He had inspired her to become a speech therapist and after his death she set up one of the first specialist schools for dyslexia and other special educational needs. She named it Fairley House, after her husband. Her daughter Diana Hamilton-Fairley shares her memories.

Roger Cook was the intrepid investigative journalist who pioneered the technique known as “doorstepping” - challenging those he suspected of wrongdoing face to face with the camera or tape recorder running. First on Radio 4’s consumer affairs programme Checkpoint and then on ITV’s The Cook Report he took on criminals and fraudsters on behalf of listeners and viewers. Matthew talks to his colleague Tim Tate.

Sterling Betancourt was a pioneer of steel pan music from Trinidad and Tobago. He was one of the first to bring the instrument to Britain in the 1950s and went on to play a big role in the early days of the Notting Hill Carnival. Sterling’s wife Beatrice Elokbi tells his story.

Presenter: Matthew Bannister
Producer: Ribika Moktan
Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell
Researcher: Jesse Edwards
Editor: Andrea Kennedy

Archive:
BBC Midlands Today, 23/02/94; Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 31/01/1986; Labour Party Conference 1983 , BBC News , 2.10.1983; Newsnight, BBC Two, 19/04/1981; Tony Livesey, 5 Live, 24/01/2012; PM, BBC Radio 4, 23/10/1975; Tonight, BBC One, 17/12/1975; Forty Minutes: Women in Black, BBC 2, 21/04/1988; Nationwide, BBC One, 29/11/1982; David Hockney, Desert Island Discs, 07/02/1972; The 1951 Festival of Britain: A Brave New World, BBC Four, 24/09/2011; Steel Pan Alley, Radio 4, 6/12/2003


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m002xzly)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m002xzp4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m002xzlt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:30 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m002xzqj)
Sir Keir Starmer considers his future

Ben Wright's guests are the Labour MP and Chair of the Education Select Committee, Helen Hayes; Shadow Scotland Secretary, Andrew Bowie; and Professor of Politics, Philip Cowley. They discuss the anticipated resignation of Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister - and what a government led by Andy Burnham might mean for the country. Ben interviews the former Labour leader, Lord Kinnock; economist Professor Michael Jacobs; and political historian Sir Anthony Seldon. Lara Spirit - deputy political editor of the Sunday Times - brings additional insight and analysis.


SUN 23:00 In Our Time (m002xp5l)
The Delian League

Misha Glenny and guests discuss the origins and evolution of an alliance which transformed the geopolitics of the classical world: the Delian League. Since the start of the 5th Century BCE, city states across Greece had been fighting a series of armed conflicts in the Greco-Persian Wars. After the defeat of a second Persian invasion in 478 BCE, a league of cities across Greece came together and formed a new alliance led by Athens. That alliance is now known as the Delian League, after the island of Delos where it was established. In the following decades, Athens used the Delian League to grow its own wealth and formidable naval power. Cities which tried to leave the alliance found themselves violently put down and their lands confiscated by the Athenians. What had begun as a cooperative alliance sworn to resist the Persian Empire gradually started to seem like it may have created another imperial power: the Athenian Empire.

With

Leah Lazar
Lecturer in Hellenistic Culture at the University of Manchester

Polly Low
Professor in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Durham

And

Paul Cartledge
AG Leventis Senior Research Fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge

Producer: Martha Owen

Aristophanes (trans. David Barrett and Alan H. Sommerstein), The Birds and Other Plays (Penguin Classics, 2003)

Mary Beard, The Parthenon (Profile Books, 2010)

M. Canevaro and D. M. Lewis, 'Between ‘The Character of the Athenian Empire’ and The Origins of the Peloponnesian War (and beyond): The Popularity of the Athenian Empire Revisited' (Polis 41:1, 2024)

Paul Cartledge, Ancient Greece: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2011)

Lisa Kallet and John H. Kroll, The Athenian Empire: Using Coins as Sources (Cambridge University Press, 2020)

Leah Lazar, Athenian Power in the Fifth Century BC (Oxford University Press, 2024)

Polly Low (ed.), The Athenian Empire (Edinburgh University Press, 2008)

Malcolm F. McGregor, The Athenians and their Empire (UBC Press, 1987)

Robin Osborne (ed. and trans.), The Athenian Empire (Cambridge University Press, 2023)

P. J. Rhodes, The Athenian Empire (Clarendon Press, 1985)

Thucydides (trans. Robin Waterfield, introduced by Polly Low), The History of the Peloponnesian War (Basic Books, 2025)

Thucydides (ed. Robert B Strassler), The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War (Free Press, 1998)

Thucydides (trans. Rex Warner), History of the Peloponnesian War (Penguin Books, 2000)

Thucydides (trans. Martin Hammond), The Peloponnesian War (Oxford University Press, 2009)

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 (m002xpc8)
Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves by Roz Levens

To say Moira’s daughters are single-minded is something of an understatement..

A new short story written by Roz Levens, read by Hermione Norris.

Roz Levens is a novelist and short story writer, living in a tiny village on the edge of Dartmoor. She teaches creative writing and holds a masters degree in the subject. Her flash fiction is widely published, and her debut novel, Pack of Lies, was published during lockdown. She's working on her second novel, Cold, Hard Cash.

Produced by Beth O'Dea in Bristol for BBC Audio

MONDAY 22 JUNE 2026

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m002xzql)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 00:15 The Artificial Human (m002xp3x)
Will AI replace the people who built it?

Aleks and Kevin look beyond the headlines to uncover why Silicon Valley is seeing thousands of job losses across some of its biggest tech companies, as the industry pivots towards AI. What does this shift mean for entry-level roles that AI can now perform? And has the rise of “vibe coding” effectively eliminated the need for junior coders? Is this an early sign of AI taking over the very roles that built it?

Aleks and Kevin speak to Alberta Devor, software engineer and tech content creator, about how the role of a coder is evolving and what this means for those starting out in the industry. Then, Rachel Arthur, Chief Learning Officer at the Raspberry Pi Foundation, explains why learning to code still matters for young people in an increasingly AI-driven world.

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong
Producer: Rachael O'Neill
Sound: Niall Young


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m002xzn7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002xzqn)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002xzqq)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:00 News Summary (m002xzqs)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002xzqx)
What can Andy Burnham expect on his return to Westminster? Alicia McCarthy reports. Also, MPs demand more protection for workers in customer services and we go on a behind-the-scenes tour of the House of Lords Library.


MON 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002xzr1)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002xzr5)
Knowing

Spiritual reflection to start the day with Bryan Kerr, a Church of Scotland Minister in Kilmacolm, Inverclyde.
Script: Good morning. I had coffee recently with an old friend I hadn't seen in almost five years. We sat down, ordered, and within two minutes we were mid-sentence, mid-laugh, mid-argument, as if the gap hadn't happened. No update, no awkward filling-in. Just the conversation we'd always had, picked up exactly where we'd left it.

That's what knowing someone actually feels like. Not a file of facts or a CV in your head, but something deeper and slower, built up over years, that doesn't ask to be explained.

The American writer Barbara Brown Taylor has said that the things that matter most aren't really known by being studied. They're known by being lived through. You don't learn a friendship from a book. You don't master a relationship. You don't graduate from a long companionship. You just keep walking alongside the person, and over the years a different kind of knowing grows in you.

For people of Christian faith, knowing Jesus is meant to work like that. Not a set of doctrines to tick off, or a quiz to pass; but a long companionship, with quiet periods and difficult periods and periods where you can't see the path at all. The knowing comes slowly, the way all real knowing does. There are days you feel it most acutely, and days you wonder if you ever knew anything at all. Both are part of the same long walk.

And you don't have to be religious to recognise this. There are things in every life that you only come to know by sticking around long enough to let them teach you. A child; a craft; a piece of music; a grief. The people who love us best are usually the ones who've been around long enough not to need our explanations.
God who knows us through and through, give us the patience to know, and to be known, slowly. Amen.


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m002xzr7)
22/06/26 Agri-tourism, Scottish abattoir costs, seaweed cattle feed to reduce methane

Why more farmers are opening their gates to the public - all week we're looking at agri-tourism.

Scientists across the world are investigating ways to reduce the climate change gas methane produced by livestock, using feed supplements made of synthetic chemicals, tannins, fats and even seaweed. Asparagopsis is a red seaweed that reacts with enzymes in the final stages of digestion and stops methane from being produced.

The cost of abattoir inspections is proving contentious in Scotland where Food Standards Scotland is the body responsible for these.

Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


MON 05:57 Weather (m002xzr9)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for farmers


MON 06:00 Today (m002xzrg)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m002xzrj)
Life Online: Power, Risk and Resistance

How has life online reshaped society in real life? On Radio 4's weekly discussion programme, Tom Sutcliffe is joined by 3 guests who are investigating the digital sphere, and in some cases resisting its ubiquity.

The filmmaker Baroness Beeban Kidron exposes how digital platforms exploit and divide in her book, Users: How Big Tech Took Control and How to Fight Back. She argues for more political and civic action to counter their unchecked influence.

The business journalist Katherine Dunn explores how GPS shapes so many aspects of everyday life, from dating and supermarket shopping to global trade and navigation. In Little Blue Dot she also reveals the hidden fragility of this technology.

The Indian novelist Meena Kandasamy talks about Fieldwork as a Sex Object, a fierce exploration of online misogyny, deepfakes and digital mob violence, where the internet’s political and cultural conflicts spill into the real world with devastating consequences.

Producer: Katy Hickman

Start the Week returns after our summer break on Monday 7th September.


MON 09:45 Mary Bourke: Who Cares? (m002cf3p)
Episode 5: Burnout

Five years ago, Mary Bourke’s husband had a stroke - and she immediately became his carer. It’s a job no one wants - and one that comes with no formal training, and very little support. Guilt, isolation, toilets, and endless, endless admin - welcome to the day-to-day reality of being a carer. There are more than 5 million carers in the UK - but who cares for the carers?

Through a mixture of interviews and stand-up comedy, comedian and carer Mary Bourke investigates, with the help of friends and fellow comedians with caring responsibilities.

In episode five, Mary speaks to all our guests about how being a carer has affected them - and how they deal with the inevitable burnout.

Presenter: Mary Bourke
Producer: Katie Sayer
Executive Producer: Jon Holmes

An unusual production for BBC Radio 4


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002xzrl)
Maternity care, Joanna Cherry, Heavy periods

Maternity care and its shortcomings will be in the spotlight over the next fortnight, as the biggest maternity inquiry in the history of NHS England prepares to report its findings. The independent review by former midwife, Donna Ockenden, has looked into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. Meanwhile new figures from the Royal College of Midwives show that more than nine out of 10 of those polled felt unsafe staffing levels are directly impacting the quality of care they provide for women and babies. Next week we'll also hear the recommendations of a national review by Baroness Amos. BBC's social affairs correspondent, Michael Buchanan, talks to presenter Nuala McGovern about what we know so far.

Joanna Cherry was elected as an MP in 2015, part of the SNP landslide when they took 56 out of 59 Scottish seats, just a year after the referendum on Scottish independence resulted in a No vote. Her memoir, Keeping the Dream Alive, captures the disappointment and euphoria of that time. Joanna went on to lose her seat in 2024 and has become a vocal critic of the party, and of Nicola Sturgeon’s leadership. She was also well-known for expressing gender-critical views and concerns at a time when the SNP was trying to deliver a gender self-ID law in Scotland. She joins presenter Nuala McGovern to talk about that "tumultuous decade" in Scottish politics.

A new study from the Universities of Exeter and Bristol is looking into how heavy periods impact daily life. Led by Gemma Sharp, a Professor of Epidemiology at Exeter, researchers will collect real-time data from thousands of participants to help us understand the relationship between periods - particularly heavy periods - and our energy levels, sleep and mood. Dr Sampurna Kundu, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow who works with Gemma, also shares her own experience of having heavy periods.

Did you know that mini golf has feminist roots? A playful and ‘playable’ exhibition, The Art of Mini Golf, has just opened at the Battersea Arts Centre in London, channelling the inclusive, subversive spirit of the game’s female founders. Nuala's joined by curator Grace Herbert and one of the featured artists, Delaine Le Bas, to hear more about mini golf's hidden history and the art it’s inspired.

Presented by: Nuala McGovern
Produced by: Sarah Jane Griffiths


MON 11:00 The Patch (m002xzrn)
Dagenham Dock

One random generated postcode and a story you probably haven’t heard before. The series returns with three new postcodes – Dagenham Dock; Blackley in North Manchester; and North Oxford.

At Dagenham Dock, a story about parking tickets reveals the reality of the day to day lives of HGV drivers.

Produced and presented by Polly Weston


MON 11:45 How to Spot Potential (m001ry9n)
Sporting success

Kate Mason looks at how potential can be assessed in the world of professional football with Brentford FC player Michael Olakigbe and talent spotter Lee Dykes.

From cycling Dan Bigham tells us how the potential of technology helped him take on the professionals.

Cricketing broadcaster and Director of women’s cricket at Surrey, Ebony Rainford Brent, discusses the Ace programme which helps young people from a range of backgrounds find their potential as cricketers.

And we also go back to the 1970s to discover a technique to help us improve our own sporting potential. That idea has now also been widely adopted in business.

Presenter : Kate Mason.
Producer : Julian Siddle


MON 12:00 News Summary (m002xzrq)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m002xzrs)
Internet of Things, Luxury Brands, £5 Chicken

Almost all of us - an estimated 97% - own at least one smart device. They include doorbells, speakers, fitness trackers, watches and even toothbrushes that connect to the web – but just 14% of us understand how they collect, use and share our data. The Information Commissioner’s Office explains how new guidance will protect consumers.

The UK's luxury goods sector encompasses everything from watches to jewellery to whisky. It is a successful industry, contributing just under 4% of the UK's GDP, but the years since the pandemic have been difficult. However, a spate of new openings on Bond Street – London’s luxury epicentre – are giving signs of encouragement.

According to eBay, concerns around counterfeiting and seller legitimacy are leading people to buy new items and spend more in the process. It is creating a so-called Trust Tax, with the average person in the UK spending £149 more than they need to on items due to fears around dishonest sellers, fake goods and scams.

Theatre ticket prices hit the headlines again recently, with Olivier Award nominated actor Paul Rhys urging fans to "sit up and scream" at the current cost of tickets. This is after reports of some tickets changing hands for thousands of pounds. It isn’t just premium tickets on the West End either, with theatregoers all over the country concerned about whether rising costs may eventually price them out.

It’s nearly twenty years since Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall urged shoppers to think about the price of a chicken. We were encouraged to question how those bargain birds were produced and whether their price really reflected the true cost of our food.
At the time, the message was simple: if we all paid a bit more, the system could change. However, as families struggle with the cost-of-living crisis, this has become less of an option for many people. So, when you go into a supermarket today, what do those choices look like and what more can you get for your money?

PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSOn

PRODUCER: CHARLIE FILMER-COURT


MON 12:57 Weather (m002xzrv)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m002xzrx)
Sir Keir Starmer to step down as Prime Minister

Andy Burnham confirms he will stand to replace the outgoing Prime Minister and is backed by Wes Streeting. In a special extended World at One, Sarah Montague looks back over the legacy of Keir Starmer's time in office and ahead to what the country can expect under his likely successor. We'll hear reaction from both camps: Starmer ally and biographer Tom Baldwin, and Burnham-supporter Polly Billington MP. The BBC's Chris Mason and Henry Zeffman bring the latest analysis, as well as More in Common's Luke Tryl and the Institute for Government's Hannah White. Plus, we're joined by a member of Starmer's cabinet, Secretary of State Douglas Alexander.


MON 14:00 The Archers (m002xzqd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Alone (m000vh5x)
Series 3

Man Down

A sitcom about five single, middle aged neighbours living in flats in a converted house in North London .- written by Moray Hunter and starring Angus Deayton, Abigail Cruttenden, Pearce Quigley, Kate Isitt and Bennett Arron,

Mitch (Angus Deayton) is a widower and part-time therapist who is looking to put his life back together now that he is single and living with Will (Pearce Quigley), his younger, more volatile and unhappily divorced half-brother. Elsewhere in the building are schoolteacher Ellie (Abigail Cruttenden) who is shy, nervous and holds a secret candle for Mitch. Overly honest, frustrated actress Louisa (Kate Isitt), and socially inept IT nerd Morris (Bennett Arron) complete the line-up of mis-matched neighbours.

In the fourth episode, Man Down, Will loses out on a job and resolves to improve himself and turn his life around, Louisa loses touch with reality over a promising work offer, Morris loses his phone, while Ellie seems to lose the plot altogether with Mitch.

Cast:
Angus Deayton- Mitch
Abigail Cruttenden- Ellie
Pearce Quigley- Will
Kate Isitt- Louisa
Bennett Arron- Morris

Created and Written by Moray Hunter
Script Edited by Ian Brown and James Hendrie
Directed by Moray Hunter and Gordon Kennedy
Recorded and Edited by Jerry Peal
Production Manager: Sarah Tombling
Based on an original idea developed in association with Dandy Productions
Recorded at The Soundhouse Studios
Produced by Gordon Kennedy

An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4


MON 14:45 Tony Hawks Just Wants to Play (m002xzrz)
Padlocks and Strawberries

Access to play, sport and nature shouldn’t be taken for granted. Join comedian Tony Hawks as he explores the barriers shaping how we play in the UK, and why it matters to us all.

The Wimbledon Tennis Championships - there's nothing quite like it. The strawberries, the (occasional) sunshine…and that glorious two-week window where the whole country suddenly remembers that ‘love’ means nothing. In this first episode, Tony is at the Wimbledon Championships, exploring Britain’s tennis culture and asking whether the game is truly accessible to everyone.

Through conversations with fans, players, coaches, and tennis historian Dr Robert J. Lake, this episode explores tennis’ long-standing image as an exclusive sport, shaped by its aristocratic roots, high coaching costs, and posh traditions. While Wimbledon’s famous Queue is often seen as an effort to expand access, many still point to barriers of cost, geography and culture. Tony looks at attempts to widen participation - from public park courts to the “Workers’ Wimbledon” movement of the 1930s, when the game was more widely shared. Racket in hand and inspired by stories such as Venus and Serena Williams’ beginnings on free public courts, Tony reflects on whether tennis in the UK can still feel out of reach.

Presenter: Tony Hawks

Producer: Guy Natanel

Assistant Producer: Lauren Lewis

Executive Producers: Shannon Delwiche and Chris Jones

Composer: Pat Moran

Sound Mixer: David Crackles

A Sound and Bones production for BBC Radio 4


MON 15:00 A Good Read (m002xzs1)
Louise Welsh and Chris Brookmyre

Two Scottish crime writers choose books by:
Iain Banks (Espedair Street)
Muriel Spark (Memento Mori)

And Harriett's choice is Summer by Edith Wharton

Producer: Maggie Ayre BBC Audio Bristol

Photo credit: Julie Broadfoot


MON 15:30 The History Podcast (m002xzlm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Saturday]


MON 16:00 Currently (m002xzs3)
Ten years after Brexit: Ireland and the border poll

Northern Ireland voted to remain in the European Union, yet Brexit has significantly reshaped its politics. Predictions of a border poll, a referendum on whether Northern Ireland should remain in the UK or join a united Ireland, were widespread. Ten years on that vote has not taken place.

Andrea Catherwood revisits this story - which she has followed over the past decade. Returning to contributors first interviewed after the EU referendum she asks whether early concerns about Brexit, including claims of broken promises and the impact of new trading arrangements in the Irish Sea, have come to pass and whether those experiences have influenced attitudes towards a united Ireland.

Predictions of a swift referendum proved premature but the question of why there hasn't been a border poll remains. Andrea explores how demographic change has developed in unexpected ways, challenging assumptions that any future vote could be decided simply by population trends.

She also examines the role of a significant middle ground, voters who say Brexit has made them more open to constitutional change, yet remain cautious without details on what a united Ireland would involve, including healthcare, education, pensions and public finances. And Andrea considers what might shift the current position. Could change come from within Northern Ireland, or from developments in Westminster or Dublin? And if a vision for a future Ireland were presented would that influence public opinion?

A decade after Brexit this is a story about uncertainty, identity and the continuing impact of a historic decision on Northern Ireland.

Reporter: Andrea Catherwood
Producer: Pauline Moore
Production Co-ordinator: Lauren Stewart
Content Assistant: Findlay Adams
Executive Producer: Steven Hobson


MON 16:30 Legend (m002xzlp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:30 on Saturday]


MON 17:00 PM (m002xzs5)
Andy Burnham sworn in as MP after Starmer announces resignation

Burnham's path to Number 10 appears to clear as Wes Streeting exits the race. We look at what comes next for the Labour party and the country. Plus, former DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson is found guilty of child sex abuse charges including one count of rape.


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002xzs7)
Sir Keir Starmer resigns as Labour leader

After less than two years as prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer has announced his resignation after accepting he no longer has the support of his MPs. Also: The former DUP leader, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, is found guilty of child sex offences, including rape. And the Met Office issues a rare red warning for extreme heat in parts of England and Wales.


MON 18:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m002xzs9)
Series 85

3. Song Stoppers

The godfather of all panel shows pays a visit to the Cambridge Corn Exchange. On the panel are Miles Jupp, Tony Hawks, Lucy Porter and Henning Wehn with Jack Dee in the umpire’s chair. Regular listeners will know to expect inspired nonsense, pointless revelry and Colin Sell at the piano.

Producer: Jon Naismith
A Random production for BBC Radio 4


MON 19:00 The Archers (m002xzsc)
David and Ruth have heard nothing from Josh recently other than a fleeting thumbs up. They acknowledge they should be grateful that means he’s doing ok.
Over lunch with Kate, Brian asserts he had a smashing day out yesterday with Martha, Chris and Neil – it’s just a shame Xander wasn’t with them. Brian wants to celebrate the official dissolution of the family partnership, but Kate doesn’t approve. Brian’s also pleased his caravan storage plans look likely to go ahead. He hopes Kate won’t object, but Kate promises nothing.

Tony’s keen for information about his livestock liaison role at the Borchester Show. David assures him just being there on the day will be enough. Tony asks if he might be allowed in on the secret of the mystery guest at the Show, but David’s lips are sealed.

Adam calls Ruth requesting a chat. David admits he’s worried about Adam after Brian’s volte face over the inheritance. Ruth agrees Adam must be feeling like the rug’s been pulled from under him. When Adam moots the idea of Ruth acting as mediator between him and Brian, Ruth’s unsure about getting involved. She wants to know what Adam’s hoping to achieve from the meeting, declaring she’d need to be impartial if she took it on. Later she tells David she’ll give it a go. She hates seeing the Aldridges divided. Brian’s harder to persuade however. He doesn’t want to speak to Adam, still less negotiate with him. Ruth suggests that agreeing to meet Adam and show willing might benefit Brian in the long run. Brian agrees to think about it.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m002xzsf)
Linda Perry sings live, and we celebrate Mel Brooks' 100th birthday

Linda Perry came to fame as lead singer of the all-female band Four Non-Blondes. She went on to be a hugely successful songwriter and producer, writing hits for the likes of Pink and Christina Aguilera, and collaborating with Dolly Parton. She's now released her first solo album for 27 years - Let It Die Here - and a documentary film of the same name. Linda came to perform for Front Row and explain why she’d stepped back into the limelight.

Mel Brooks is the filmmaker who gave us such comedies as Blazing Saddles and The Producers. He turns 100 on Sunday so we're celebrating it with his son Max Brooks, and the writer and culture journalist Hadley Freeman.

James Burrows, who died at the weekend at the age of 85 directed more than a thousand episodes of many classic American sitcoms – such as Friends, Will and Grace and The Big Bang Theory. The writer and TV Critic Scott Bryan remembers James Burrow's life and career.

And Glenn Tillbrook from Squeeze tells us about The Everywhere At Once Festival, a special music event this weekend that’s celebrating grassroots venues around the UK.

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Andrea Kidd


MON 20:00 Rethink (m002xp70)
Rethink... city streets

Should we rethink who our city streets are for? It can often feel like there is a hierarchy on the roads, with cars needing to get from A to B as fast as they can, taking priority over people cycling or walking. But what if we flipped it on its head and put pedestrians at the top? Or, what if we saw our streets in a totally new light and instead decided they were places for meeting friends, playing or resting under a tree? Ben Ansell finds the people designing new streets, and he hears one radical idea that requires an entirely new language.

Ben visits a new kind of street where pedestrians have priority, not cars. It has been designed by traffic engineer Keith Firth at NRP. Campaigner Martin Cassini argues we could get rid of traffic lights to encourage drivers to pay better attention to pedestrians and to help ease traffic jams. But would all road users feel confident crossing without a dedicated beep or time to cross? Sohanna Srinivasan, head of Urban Planning Design at North Hertfordshire council, sets out her plan for how streets can have space built-in for people to fully enjoy their neighbourhoods while Dutch author Marco te Brömmelstroet says we need to rethink the language we use about cities. Change the language, change the mind set. Is it that simple?

Presenter: Ben Ansell
Producer: Phoebe Keane
Editor: Damon Rose


MON 20:30 BBC Inside Science (w3ct977r)
Finding the evidence for the social media ban

After this week’s announcement that under-16s will be banned from major social media platforms, we delve into the evidence behind the ban with Professor Amy Orben, Programme Leader of the Digital Mental Health Group at the University of Cambridge, and Dr Catherine Sebastian, Head of Evidence at Wellcome.

Also on the show, what can penalty shoot-outs teach us about international diplomacy? And how does the valuation of a football player impact the number of crashes seen after their team plays? Professor of Mathematical Sciences at Bath and football fan, Kit Yates, joins Tom to assemble their very own World Cup squad of science.

Presenter: Tom Whipple
Producers: Kate White, Katie Tomsett, Keiran Manetta-Jones
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth


MON 21:00 Start the Week (m002xzrj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 21:45 Mary Bourke: Who Cares? (m002cf3p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m002xzsh)
Sir Keir Starmer resigns with Andy Burnham favourite to replace him

Andy Burnham has been sworn in as an MP after Sir Keir Starmer announced his resignation. We hear from one Labour MP who thinks there should be an election for the next party leader and prime minister, and one who supports a coronation.

Also in the programme: 40 years on from Diego Maradona’s 'Hand of God' goal at the 1986 football World Cup, we talk to one of those who was in the stadium. And as the Met Office warns that temperatures could reach 40C in parts of the UK this week, should people consider buying air conditioners? And, if so, what type?


MON 22:45 Land by Maggie O'Farrell (m002xzsk)
Episode 6

After moving away from everything they know, the children have to adapt to life on the peninsula. Liam starts going to a school run by Father Joseph; Enda discovers a talent for the fiddle; and Rose befriends a dog. Then their baby brother, Eugene, arrives.

Inspired by Maggie O’Farrell’s own family history, this spellbinding story follows a family’s struggle for survival in aftermath of the Great Hunger.

On a windswept peninsula in the west of Ireland in 1865, Tomás and his son Liam are working for the Ordnance Survey to map the whole country. The landscape is scarred by deserted villages, entire populations lost to famine.

Land is the story of their family’s life, in the years and decades that follow.

The bestselling author of Hamnet returns with her tenth novel, a soaring history set in Ireland.

Read by Brian Gleeson, best known for his roles in Bad Sisters, Love/Hate, Peaky Blinders and Under Salt Marsh.

Music: Veil of Mist by Caroline Dale
Reader: Brian Gleeson.
Abridger: Sara Davies
Production Co-ordinator: Alison Crawford
Mixed by Caitlin Gazeley
Producers: Fay Lomas and Mary Ward-Lowery


MON 23:00 Limelight (m001jtv1)
Galapagos

1. Good And Bad Optics

In 2025, Galapagos is an exciting new development in AI data manipulation. And Bryony is determined to use it to advance her career. But as soon as she presses the red button, she finds herself pulled along by forces she's not entirely in control of.

Thriller about big tech, data manipulation and the undermining of democracy, by Simon Scardifield and Andrew Day

Bryony.....Hannah Daniel
Sydney.....Ashleigh Haddad
Gaynor.....Sara Gregory
Omar.....Danny Ashok
Titus.....John Pfumojena
Boniface.....Kel Matsena
Max.....Ewan Bailey
Euan…..Jamie Redford
Aneni….. Ntombizodwa Ndlovu
Fake Greta.....Sunja Hyde
Shapeshift Man…..Hasan Dixon
Sam…..Claire Cage

Production Co-ordinators.....Eleri McAuliffe and Lindsay Rees
Sound Design.....Catherine Robinson and Nigel Lewis
Directed by Philippa Swallow, John Norton and Emma Harding, BBC Audio Drama Wales


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002xzsm)
Susan Hulme reports as the new Labour MP for Makerfield Andy Burnham arrives in Parliament.

TUESDAY 23 JUNE 2026

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m002xzsp)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 00:30 How to Spot Potential (m001ry9n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002xzsr)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002xzst)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:00 News Summary (m002xzsw)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002xzsy)
Sean Curran reports as Sir Keir Starmer resigns as prime minister and Andy Burnham makes his Commons comeback.


TUE 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002xzt0)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002xzt2)
Serving

Spiritual reflection to start the day with Bryan Kerr, a Church of Scotland Minister in Kilmacolm, Inverclyde.
Script:
Good morning. In one of the communities in which I was minister, there's a woman who, for as long as anyone can remember, has been the one who shows up. When someone's bereaved, she's the first round with a cool box filled with food for a meal. When the church steps needed sweeping before a funeral or a wedding, she's there an hour early. When a neighbour is ill, she does the shopping without being asked. People have tried to thank her properly over the years, and she often looks genuinely puzzled and tries to downplay it, as if she didn't quite understand what the fuss was about.

Now that's what real service looks like, I think. Not a grand project or a job title. A long, quiet habit of turning up for other people, until it becomes just who you are.

The world is held together, mostly, by people like her. People doing small things for other people. Not for reward or applause. Just because, somewhere along the way, they've understood that this is what being human asks of us.
For those who follow the Christian faith, serving Jesus has sometimes been misunderstood as something you do inside a church. Tea after the service. A rota for flowers. Now all of that matters, but it's the small change, not the main currency. The deeper service is what happens on the Tuesday morning. The lift you give someone who didn't ask. The phone call you make to the friend nobody's checked on. The patience you find when you'd rather be sharp with someone.

You don't have to be religious to recognise this. We all know someone like the woman in that community. The people who hold our communities together usually aren't the ones with the loudest voices. They're the ones who turn up, week after week, and don't make a thing of it.

God who served us first, give us today the patience of small kindnesses, and the courage to keep showing up. Amen.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m002xzt4)
The Met Office has issued a rare red 'extreme heat’ warning for parts of southern England, the Midlands and southern Wales for tomorrow and Thursday with amber warnings already in place more widely in England and Wales. Some fire services are warning of a increased risk of wildfires as temperatures are set to reach the high 30s.
It comes just as the government’s announced a one hundred million pound investment to help tackle wildfires, to offer better protection for the countryside and rural communities after some truly devastating fires last summer: 2025 broke the record for the number of wild fires reported in the UK. The Fire Chiefs' Council's Wildfire Tactical Advisor tells us the new strategic teams will be trained in skills needed to tackle large scale ferocious blazes, which are becoming more frequent in the UK.

Sheep shearing is an international industry and each summer between 50 and 75 professional shearers from overseas take out temporary visas to work with the UK flock. But the government says this is the last year they’ll allow that to happen and that the sheep industry needs to train up more home-grown shearers. To cope with the demand, British Wool is laying on extra courses around the country.

All this week we are looking at agri-tourism, how farmers are boosting their incomes with everything from farm safaris and events for foodies to the traditional campsite. Today we visit a small hill farm in the Glens of Antrim which has reinvented itself as the venue for heritage events.

Presenter: Caz Graham
Producer: Sarah Swadling


TUE 06:00 Today (m002y1bc)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 Ancient Lives with Mary Beard (m002xzjn)
Being Greek

Courtroom Drama

From Marvel movies to presidential elections their powerful influence endures on our stories, philosophies and politics, but what it was it like to be an Ancient Greek? Scattered clues need to be gathered until they form a living, breathing human, witness to the cultural powerhouse that was Ancient Greece.

In Being Greek, Mary Beard, Britain’s best-selling historian of the ancient world, rebuilds the lives of six people, from a priestess to a murderer. Her investigations reveal the limits of female independence and take us deep into the marriage of an Athenian power couple. Themes of faith, politics and justice reveal the foundations of Greek society, but it’s the thoughts, feelings and lifestyles of individual Greeks she’s really interested in. Gods and legendary heroes are easy to come by, but Mary looks behind the temples and beyond the classic myths, filling in her stories with the relatable detail of Greek life, uncovering what they ate, how they decorated their homes and raised their children.

Mary visits the sites that help cast fresh light on past lives- the grave of a powerful woman in prehistoric Mycenae, an exquisite temple clutching the slopes of the Acropolis and the dusty plains of Marathon. Experts in Greece and the UK help Mary interpret the clues, along with film director Martin Scorsese who’s fascinated by the story of a gangster of the ancient world who pulled powerful strings to escape imperial justice.

In the first episode we meet Euphiletos, on trial for the murder of his wife's lover. Can he convince the jury that this is a crime of passion, not a calculated act of mob violence?

Producer: Alasdair Cross

Researcher: Anna Charalambou

Expert Contributors: Rosanna Omitowoju, Cambridge University and Rebecca Sweetman, Director of the British School at Athens

Actors: Robert Wilfort as Euphiletos and Laura Dos Santos as the old woman

Translations by Mary Beard

Special thanks to Elizavet Sioumpara and the Hellenic Ministry of Culture


TUE 09:30 All in the Mind (m002xzjr)
Is it ADHD or perimenopause?

Are ADHD-like symptoms during perimenopause just down to hormonal changes or could they actually be revealing undiagnosed ADHD? Brain fog can be a key symptom of both, which means it's not always easy to tell the difference, leaving women unsure. 'Scummy Mummies' podcaster Helen Thorn shares her experience, while Claudia Hammond unpicks the evidence with Dr Jessica Agnew-Blais. And Kerry explains the impact of getting an ADHD diagnosis in adulthood.

And Catherine Loveday, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Westminster, discusses the difficulties of accurate cognitive tests to measure brain fog.

Plus, brand-new research on a different way to teach mental health classes in schools. Previously, All in the Mind revealed that evidence for teaching universal strategies was often disappointing. Now Professor Tim Dalgleish at the University of Cambridge has results of a new approach called One Step Back.

And finally, for anyone who runs or goes to the gym, there's a new study of what's happening in the body when exercising to our favourite music.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Erika Wright
Editor: Ilan Goodman
Production coordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
Sound engineer: Neva Missirian


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002y1bf)
Charlotte Edwards; Jeffrey Donaldson convicted; Inclusive fashion; SEND inclusion bases

One of Northern Ireland's most high-profile politicians Jeffrey Donaldson is now convicted of 18 child sex abuse charges, including one charge of rape. One politician said the victims showed 'jaw dropping courage' in coming forward. We'll hear from the BBC's Tara Mills who has been in court throughout the trial.

Since the start of the Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup, the England team have won all three of their group matches against Sri Lanka, Ireland and Scotland, with the West Indies next up tomorrow at the Lords. Nuala is joined by England’s head coach and former captain and player Charlotte Edwards, one of the most successful figures in the history of the women's game, and Tilly Corteen-Coleman, the 18-year-old spinner who is the youngest member of England's World Cup squad and one of the country's most exciting young prospects, to discuss the tournament and the growth of women’s cricket.

An inclusive fashion show happening in Manchester this weekend is hoping to shine a light on how difficult it can be for people with disabilities, including autism, to find clothes which suit their bodies and feel good. Ellie Brown, the founder of inclusive clothing brand ReCondition, is hosting the fashion show. She chats to us. We’re also joined by Sam Stein, a YouTuber who makes content about living with autism, who shares how little changes can go a long way.

The education secretary Bridget Phillipson has said inclusion bases – specialised areas in schools to support SEND pupils - are being misused to punish disruptive pupils. Later this week, the Department for Education will publish guidance for schools to tackle what they describe as the conflation of bad pupil behaviour with special educational needs and disabilities. Nuala is joined by Margaret Mulholland - SEN and inclusion specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, and Hayley Harding a SEND parent and organiser and founder of campaign group Let Us Learn Too - to discuss how these designated SEND spaces can be used as a bridge to school life, and not as a barrier to it.


TUE 11:00 Add to Playlist (m002xpcn)
Claire Wickes and Ashley Henry celebrate chocolate and music

Flautist Claire Wickes and jazz pianist Ashley Henry join Jeffrey and Anna as they add the next five tracks, exploring the association between music and chocolate, and digging into the Harlem Renaissance with the poet Langston Hughes and Cuban Negrismo, before marking the official longest partnership in pop.

Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe

The five tracks in this week's playlist:

5-4-3-2-1 by Manfred Mann
Dance of the Mirlitons from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky
The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes
Boda Negra by María Teresa Vera
West End Girls by Pet Shop Boys

Other music in this episode:

Mississippi Goddam by Ashley Henry
Knee Play 5 from Einstein on the Beach by Philip Glass
Numbers by Kraftwerk
5,6,7,8 by Steps
Moon River by Audrey Hepburn
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy by Tchaikovsky


TUE 11:45 How to Spot Potential (m001ryd0)
Education, education, education

For many university is not something they’d consider. It can appear expensive, elitist and alien. And in any case there just aren’t the opportunities.

Kate Mason looks at one initiative which is making strides to change those perceptions and the lack of opportunity. We look at a project involving an Oxford college designed to give people with huge potential - but not usually the opportunity, their chance to study at a top university.

Alan Rusbridger, editor of Prospect magazine, explains how the scheme came into being when he was Principal of Lady Margaret Hall in Oxford.

Vee Kativhu tells us how the project set her on a journey to empower others and a role with the United Nations .

Jake Pickering discusses how he went from teaching himself to a PHD at Cambridge

Aneela Shah on overcoming family resistance to the idea of university

And Ras. I Martin on his journey from a inner London council estate to Oxford’s spires.

Presenter : Kate Mason.
Producer : Julian Siddle.


TUE 12:00 News Summary (m002y1bh)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m002y1bk)
Call You and Yours: How Are Heatwaves Affecting You?

On Call You and Yours, we're asking - how do heatwaves affect you what you buy?

There's a red warning for extreme heat in parts of England and Wales later this week, and there's already an amber warning covering a larger area.

How does your home cope with the heat - and are you able to make changes to make it cooler? Have you made any big purchases to adapt? How about your holiday plans? Much of Western Europe is sweltering too. Do you travel in the same way that you used to? Perhaps you own a business that's been impacted. Get in touch and tell us your experience.

You can email us at youandyours@bbc.co.uk and please include a phone number. You can call us from 11am on Tuesday 23 June on 03700 100 444.

PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON

PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY


TUE 12:57 Weather (m002y1bm)
The latest weather forecast


TUE 13:00 World at One (m002y1bp)
UK braces for hottest June day on record

More than 200 schools across the country are closed as Met Office issues red weather alert. Plus, will we see a coronation of Andy Burnham as PM? A member of the Labour Party's ruling body talks us through how the next leader will be decided. Former SNP Chief Executive Peter Murrell is sentenced to over 5 years for embezzlement. And, as England prepare to face Ghana - is watching your team bad for your health?


TUE 13:45 Tony Hawks Just Wants to Play (m002y1br)
Both Sides of the Court

Access to play, sport and nature shouldn’t be taken for granted. Join comedian Tony Hawks as he explores the barriers shaping how we play in the UK, and why it matters to us all.

Free tennis courts or better tennis courts? Turn up and play or book ahead and pay? When it comes to our public tennis courts, it seems we can't have it all. In episode two, Tony continues his exploration of play and accessibility in Britain by focusing on a growing debate around public tennis courts - should they remain free and open, or become bookable, gated, and pay-to-use spaces in exchange for better facilities? Using tennis as a lens for wider questions about public space, community and participation, Tony investigates what happens when access to play becomes managed and controlled.

After finding locked tennis courts at his local park, Tony investigates the LTA’s £45 million Park Tennis Project, which has refurbished public courts across the UK. Some local councils say the funding has helped prevent courts from falling into decline, and supporters welcome the introduction of an hourly fee in return for cleaner, safer facilities and reliable booking systems.

In Exeter, however, the council chose not to join the scheme, keeping courts free and open without gates or online booking. Though worn, the courts remain busy with casual players and families. Critics argue booking systems can create barriers for beginners and lower-income users. Coach Mike Patterson says the courts remain a vital social space, while former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash warns that too many obstacles risk putting young people off the sport entirely.

Ultimately, this episode is not just about tennis. Tony reflects on how public spaces for play shape communities, support health, and encourage social connection. The central question becomes not simply whether courts should be free or well maintained, but how society can balance accessibility, safety and inclusion in the places where people come together to play.

Presenter: Tony Hawks

Producer: Guy Natanel

Assistant Producer: Lauren Lewis

Executive Producers: Shannon Delwiche and Chris Jones

Composer: Pat Moran

Sound Mixer: David Crackles

A Sound and Bones production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 14:00 The Archers (m002xzsc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Our Friends in the North (m00168m5)
Episode 5: 1974

Peter Flannery once famously said of Our Friends in the North, "it's just a posh soap opera - but it's a posh soap opera with something to say."

Ambitious in scale and scope, the drama chronicles the lives of four friends over three decades beginning in the 1964. The series tackles corporate, political and police corruption in the 1960s, the rise and fall of the Soho porn empires in the 1970s, the Miners’ Strike of the 1980s and the rise of New Labour in the 1990s.

In episode five, it’s 1974, the start of the 3-day week introduced by Edward Heath’s government to conserve electricity. Nicky is back in Newcastle offering to campaign for the Labour Party, Geordie is determined to exact revenge on Benny Barratt, Mary is a local councillor and Tosker’s business interests continue to grow. Under the new leadership of Commissioner Jellicoe, the Met are finally beginning to crack down on the Soho porn industry, as well as their own internal corruption.

Cast
Nicky: James Baxter
Felix: Trevor Fox
Florrie: Tracey Wilkinson
Austin Donohue / Claud Seabrook: Tom Goodman-Hill
D.I. Conrad: Andrew Byron
Commissioner Jellicoe: Darren Kuppan
Commander Fieldson: Des Yankson
Tosker / DI John Salway: Philip Correia
Harold Chapple / Eddie Wells: James Gaddas
Geordie / Ray: Luke MacGregor
Paula / Lucille: Eve Shotton
Mary: Norah Lopez Holden
Benny Barratt: Tony Hirst
John Edwards: Maanuv Thiara

Writer: Peter Flannery
Studio Engineer: Paul Clark
Sound Design: Paul Cargill
Trainee Production Co-ordinator: Emma O'Mahoney
Producer: Melanie Harris
Executive Producer: Jeremy Mortimer

A Sparklab production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 15:00 Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley (m002xt59)
Lady on Trial

Elizabeth Chudleigh - Bigamist

Lucy Worsley is back with a new series where courtroom drama meets history…with a twist. In Lady on Trial we hear the voices of women from the past who end up in court charged with everything from murder, adultery and theft to civil disobedience. And Lucy is asking if their true crime could have been to be born female?

Lucy is also telling the story of the fight for legal rights for women over three centuries, and wondering what still needs to be done for women to achieve true equality under the law.

In this episode, Lucy is exploring the extraordinary case of Elizabeth Chudleigh, maid of honour to the Princess of Wales and one of the 18th century’s most glittering and notorious celebrities. But at the age of 24 Elizabeth makes an impetuous, secret marriage which will haunt her for the rest of her life, and eventually land her in the dock in front of all 116 members of the House of Lords. She’s on trial for bigamy, a crime which potentially carries the death sentence.

Lucy wants to know how Elizabeth Chudleigh ended up on trial in the House of Lords. And what can her story tell us about marriage for women in 18th century Britain - and indeed, what can it tell us about women’s lives today?

With Lucy to find out more about the case of Elizabeth Chudleigh is Baroness Helena Kennedy, one of the UK’s leading barristers and a member of the House of Lords since 1997. She’s also joined by Catherine Ostler, Elizabeth Chudleigh’s biographer.

Together they explore Elizabeth’s extraordinary and unconventional life, and how the uncertainty of Elizabeth’s marital status led to the legal codifying of marriage which remains largely in place today.

Producer: Jane Greenwood
Readers: Clare Corbett, William Hope, Jonathan Keeble and Ruth Sillers
Historical consultant: Catherine Ostler
Head of Production: Claire Myers
Sound design: Chris Maclean
Senior producer: Julia Hayball
Executive producer: Kirsty Hunter

A StoryHunter production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 15:30 Thinking Allowed (m002y1bt)
Strikes, Solidarity and South Asian Britain

How have South Asian communities in Britain fought for rights, dignity and belonging - and what can that history teach us today?

Laurie Taylor explores the overlooked histories of labour struggle, resistance and political activism among South Asian communities in Britain. From early anti-colonial networks to the strikes and campaigns of the 1970s and 80s, the programme traces how successive generations confronted discrimination while shaping British society.

He is joined by Taj Ali, writer and historian whose forthcoming book 'Come What May, We’re Here to Stay' (publishing in September) charts more than four centuries of South Asian presence in Britain. Drawing on oral histories and archival research, he traces a long tradition of workers campaigning for better pay and conditions, communities organising against racism, and alliances forming across movements. Ali reflects on tensions within the labour movement and on moments of solidarity, including the Grunwick dispute and links forged during the miners’ strike.

Also joining the discussion is Aleena Din, Simon Research Fellow from the University of Manchester. Her research focuses on Huddersfield as a local site of resistance, where communities responded to racism, fascism and deindustrialisation. Through archival work and “witness seminars,” she reconstructs networks of support while also revealing the disagreements and competing ambitions that shaped them.

The programme highlights how these struggles unfolded not only in major cities but also in smaller industrial towns, challenging London-centric accounts of race and activism. It also brings into focus the role of women, from grassroots organising to leading disputes such as Grunwick, where South Asian women challenged both racism and sexism at work.

Producer: Natalia Fernandez
Editor: Robyn Read


TUE 16:00 Poetry Please (m002y1bw)
Dean Atta

The author and poet Dean Atta curates a selection of poetry chosen by listeners. In the mix are Zia Ahmed's Mango, John Agard's Flag, Jeda Pearl's Inheritance Reverb and Kim Moore's My People, alongside some Keats. Dean reads a poem he wrote when he was 18 and a more recent work from his upcoming collection.


TUE 16:30 What's Up Docs? (m002y1by)
What does my body odour say about my health?

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore the ideas shaping our health and wellbeing. In this episode, they explore something that affects every one of us - body odour.

Body odour plays a significant role in our emotional and social lives, and even in our health. Chris and Xand explore what body odour actually is, where it comes from, and why it varies so much from person to person. They also examine the many ways we try to mask our natural scent and separate fact from fiction when it comes to what our body odour can tell us about each other and our health.

To help unpack it all, they’re joined by Matthew Cobb, Professor Emeritus of Zoology at the University of Manchester, whose research explores how smell evolved and how animals use it to navigate and communicate.

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: Professor Matthew Cobb
Producer: Jo Rowntree
Assistant Producer: Dr Samara Linton
Researcher: Dr Samara Linton
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Visual Producer: Leon Gower
Technical Lead: Reuben Huxtable
Digital Lead: Richard Berry
Composer: Phoebe McFarlane
Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby

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

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 17:00 PM (m002y1c0)
Heatwave hits UK

The country braces for record-breaking temperatures. The head of the climate change committee discusses whether the UK is adapting fast enough to increasing temperatures, and we hear advice on schools, as hundreds prepare to close. As Keir Starmer commits to publishing the Defence Investment Plan ahead of next month's Nato summit, General Sir Richard Barrons discusses whether it would be better to wait for a new PM to be in place. And we hear from Washington DC, where its famous reflecting pool is drained once again, to remove algae.


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002y1c2)
High temperatures cause schools to close

Many schools across England and Wales were partially or fully closed today, with more set to shut tomorrow, as temperatures continue to rise. Also: The former SNP chief executive, Peter Murrell, is jailed for five years for embezzlement. And the Reflecting Pool in Washington is set to be drained as President Trump again blames vandals for its condition.


TUE 18:30 One Person Found This Helpful (m002y1c4)
Series 4

S4 E6: A Wedgie from History

Frank Skinner and guests Sunil Patel, Angela Barnes, Anna Thomas and Marcus Brigstocke look at shiny fish, sexy horses and where Sir Walter Raleigh should have put his potato.

Everyone has an online life, and when the great British public put pen to keyboard to leave a review, they almost always write something hilarious. And our all-star panel have to work out just what they were reviewing – and maybe contribute a few reviews of their own. So if you’re the person who reviewed some tinsel by saying “does what it says on the tin”, this show salutes you!

Written by Frank Skinner, Catherine Brinkworth, Sarah Dempster, Jason Hazeley, Karl Minns, Katie Sayer and Peter Tellouche, with additional material by Pete Redfern

Devised by Jason Hazeley and Simon Evans with the producer David Tyler

A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 19:00 The Archers (m002xzj0)
Anne Marie calls at No.1 The Green, hoping to catch Amber. George suggests she waits for her to return from work. However Amber messages to say she’s eating out with a mate. Anne Marie’s philosophical, and George acknowledges it’s good they’ve chatted so things can be less awkward between them all now. It’s hard for Amber being caught in the middle. George persuades Anne Marie to consider an upgrade to a platinum sponsorship package at the Borchester Show, which would include Amber as their dedicated host for the day. Later Anne Marie calls at the Bull and meets Tracy. Anne Marie expresses her gratitude at how warmly Amber’s been accepted into the family fold.
Tracy suggests Adam might be up for some shifts at the Bull when Fallon’s off with Harrison. Lilian’s unsure – Adam might be good in the bar but she can’t see him in the kitchen.
Lilian spots Keira and wants to chat about her upcoming work experience, but Keira ducks away. Bumping into George, Keira confesses she’d rather avoid Lilian for now. However Lilian catches up with her and starts to set out her exciting plans for Keira at Amside. George joins in with the enthusiasm and Keira walks off. Later Keira apologises to Lilian for being rude. She just doesn’t want to work in an office and would rather be somewhere like the Stables. Lilian understands. She resolves to make the work as interesting as she can. Keira asks whether Lilian would be upset if she found another placement. Lilian smiles that she’d get over it – eventually.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (m002y1c6)
Bill Nighy on acting, podcasting and style tips

Bill Nighy joins to talk about his new family drama 500 Miles, where he plays a reclusive painter on the west coast of Ireland who gets an unexpected visit from his two Sheffield-based grandsons. He also discusses his early days in acting, his famous role in Love Actually, and why he's become an agony uncle in a new podcast.

Today, the Carnegie Medal for Writing was awarded to Beth O’Brien for her debut YA novel Wolf Siren, and Kate Rolfe won the Carnegie Medal for Illustration for her book Wiggling Words. Both join Front Row to discuss their books

Hold To This Earth: Works by Contemporary Indigenous North American Artists from Tia Collection is the new show at Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Art critic Veronica Simpson reviews.

Merky Books Prize-winning writer, and filmmaker, Sufiyaan Salam, on the inspiration behind his debut novel, Wimmy Road Boyz, which follows three young males pushed to the limits of their masculinity during a life-altering night out.

Presenter Nick Ahad
Producer: Ekene Akalawu


TUE 20:00 File on 4 Investigates (m002xzhj)
Fake Marriages - The real story

File on 4 Investigates how Immigration Enforcement officers are tackling sham marriages. Claire Jones follows Home Office officials as they apprehend people entering into, and organising fake marriages in order to circumvent the UK’s immigration laws. She discovers details of criminal gangs charging people up to £30,000 for a partner and 'marriage pack', a set of photos and documents designed to create a convincing back story of the fake relationship. After File on 4 Investigates asked the Home Office why more statistics are not available on suspected fake marriages, they have now committed to regularly publishing these numbers 'in due course'.

Presenter: Claire Jones
Producer: Ashley Kennedy
Editor: Tara McDermott
Production Co-ordinators: Tim Fernley & Tom Dunster
Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford


TUE 20:40 In Touch (m002y1c8)
Modified Exam Papers

In Touch explores the barriers faced by visually impaired students when sitting their GCSE and A-Level exams, when obtaining both exam papers and revision materials in braille and large print formats.

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


TUE 21:00 The Law Show (m002xp3v)
What are Blitz courts?

So-called blitz courts are being expanded across England and Wales.

A number of courts across the two countries have been holding regular blitz hearings since April. Multiple cases are heard every day instead of just one, and are grouped by type. A set of plea hearings might be scheduled together in one blitz court, and sentencing hearings at another.

Blitz courts increase efficiency by making sure that all the parties concerned are ready and prepared for their day in court.

They are not a new idea. Rapid hearings are sometimes used to speed up justice in exceptional circumstances, such as after the 2011 summer riots in England, which saw large numbers of public disorder hearings.

It's part of plans by the Ministry of Justice to try to cut court delays and backlogs in England and Wales, which have reached record levels.

But will they help ease the crisis in the criminal courts?

Presenter: Dr Joelle Grogan
Producers: Ravi Naik and Ivana Davidovic
Editor: Damon Rose

Contributors
BBC news correspondent Adina Campbell
Riel Karmy-Jones, Chair of the Criminal Bar Association
Joanne Edwards, a solicitor from Forsters who's on the National Committee of Resolution, the Family Lawyers Association.


TUE 21:30 The Bottom Line (m002xp5z)
When brands collaborate

Whether it’s McDonald’s and Cadbury or H&M and Karl Lagerfeld, brand collaborations are booming. From food to fashion, homeware to movies, why are partnerships having such a moment and what makes some 'collabs' succeed while others fail? Evan Davis and his guests explore the deals, the strategies and the creative thinking that turn collaborations into commercial successes. They also consider the consequences of what happens when things don't go to plan?

Guests:
Karen O’Rourke, Managing Director, H&M, UK and Ireland
Gill Williams, head of partnerships, tpf
Rita Clifton, branding expert, former London CEO, Interbrand

Presenter: Evan Davis
Producer: Nick Holland and Sally Abrahams
Sound engineers: James Breard and Andy Garratt
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Editor: Sam Bonham


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m002y1cb)
Report into Nottingham NHS maternity scandal set to be published

What happened to mothers and their babies - over more than 10 years - at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust? On Wednesday an independent review into maternity care at the trust will be published. We'll hear from one family about their experience and why they're still calling for a public inquiry.

Andy Burnham and Sir Keir Starmer are in a standoff over who should decide future defence spending.

And 50 years on from record-breaking 1976 heatwave, how is the current one different? And what could the UK's weather feel like in another 50 years?


TUE 22:45 Land by Maggie O'Farrell (m002y1cd)
Episode 7

There are more changes in store for the family, as the children grow up. Eugene makes an extraordinary discovery; Liam faces the consequences of his dream; and Enda takes a huge decision.

Inspired by Maggie O’Farrell’s own family history, this spellbinding story follows a family’s struggle for survival in aftermath of the Great Hunger.

On a windswept peninsula in the west of Ireland in 1865, Tomás and his son Liam are working for the Ordnance Survey to map the whole country. The landscape is scarred by deserted villages, entire populations lost to famine.

Land is the story of their family’s life, in the years and decades that follow.

The bestselling author of Hamnet returns with her tenth novel, a soaring history set in Ireland.

Read by Brian Gleeson, best known for his roles in Bad Sisters, Love/Hate, Peaky Blinders and Under Salt Marsh.

Music: Veil of Mist by Caroline Dale
Reader: Brian Gleeson.
Abridger: Sara Davies
Production Co-ordinator: Alison Crawford
Mixed by Caitlin Gazeley
Producers: Fay Lomas and Mary Ward-Lowery


TUE 23:00 Uncanny (m002y1cg)
Cold Cases

Case 12: Borley Rectory Part 2

Danny and the team return to Borley Rectory, where legendary ghost hunter Harry Price is also about to reopen his case files, bringing 48 researchers to investigate the increasingly violent phenomena that seem to torment everyone who spends time in the house.

Kitchen implements fly through the air, rocks are thrown at the new tenants - and one of them receives horrible injuries to her face which leave her with cuts and a black eye. Borley seems to be earning its reputation as the most haunted house in England. But is Harry Price really a sceptic trying to debunk hoaxes and fakery, or a chancer looking to make a fortune?

Presented by Danny Robins
Experts: Evelyn Hollow and Dr Ciaran O'Keeffe
Story sections by Simon Barnard & Dale Shaw
Research by Nancy Bottomley
Special thanks to Sean O'Connor, author of The Haunting of Borley Rectory
Filming and editing by Robb Leech
Editing and sound design by Charlie Brandon-King
Theme music by Katherine Priddy
Theme co-produced by Jennifer Ann Keller
Incidental music by Evelyn Sykes
Commissioning executive: Paula McDonnell
Commissioning editor: Rhian Roberts
Produced by Simon Barnard and Victoria Lloyd

A Bafflegab and Uncanny Media production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002y1cj)
Sean Curran reports from Westminster as Chancellor Rachel Reeves takes questions on the economy.

WEDNESDAY 24 JUNE 2026

WED 00:00 Midnight News (m002y1cl)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


WED 00:30 How to Spot Potential (m001ryd0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002y1cn)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002y1cq)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


WED 05:00 News Summary (m002y1cs)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


WED 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002y1cv)
Susan Hulme with the latest news from Westminster, the Senedd, the Scottish parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly - and a preview of PMQs.


WED 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002y1cx)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002y1cz)
Trusting

Spiritual reflection to start the day with Bryan Kerr, a Church of Scotland Minister in Kilmacolm, Inverclyde.
Script:
Good morning. Well later today, Scotland play Brazil, and up and down the country, people will gather in living rooms and pubs and gardens to watch. They'll wear the same colours. They'll hold their breath at the same moments. They'll trust, against most of the available evidence, that this might just be the day.

There's something interesting about that. Football fans trust every week. They trust the manager. They trust the team. They trust, often without much reason, that the game will give them something worth the wait … and occasionally, even in Scotland, it does.

But the trust that matters in a life is usually quieter, and more private than that. It doesn't have a crowd around it. There's no stadium for the parent waiting up for a teenager. No singing for the person walking back into work after a hard diagnosis. No banners for the two people who said, years ago, I don't know exactly who you'll be in thirty years, but I'll find out with you because I love you. That's where the real trust lives, in the small leaning-back trusting that someone will be there to catch you .... the places, often, where nobody's even watching.

For Christians, trusting Jesus is meant to work like that too. Not the loud trust where we are certain of the outcome, not the absence of doubt. Faith and doubt aren't opposites, whatever we've sometimes been told. They travel together. A trust that has no room for questions isn't really trust, it's just a closed door.

What faith offers, on the days when life doesn't seem like it'll hold, is the company of others who've leaned back and learned to trust before us. The quiet sense that we're not the first to be afraid. And the slow discovery, again and again, that something steadier than us is waiting to hold us up.

God who holds what we cannot hold, give us the courage to lean back and trust today, even when we are not sure. Amen.


WED 05:45 Farming Today (m002y1d1)
Aberdeen is hosting the first global agritourism conference. It's the brainchild of Caroline Millar who runs an agritourism business from her family farm in Scotland. Delegates from around the world have been exploring how producers can make more money by opening up their farms to visitors.

Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney


WED 06:00 Today (m002xzh8)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


WED 09:00 More or Less (m002xzhb)
Benefits v minimum wage: Which pays more?

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

(00:42) Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir Jeremy Hunt argues that you can earn far more on out of work benefits than you can on the minimum wage. We argue his figures are deceptive - and we’ve done the homework to prove it.

(09:09) As the heatwave rises to a crescendo, people are saying that wet bulb temperatures could hit critical levels. Utterly mystified? So was our editor, so we made this item to explain all to him (and you).

(14:34) In a tournament with so many teams, we’ve had to consult a university professor to understand the mysterious mathematical workings of the World Cup Draw. It’s even more complicated and confusing than VAR! (OK, it’s not that bad.)

(19:00) Welsh comedian Elis James has a superpower - finding mutual connections with his fellow countrymen and women. So let’s add to the fun by providing a statistical framework upon which to understand his achievements. That’s how comedy works, right?

More or Less is the programme that looks at numbers and statistics in the news and in life. We’re always looking for questions from listeners - you can contact us on moreorless@bbc.co.uk.

Guests:
Eduin Latimer - Senior Research Economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies
Dr Chloe Brimicombe - climate scientist and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford
Dr Kat Phillips - innovation research associate at the University of Warwick and a digital maths communicator under the name ‘KatDoesMaths’
Oliver Johnson - Professor of Information Theory, the University of Bristol

Returning Special Guest appearance:

Elis James: comedian and well-connected Welshman

Presenter: Tim Harford
Series Producer: Tom Colls
Reporter: Nathan Gower
Producers: Josh McMinn, Lizzy McNeill
Editor: Richard Vadon
Programme Coordinator: Brenda Brown
Sound Engineer: James Beard


WED 09:30 Intrigue (m002xzhd)
To Catch a King

7. Boats, Trucks and Planes

A late night phone call: have Sue and Rob finally unmasked the people-smuggling king pin?

A journalist and an ex-soldier search for the identity of a people smuggler believed to be responsible for thousands of illegal crossings to the UK by small boats and lorries.

They start with a false name: Kardo Ranya. A man who has evaded arrest for several years by keeping his real identity a closely guarded secret. It makes it near impossible for law enforcement agencies to issue and international arrest warrant.

Sue and Rob know what he looks like from social media posts advertising his crossings and lifestyle. Their search takes them across Europe and to the Middle East, where they discover a network of powerful smugglers operating from a town in Northern Iraq.

It’s two years since Sue and Rob located a gang leader in their podcast Intrigue: To Catch a Scorpion and the illegal business of migrant journeys is more dangerous and ruthless than before.

Their investigation reveals the inner mechanics of the smuggling trade and shows in close focus the people who currently control it as they search for a kingpin behind dangerous crossings to the UK by boat and lorry.

A secret meeting, a missing person and a worried family. Who is the man connecting them?

The series is recorded and presented by Sue Mitchell

It’s produced by Joel Moors

Original music is by Mom Tudie and sound design and mix is by Tom Brignell

The Executive Producer is Joe Kent and the Commissioning Executive is Tracy Williams.

The Assistant Commissioner in Speech Digital is Will Drysdale

The Commissioning Editor is Dan Clarke


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002xzhg)
Women and heat, IVF add-ons, Costume designer Sandy Powell

Why are women’s bodies impacted by heat differently to men’s? What can women do to cool down? Nuala McGovern is joined by GP Dr Amir Khan, Alyx Gorman, lifestyle editor of Guardian Australia, who shares how women are coping with increasingly extreme temperatures, and the practical strategies they’re using to keep safe and comfortable.

A new study has found that the majority of IVF add-ons assessed either show no effect on fertility or remain inconclusive due to limited or low-quality data. Nuala speaks to author of the study Dr Sarah Lensen from the University of Melbourne, broadcaster Hannah Vaughan Jones who went through 15 rounds of IVF and Professor Tim Child from the UK IVF regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).

Sandy Powell has won three Oscars and is the most BAFTA nominated costume designer of all time for her work on iconic films including Shakespeare in Love, Gangs of New York, Mary Poppins Returns and The Favourite. Now she is turning her attention to the next generation of designers with a new master’s degree course which she has helped create at the National Film and Television School. She tells Nuala about this new course, and what the role of a costume designer involves.

Rukky Brume grew up in Lagos, Nigeria. Her debut novel, It Comes in Waves, follows Onome, a law student in London whose father dies suddenly in Nigeria. Returning home for his funeral, she learns a secret that reveals there was far more to him than she knew. In 2021, her writing was longlisted for the Women's Prize Trust's Discoveries programme. She joins Nuala to discuss grief, loss and belonging and combining writing alongside a legal career.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Dianne McGregor


WED 11:00 File on 4 Investigates (m002xzhj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Tuesday]


WED 11:40 This Week in History (m002xzhl)
June 22nd to June 28th

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

25th June 1947: Anne Frank's diary is published for the first time.

24th June 1374: People begin dancing uncontrollably in the city of Aachen, Germany, in what comes to be known as St John's Dance

26th June 1974: A packet of gum becomes the first product to be sold using a barcode.


WED 11:45 How to Spot Potential (m001ryj4)
Music maestros

Cordelia Williams is a concert pianist and former winner of the piano section of the BBC’s Young Musician of the Year competition. She’s very much schooled in the traditional routes to musical success, being taught from an early age, practising and performing and practising again and again. A trip to Kenya gave her a different perspective when she met Teddy Otieno, a pianist whose musical education came largely from watching videos.

Kate Mason talks to them both about their musical journeys and how Cordelia was able to see Teddy's potential and help him exploit it.

We also hear from Adam Whittaker from Birmingham Conservatoire on broadening access to music education.

Presenter : Kate Mason
Producer ; Julian Siddle


WED 12:00 News Summary (m002xzhn)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 12:04 You and Yours (m002xzhq)
Inside Evri; Finfluencers; Gig Tickets

Millions of parcels are on the move every day in the UK - so how does the system for sorting and processing them work before they land at your door? We were invited to visit Evri's largest parcel distribution hub based in Barnsley to find out, and to hear advice on how not to send a package - posting a cake in a bin bag is a definite no - plus what Evri is doing to improve customer service.

In the UK only authorised firms and people can promote investments or give financial advice. But social media sites are rife with misleading and poor quality content according to a new study from St Mary's University. With an estimated 40% of young people turning to social media for investment support, we hear about the rise of the "Finfluencer" and how following the advice of some could cause you financial harm.

And the rising cost of tickets for big gigs. After Muse fans took to social media to complain about the sky high cost of seeing the English rock bands upcoming shows, we hear how the price of seeing some the biggest names performing in the UK this summer has increased by on average 40% in recent years. What's driving that and will it price out many fans?

PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: CATHERINE EARLAM


WED 12:57 Weather (m002xzhs)
The latest weather forecast


WED 13:00 World at One (m002xzhv)
Hundreds of babies died or harmed at "toxic" Nottingham NHS Trust, report finds.

Okenden review of Nottingham Hospitals NHS Trust maternity care: hundreds of mothers and babies died or suffered serious harm unnecessarily. Former Health Secretary Sir Jeremy Hunt responds. Also on the World at One, Sir Keir Starmer's first Prime Minister's Questions post resignation. Labour minister and close ally Baroness Jenny Chapman and Conservative Shadow Secretary for Business and Trade Andrew Griffith. As the heat wave continues Headteacher Stephen Chalke on having to decide whether to close schools for the day.


WED 13:45 Tony Hawks Just Wants to Play (m002xzhx)
Off Limits

Access to play, sport and nature shouldn’t be taken for granted. Join comedian Tony Hawks as he explores the barriers shaping how we play in the UK, and why it matters to us all.

A padlocked gate, a stretch of barbed wire, a sign politely informing you that ‘trespassers will be prosecuted’. All the familiar clues that say you're not meant to be here. And they're turning up more and more in places that used to be open to everyone.

What happens when access to play starts shrinking everywhere - from wild places, green space, to our rivers, lakes, and to our cities? How easy is it really to move, explore, mess about, and just play in Britain today?

In this third episode, Tony heads to Dartmoor National Park, where right-to-roam campaigner Lewis Winks explains how most land is privately owned, even inside national parks, and how legal boundaries can block access to places many people assume are public. The debate extends to waterways, where confusing ownership and restrictive signage can discourage wild swimming.

River campaigner Becca Drazin describes how she believes efforts to improve water quality on Bristol’s River Avon have been limited by bylaws restricting swimming access, creating a cycle in which polluted rivers are harder to reclaim for public use. In cities and towns, Dr Michael Martin of the University of Sheffield argues that car-focused planning has reduced both the safety and accessibility of urban play spaces.

Altogether, Tony finds that barriers to play are shaped by ownership, policy, pollution and urban design.

Presenter: Tony Hawks

Producer: Guy Natanel

Assistant Producer: Lauren Lewis

Executive Producers: Shannon Delwiche and Chris Jones

Composer: Pat Moran

Sound Mixer: David Crackles

A Sound and Bones production for BBC Radio 4


WED 14:00 The Archers (m002xzj0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Drama on 4 (m001nghn)
Finding Seaglass

Writer and Edinburgh Makar, Hannah Lavery, offers a deeply moving, poetic exploration of loving and losing her father, and an unvarnished insight into how it feels to grow up, and raise children, 'mixed-race' in Scotland - belonging yet not belonging.

"I didn’t do the play to make a political point, It’s about my family history, and it’s about how racism plays out, and how painful it is when you’re told you don’t belong. It’s also a Scottish play about a daughter who’s lost her father, who just happens to be of colour. When you lose a parent, your world shifts. The play is about sharing that.” - Hannah Lavery.

With powerful resonance in the continued struggle for justice, equality and harmony, Finding Seaglass challenges us to see Scottish history and our public memory in a different light through Hannah’s personal journey and almost-daily experience of casual racism.

“How do you find your authenticity in a moment which is asking you to find your "tribe", demanding that you constantly choose your side. How do you find your humanity, your own voice, when you're being pushed to find safety in numbers? Finding Seaglass explores my intergenerational trauma - in particular, the legacy of colonialism and racism, the reality of living through last years of political and cultural shifts and shocks, and how I have found a way to healing and hope.” - Hannah Lavery

A captivating spoken-word sound journey that interweaves poems with drama, Finding Seaglass pulses with Hannah’s lived experience, underscored by haunting music and the sounds of Scotland’s shores.

Written and performed by Hannah Lavery.

With ensemble voices by Tam Dean Burn, Irene MacDougall, Beth Marshall, Jim Monaghan, Clare Perkins, and Tom Vanson.

Director - Niloo-Far Khan
Sound Designer/Composer - Pippa Murphy
Producer - Charlotte Melen
Associate Producer - Dallis Murray
Production Coordinator - Cait Irvine
Executive Producer - Lucinda Mason Brown
Dramaturg - Rosie Kellagher

With special thanks to Charlotte Gross, Lorna Ferguson, Gareth Beedie and Margarita Veberaite.

This production gratefully acknowledges the inclusion of quotes from "Recovering Scotland's Slavery Past" (Tom Devine), "From Remedial English to Edinburgh Makar" (The National, Rachel Loughran), "Book review: Blood Salt Spring, by Hannah Lavery" (The Scotsman, Stuart Kelly)

An Almost Tangible and National Theatre of Scotland debut production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 15:00 Money Box (m002xzj2)
Money Box Live: The Future of Banking

We’ve seen a big fall in the number of bank branches over the last decade. Around 6,700 bank and building society branches have closed since the beginning of 2015, according to Which? With more due to close this month.

Now the government is carrying out a review following concerns about the reduced access to face-to-face banking, and how this affects banking customers both in towns and in rural areas across the UK.

In this special programme Money Box Live asks what IS the future for banking and what do these changes mean for you? Will online banking ultimately be the end of banking face-to-face – or will there always be some form of bank to pop into?

Presenter Felicity Hannah is joined by Charles Randell, former chief of the regulator the Financial Conduct Authority and a member of the Financial Exclusion Commission, and Gareth Oakley, the CEO of Cash Access UK, to answer your questions.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producer: Craig Henderson
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

(First broadcast at 3pm on Wednesday 24th June, 2026)


WED 15:30 The Artificial Human (m002xzj4)
Are we all AI hypocrites?

Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong explore a curious contradiction: why do we bristle at AI‑generated emails and writing, even while many of us quietly rely on them ourselves? What does this reveal about how we judge not only the output of these technologies, but the people who use them — while still excusing our own behaviour?

To unpack this double standard, they begin with Katrina Collier, recruitment expert and author of The Robot-Proof Recruiter and Reboot Hiring. Nowhere is this tension more visible than in the quest find a job. Applicants are increasingly turning to AI to polish and promote their CVs, frustrating hiring managers who, in turn, are often all too happy to use AI to sift through a flood of applications on their behalf.

They then hear from Michael Hallsworth, Chief Behavioural Scientist at the Behavioural Insights Team, originally the UK government’s ‘Nudge Unit’. He argues that AI disrupts one of our core measures of value: effort. When we believe something has been created with little labour, we instinctively see it as worth less. Using AI can create mixed feelings, and while we can find rationalisations to let ourselves off the hook for using it, that doesn't mean we'll excuse others.

Presenters: Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong
Producer: Peter McManus
Researcher: Rachael O'Neil
Sound: Fraser Jackson


WED 16:00 When It Hits the Fan (m002xzj6)
King Charles, Tax and Transparency

Declaring your tax isn't straightforward, as anyone's who ever filled out their own return will know.

King Charles probably has someone to help with the scraps of paper and receipts - but he'll still have to deal with a huge amount of scrutiny on becoming the first monarch to reveal their tax bill.

This week, David and Farzana discuss why King Charles is going public - and why it was announced almost a week before the details are released. Are the public being softened up with talk of 'transparency' and 'accountability'? They explain that framing the narrative before a story breaks means you have more chance of creating a cushioning effect.

On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, what's the PR takeout for Starbucks? The company's faced a huge backlash in South Korea after a marketing campaign seemingly referenced a historical military attack against pro-democracy protesters. How does something like that slip through the net? The finger of blame is being pointed at AI. But that only tells half the story.

And after a deeply damaging few weeks, David and Farzana assess how one very public figure is seeking to rebuild their shattered reputation. It's not been easy but Sesame Street's Elmo seems to be winning back a few hearts and minds after his failure to fully come out in support of his home city's basketball team.

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 (m002xzj8)
Andy Burnham's media strategy, smart glasses and filming in public places, BBC Long Wave closes

Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins look at Andy Burnham's media strategy with Jennifer Williams, North of England Correspondent for the Financial Times, and Joshi Herrmann, founder and editor of The Mill. The shop workers Union says the filming of its member is becoming widespread, with Jayne Allport, National Officer at USDAW, on the impact. Carlos Barragan, New York Times reporter and author of The Yahoo Boys: Real Life with the Love Scammers of Lagos, on going under cover with romance fraud networks. And as BBC long wave closes Jeffrey Borinsky explains its place in broadcasting history.

Producer: Lisa Jenkinson


WED 17:00 PM (m002xzjb)
Families describe 'deep sense of anger' after largest NHS maternity review

We speak to a mother who lost her son due to 'undoubted failures' by hospital staff and a former NHS Trust chief executive explains how you can turn around failing services. Also on PM, we hear how listeners are staying cool on the hottest June day on record. And as Scotland prepare to face Brazil in the World Cup, we speak to the 93 year old icon of the Tartan Army who has seen the two teams play before and will be there again tonight.


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002xzjd)
NHS trust in Nottingham slated for maternity failings

Hundreds of mothers and babies suffered serious injury or died because of systemic failures at the Nottingham University Hospitals Trust according to the biggest maternity inquiry in the history of the NHS. Also: The Met Office says the June temperature record has been broken. And scientists find sperm whales have regional accents.


WED 18:30 Ivo Graham's Obsessions (m0023q3x)
Series 1

2. Susie McCabe & Kieran Hodgson

Ivo Graham travels to Glasgow to find out what obsesses his guests, Glaswegian comedian Susie McCabe, and comedian, actor, and Glasgow adoptee Kieran Hodgson.

Susie builds her credentials as a Lego obsessive, and Kieran waxes lyrical about the journey up the East Coast Main Line. The audience share their obsessions too, and Ivo receives a gift from one kind audience member. This week's very obsessed person, or 'VOP' is Dr Malcolm Knight, who brings his love of puppetry to its most natural medium, the radio.

Hosted by Ivo Graham
Featuring Susie McCabe, Kieran Hodgson and Dr Malcolm Knight

Written by Ivo Graham and Zoe Tomalin

Additional Material by Alex Kealy, Peter Tellouche and Christina Riggs

Recorded at the Tron Theatre by Sean Kerwin
Sound editing by Charlie Brandon King
Production Coordinators: Katie Baum & Jodie Charman
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies, a BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4

An EcoAudio certified production
Show image: Matt Stronge


WED 19:00 The Archers (m002xzjg)
Susan isn’t sure she can commit to more hours in the busy dairy until they’ve solved the staffing crisis at the shop. She admits to Helen that she misses Jim. Helen’s loving having Tracy as a neighbour. She’s really helpful, and Brad’s happy to throw the boys’ ball back into her garden. When she moots the possibility of having a connecting gate between the properties, Susan’s equivocal – boundaries are important.

Henry’s late for school lunch with Keira due to a detention. He’s not happy he doesn’t have his own room yet, though it’s still better than living with Tom. He’s doubtful about Keira turning down her work experience – will she be able to fix up an alternative in time for next week? Keira tells Clarrie she can’t see the point of schools existing at all. She asks Clarrie how viable it would be to bring in re-jigged work experience forms tomorrow. Clarrie thinks it’s worth a try. Later Keira confides to Susan that she’s found a different placement.

Tom suggests Helen and the boys go back to Beechwood for a final supper now she’s settled in. Helen in turn reckons she should have a housewarming. Tom’s surprised to discover Helen’s asked a rep to Bridge Farm to quote for a new milking parlour. Tony too is wrongfooted. He reminds Helen that no decisions have been made on future investment. Helen insists she’s just looking at options and didn’t like Tom asking the rep questions. Tony suggests Helen apologises to Tom and thinks before steamrollering over them all with her plans.


WED 19:15 Front Row (m002xzjj)
Lauren Child on 25 years of Charlie & Lola

25 years since she published her first Charlie and Lola book, former Children's Laureate Lauren Child returns with a new friendship-focused series featuring best-friends Lotta and Lola. She joins us to talk about her approach to writing for children and about the importance of reading together as a family.

Refik Anadol, one of the creative team behind Dataland, a vast new museum dedicated to AI art which opened this weekend in Los Angeles, tells us about the multi-sensory experiences visitors walk through on their journey through the building and how the Museum embraces and celebrates digital art while finding solutions to energy usage and volumes of data.

Turner Prize winning artist Jasleen Kaur's new trail of sculptures on the banks of the River Clyde in Glasgow take the form of weather vanes and question the city's links to trade and colonialism. She tells us more about this commission to mark Glasgow 2026, the cultural festival which complements this summer's Commonwealth Games.

And as an exhibition of theatrical portraits of stars of stage and screen by Cecil Beaton go on display at Harewood House in Yorkshire, curator Bryony Smith and design historian Stephen Bayley explain why everyone who was anyone wanted to sit for the legendary photographer, and how his photographs also changed public perceptions of the monarchy.

Presenter: Kirsty Wark
Producer: Mark Crossan


WED 20:00 Moral Maze (m002xzjl)
Do we care more about the place where we live than about the nation we live in?

If Andy Burnham has a four-word philosophy, it is 'the politics of place', a phrase he uses often. Burnham argues that politics must concentrate on meeting local needs, on the devolution of power and on 'levelling up' the places that have been doing badly.

While he was winning in Makerfield, the Scottish Conservatives were winning in Aberdeen South, on a promise to revive the North Sea oil and gas industry. That too was the politics of place.

Burnham’s philosophical opponents say that 'the politics of place' is wrong-headed. What really matters is the destiny of the United Kingdom as a whole. Localism, they argue, undermines national cohesion and elevates nimbyism. It rewards failure and punishes success. The Americans call it pork-barrel politics.

The battle between localists and UK nationalists engages all politicians. Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National Party are by definition on one side of the line; the DUP in Northern Ireland is on the other. At Westminster, MPs go cross-eyed trying to watch over their constituencies and their careers at the same time. Boris Johnson created a Department for Levelling-Up. Angela Rayner called it ‘government by gimmick’ and abolished it in 2024.

If localism is the answer for Makerfield, is it also the answer for Sparkbrook, where voters might like different licensing laws? Or for Adlington, where locals hate the idea of a new housing estate? Or for Harmondsworth, which doesn’t want a Heathrow third runway at the bottom of the garden?

The politics of place; it looks good. But will Burnham, like Pandora, open this tempting box, only to release all the troubles of the world? In his victory speech he promised us ‘hope’. In the Greek myth, the gift of hope was merely a consolation prize.

Chair: Michael Buerk
Panel: Anne McElvoy, Ash Sarkar, Giles Fraser, and Sonia Sodha
Witnesses: Paul Vallely, Maxwell Marlow, Sir Paul Collier and David Goodhart.
Producer: Dan Tierney
Assistant Producer: Peter Everett
Editor: Tim Pemberton


WED 21:00 Ancient Lives with Mary Beard (m002xzjn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Tuesday]


WED 21:30 All in the Mind (m002xzjr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Tuesday]


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m002xzjt)
Mothers and babies died after failures at NHS trust

A review into Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust has found that hundreds of mothers and babies suffered avoidable harms, and criticised ‘systemic’ failures and a ‘toxic, bullying culture’. We hear from the body responsible for regulating midwifery.

Also on the programme: the BBC travels to refugee camps in the Democratic Republic of Congo where medics are struggling to contain the Ebola outbreak; and a look at legendary bassist Jah Wobble’s tribute to the Beatle’s psychedelic era, ‘Mystic Liverpool’.


WED 22:45 Land by Maggie O'Farrell (m002xzjw)
Episode 8

Scattered across the world, Enda, Liam, Rose and Eugene face the consequences of their choices.

Inspired by Maggie O’Farrell’s own family history, this spellbinding story follows a family’s struggle for survival in aftermath of the Great Hunger.

On a windswept peninsula in the west of Ireland in 1865, Tomás and his son Liam are working for the Ordnance Survey to map the whole country. The landscape is scarred by deserted villages, entire populations lost to famine.

Land is the story of their family’s life, in the years and decades that follow.

The bestselling author of Hamnet returns with her tenth novel, a soaring history set in Ireland.

Read by Brian Gleeson, best known for his roles in Bad Sisters, Love/Hate, Peaky Blinders and Under Salt Marsh.

Music: Veil of Mist by Caroline Dale
Reader: Brian Gleeson.
Abridger: Sara Davies
Production Co-ordinator: Alison Crawford
Mixed by Caitlin Gazeley
Producers: Fay Lomas and Mary Ward-Lowery


WED 23:00 The Big Idea with Alistair Green (m002xzjy)
Series 1

Wellness guru Tabitha Beckworth

Tabitha Beckworth is the founder and CEO of globally successful wellness brand, The Whisper. But, like any super driven hyper successful business person she does many different things, all of them to great success - over 3 million subscribers to her YouTube channel is a testament to this. But for this interview, Tabitha found time in her packed schedule to sit down with Alistair to explain more about what The Whisper is and the global community it has created.

Alistair would like to take this moment to put it in writing that he doesn’t necessarily endorse the views of the guests.

The Big Idea with Alistair Green is brought to you by Are You Okay? Mental Health. It’s a lot isn’t it?

Written and performed by Alistair Green.

Produced by Alex Burnard.

A Cup & Nuzzle production for BBC Radio 4.


WED 23:15 Jazz Emu: The Sound of Us (p0hbp37g)
The Sound of Family

The Emu family is made up of a long line of Hollywood foley artists. But when Jazz turned his back on the family business to pursue a career as a pop star, his father’s disappointment made him seriously ill. In order to save his father’s life, Jazz must reconnect with his foley roots. Pass me my coconut hooves.

Jazz Emu: musician, 70s lothario-type, ex-Hollywood foley artist and internationally renowned idiot. After a long career in (and often out) of the spotlight, he has decided to present a radio show in order to connect with the average Joes (and Janes, and other boring names) and bestow his expert knowledge of Sound upon the universe.

Written by Archie Henderson and Adrian Gray
Starring: Archie Henderson, Adrian Gray, Emmanuel Sonubi, Lorna Rose Treen, Cody Dahler
Produced by Sasha Bobak
A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4


WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002xzk0)
Starmer's first PMQs since resignation news.

THURSDAY 25 JUNE 2026

THU 00:00 Midnight News (m002xzk2)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


THU 00:30 How to Spot Potential (m001ryj4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002xzk4)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002xzk6)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


THU 05:00 News Summary (m002xzk8)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


THU 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002xzkb)
Sean Curran reports on a very peculiar Prime Minister's Questions.


THU 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002xzkd)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002xzkg)
Showing

Spiritual reflection to start the day with Bryan Kerr, a Church of Scotland Minister in Kilmacolm, Inverclyde.


THU 05:45 Farming Today (m002xzkj)
'The most significant moment for English agriculture since the Second World War'; that's the Government's claim for their Farming Roadmap which has just been released. We hear reaction to the long awaited 25 year vision for agriculture.

The Climate Change Committee's annual report on the UK's greenhouse gas emissions says while agriculture is moving in the right direction, emissions aren't falling fast enough and adaptation is needed as well as mitigation.

How farmers are coping with pigs in the heat.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton


THU 06:00 Today (m002y1gp)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


THU 09:00 In Our Time (m002y1gt)
Vigée Le Brun

Misha Glenny and guests discuss the French portrait painter Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (1755 - 1842). From her teens she delighted her high society subjects in and around Paris, notably Marie Antoinette who she painted around 30 times, and she invariably found ways to show her sitters at their best. Some critics were affronted that she, a young woman, dared paint at all and, when they saw how good her portraits were, some spread a rumour that surely this could not really be her work and she must have had a secret male lover finishing her portraits in a studio. The French Revolution forced Vigée Le Brun out of France and so she set off from one European court to another to find more success from Naples to Vienna to St Petersburg and to London, eventually settling back in France. Today her works are on show in major galleries around the world.

With

Rosalind Polly Blakesley
Master of Pembroke College and Professor of Russian and European Art at the University of Cambridge

Robert Wenley
Deputy Director of Collections and Research at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham

And

Francesca Whitlum-Cooper
Curator of Later Italian, Spanish and French Paintings at The National Gallery, London.

Producer: Simon Tillotson

Reading list:

Joseph Baillio, Katharine Baetjer and Paul Lang (eds), Vigée Le Brun (exhibition catalogue in English, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2016)

Joseph Baillio et al., Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun: 1755-1842 (exhibition catalogue in French, Grand Palais, Paris, 2015/16)

Rosalind P. Blakesley, Women Artists in the Reign of Catherine the Great (Lund Humphries Publishers Ltd, 2023), especially chapter 8 ‘The Triumphant Refugee’

Lucy Davies, Vigée Le Brun: Self Portrait in a Straw Hat (National Gallery Global, 2025)

Angelica Goodden, The Sweetness of Life: A Biography of Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (Andre Deutsch Ltd, 1997)

Franny Moyle, Mrs Kauffman and Madame Le Brun: The Entwined Lives of Two Great Eighteenth-Century Women Artists (Apollo, 2025)

Jordana Pomeroy, Daring: The Life and Art of Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun (Getty Publications, 2025)

Mary D. Sheriff, The Exceptional Woman: Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun and the Cultural Politics of Art (University of Chicago Press, 1997)

Paris Spies-Gans, A Revolution on Canvas: The Rise of Women Artists in Britain and France, 1760-1830 (Paul Mellon Centre, Yale University Press London, 2022)

Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun (trans. Sian Evans), The Memoirs of Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun (Camden Press, 1989)

Louise-Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, Souvenirs de Madame Louise-Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun (first published 1869; Tredition Classics, 2012)

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 (m002y1gy)
A Swift Transition (with Matt Forde and Ria Lina)

Armando is under the weather this week, so in true World Cup style, we have called up a super sub.

Matt Forde steps in to host, and Ria Lina joins him to discuss the big news of the week.

Is it a bit rich of the Labour Party to claim they don't want to 'exaggerate small differences'? How does Starmer sell his achievements, and is there anything we can learn about how Burnham uses language?

In the longer version, we also look back at some of Starmer's best bits, and whether Manchesterism is an ideology, or just good branding

Armando will be back next week, but in the meantime, if you have got a strong message for the show, email us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

Sound editing: Chris Maclean
Production Coordinator: Katie Baum & 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 (m002y1h2)
Nottingham Ockendon review, Sarah Vine, Frida Kahlo at Tate Modern

More than 500 mothers and babies came to harm or died as a result of inadequate care at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. That’s according to Donna Ockenden’s review into the maternity services there. Anita Rani speaks to the Times’ Health Editor Eleanor Hayward, and mothers Sarah Hawkins and Sarah Andrews whose babies, Harriet and Wynter, both died from preventable errors.

Sarah Vine’s memoir, How Not to Be a Political Wife, is out in paperback this week, coinciding with the 10 year anniversary of the Brexit vote. The Daily Mail columnist was married to the former Conservative minister Michael Gove, a leading figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union. She gives Anita her take on some of the most turbulent years in modern British politics, and how the pressures affected her friendships, her family, and ultimately her marriage.

Over half of women diagnosed with breast cancer are outside the current 50-70 age range for screening, according to new research by a youth focused breast cancer awareness charity. It's calling for the age of women given screening to be lowered. Anita is joined by Sophie Dopierala-Bull, Director of Services and Engagement at CoppaFeel!

A new exhibition at the Tate Modern in London looks at how and why the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo became a global icon and a key influence on a generation of artists. Anita speaks to Bea Garcia, co-curator of the exhibition Frida - the making of an icon, and author Hettie Judah.


THU 11:00 This Cultural Life (m002y1h6)
Anish Kapoor

The artist and sculptor Sir Anish Kapoor talks to John Wilson about his career and cultural influences. Renowned for his innovative, often monumental works, Kapoor gained international recognition in the late 1980s. He represented Britain at the Venice Biennale in 1990 and won the Turner Prize the following year. His public artworks include Cloud Gate in Chicago, the Orbit sculpture next to the London Arena, commissioned to mark the 2012 Olympics, and the 110m-long structure of giant rings and connecting wires known as Temenos in Middlesborough. In 2025 a piece called Butchered, a collaboration with Greenpeace, was installed on to an active Shell oil rig in the North Sea as a protest against the fossil fuel industry. The Hayward Gallery in London is one of several cultural institutions around the world that is hosting major exhibition of the work of Anish Kapoor in 2026.

Producer: Edwina Pitman


THU 11:45 How to Spot Potential (m001rylt)
The world of work

Kate Mason meets consultants advising organisations on how to assess the potential of new recruits and encourage existing ones to work to their full potential.

Tiffany Gaskell tells us how an idea from tennis coaching has taken off in the business world.
Psychologist Tomas Chamorro Premuzic explains how the problems often lie with bosses.
Nicky Garcea has tips on ways to test for potential
And Allan Barton tells us how a potential focused strategy helped him turn around a waste recycling business.


THU 12:00 News Summary (m002y1h9)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 12:04 The Bottom Line (m002y1hc)
Digital Nomads

A laptop, reliable wifi and a visa, the formula that has allowed millions to work from almost anywhere in the world. It’s a lifestyle that promises freedom and flexibility: one month in Lisbon, the next in Bali. But after years of countries competing to attract digital nomads, with special visas and tax breaks, some destinations are rethinking the welcome mat. As governments tighten requirements and scrutinise remote workers more closely, Evan Davis and guests examine the economics of life on the move and consider whether the lifestyle really delivers on its promise.

Guests:
Christa Romano, founder of Digital Nomad Life Academy;
Diego Bejarano Gerke, CEO and founder of Wifi Tribe;
Emily Bratt, journalist and brand communications consultant; and
Dave Cook, anthropologist at University College London.

Production team:
Presenter: Evan Davis
Producers: Nick Holland and Sally Abrahams
Sound engineers: Dave O’Neill and James Beard
Editor: Sam Bonham


THU 12:32 Sliced Bread (m002y1hf)
Toast - Series 7

Toast - Orange

Orange was once one of the most recognisable brands in Britain — a mobile network with its iconic slogan “The future’s bright, the future’s Orange”, it helped turn mobile phones from elite business tools into everyday essentials.

But while the Orange name still exists globally, its mobile service disappeared from the UK. So what happened?

BBC Business journalist Sean Farrington investigates how Orange took the UK by storm in the 1990s telecoms boom — and why, at home, it ultimately gave way to a new brand: EE.

Joined by resident business expert and entrepreneur Sam White, Sean explores the bold brand thinking that set Orange apart, the rapid growth that made it a takeover target, and the strategic turning points that reshaped the company.

Along the way, they hear from the people who built the brand, including founding marketer Chris Moss, former executives Linda Kennedy and Stuart Jackson, and former EE CEO Olaf Swantee, to understand how Orange captured the public imagination — and why it couldn’t remain a standalone mobile network in the UK.

At the end, Sam draws her own conclusions: as the future stayed bright but less Orange, was the brand overtaken by change — or did it choose to evolve into something new?

If you have an idea for an interesting Toast topic, email toast@bbc.co.uk.

This episode was produced by Linda Walker. Toast is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.


THU 12:57 Weather (m002y1hh)
The latest weather forecast


THU 13:00 World at One (m002y1hk)
At least 150 dead after earthquakes in Venezuela

Two earthquakes in Venezuela leave at least 150 dead, with warnings that potential loss of life could be in the thousands. We hear from one of the most affected areas in Caracas. In the UK, the Met Office extends -again- its red alert for heat until Friday night, we look at how to retrofit housing to keep it cooler. Why are people ordering food they know won't arrive? We examine the phenomenon of the pretend online order, and why it offers a very real dopamine hit. And Evan and Sarah sit together to figure out if Sir Keir Starmer has succeeded with his goal to grow the economy.


THU 13:45 Tony Hawks Just Wants to Play (m002y1hm)
Hidden Hurdles

Access to play, sport and nature shouldn’t be taken for granted. Join comedian Tony Hawks as he explores the barriers shaping how we play in the UK, and why it matters to us all.

So far, Tony has focused on the obvious obstacles that get in the way of us being more playful here in the UK - the padlocked gates, the barbed wire fences, the stern No Trespassing signs.

But in this episode, Tony is looking beyond all that - because things like gender, race, age, postcode, and socioeconomic background all shape your chances of playing, moving, and feeling like you belong. Tony meets people navigating these unseen barriers.

At the University of Exeter women’s rugby team, coach Poppy Leitch says participation is growing after the success of the Red Roses in the Women's Rugby World Cup in 2025. However, resources and role models still lag behind the men’s game. Players describe stereotypes around aggression, body image, and femininity that can push women out of sport.

Tony also meets Josh Adeyemi of Black Scottish Adventurers, who explains how people of colour can feel unwelcome in the countryside when they rarely see themselves represented there. Lack of transport, awareness of opportunities and confidence can all become barriers to access nature.

Finally, Play England director Eugene Minogue argues that children’s freedom to play has dramatically declined over generations, especially in lower-income areas where playgrounds are fewer and of lower quality. He warns that modern parenting, safety concerns and policy decisions are limiting children’s independence, turning play from a natural part of childhood into something more restricted and controlled.

Presenter: Tony Hawks

Producer: Guy Natanel

Assistant Producer: Lauren Lewis

Executive Producers: Shannon Delwiche and Chris Jones

Composer: Pat Moran

Sound Mixer: David Crackles

A Sound and Bones production for BBC Radio 4


THU 14:00 The Archers (m002xzjg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Drama on 4 (m001ngmd)
Gret and Will

In this gripping and funny new drama, we witness life inside the Tudor court of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, as experienced by some of the period’s most charismatic figures - their Fools.

Gret, saved from the streets by her direct humour and charisma, enters the employ of the next Queen. In a strange new world of royalty she meets Will, the Jester of the King, who teaches her about the dangerous role they must inhabit - one demanding the courage to speak truth to power and the wisdom to avoid getting killed for it.

As their relationship deepens, Gret is faced with the fact that Anne’s rise cannot last, and that her fall could drag Gret down with her. Will urges her to do what is necessary to survive, and Gret must choose between betraying the Queen who gave her everything or losing it all.

This new play explores what it means to be a paid to entertain, the limits of loyalty, and how we work out who our real friends are.

BBC Audio Award-winning writer Elizabeth Kuti opens up new realms of possibility, exploring the widely held theory that the Fools of the Tudor court were some of the most famous, powerful and enigmatic neuro-divergent people in history.

Showcasing two of Britain’s great neuro-divergent actors, Sarah Gordy stars as Gret alongside Jack Morris as Will, in director Tim Hoare’s radio debut.

Cast:
Gret ..... ........................Sarah Gordy
Will ................................ Jack Morris
Anne Boleyn.................Sara Markland

Written by Elizabeth Kuti
Directed by Tim Hoare
Produced by Celia de Wolff
Sound Design by David Thomas
Broadcast Assistant: Nina Semple
Production Manager: Sarah Wright

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


THU 15:00 Ramblings (m002y1hp)
Bosham to West Itchenor in West Sussex

Clare joins Marian Spain and Paula Brunt as they explore a stretch of the King Charles III England Coast Path in West Sussex. After more than forty years working in environment and conservation, Marian is retiring later this year from her role as CEO of Natural England, the organisation responsible for creating and delivering this route which, at almost 2,700 miles, is the longest managed coastal walking path in the world. She says that overseeing its completion is her proudest achievement.

Marian’s lifelong connection to nature goes back to childhood walks with her mum, who taught her the folklore of flowers. She also recalls an inspiring biology teacher who opened her eyes to the science of the natural world. Growing up, walking was central to family life and a way of keeping up with older siblings. In her working life she enjoys taking colleagues on walking meetings, where conversations flow more freely.

They began their walk in Bosham and walked to West Itchenor, via the Itchenor Ferry which crossses Chichester Harbour. Paula Brunt, a campaigner with Disabled Ramblers, joined them midway to test a section of the route for accessibility. Tree roots prove an issue and cut the walk a little short.

Presenter: Clare Balding
Producer: Karen Gregor
Ramblings is a BBC Studios Audio Production


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m002xzp4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Feedback (m002y1hr)
BBC Cuts, and David Baddiel's 60 Years of Hurt

Recent headlines have announced that the BBC is set to implement a massive wave of cuts across all of its programming, in order to make a saving of £500 million. The first of these major cuts has just been announced and listeners will soon notice the effects of these changes, with Radio 4 programmes like much-loved The World Tonight being axed. But who's making these choices, and why weren't listeners consulted first? Andrea Catherwood talks to John McAndrew, the Director of BBC's Live and Daily News to get some answers.

Radio 4 might not be the first place you look to for football, and admittedly some listeners might view it as a safe haven from the world's most played sport. But David Baddiel's recent series 60 Years of Hurt for The History Podcast aimed to pin down what "Englishness" means through the history of the England's men's football team. David joins Andrea to hear listener feedback on the series.

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 Rethink (m002y1ht)
Rethink... the power of the US dollar

The US dollar is the backbone of global trade and held by governments around the world as a safe haven in times of crisis.

It's so powerful that countries like Ecuador and Panama have adopted the dollar as their official currency, while Argentina for many years has tried to "dollarize" its economy.

But what happens if nations and private institutions were to lose trust in the dollar?

How did we get here? Well, after WWII the world order was re-established in part by tying the monetary systems to the value of the dollar, backed by gold. But since 1971 President Nixon cut that link to gold and the entire exchange system has since been tied directly to the dollar itself, its historic success and access to its financial markets.

That success gave America what was dubbed an "exorbitant privilege" to print money without fear of inflation and to build up national debt without consequence.

It also enables the US to flex its muscles on the international stage by imposing sanctions on countries and cutting off access to their all-important currency. That has led some countries, most notably China, to call for the dollar to be replaced as the world's reserve currency.

How difficult would it be to untangle the dollar from global trade, can any other nations offer the same conditions which has allowed the US currency to thrive, and what would happen if the dollar's role was replaced by newer digital currencies which operate outside traditional government control?

Presenter: Professor Ben Ansell
Producer: George Dabby
Editor: Damon Rose

Contributors:
Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial Times
Barry Eichengreen, Professor of Economics and Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley
David Shrier, Professor of Practice, AI & Innovation with Imperial College Business School
Stephanie Flanders, Head of Economics and Politics at Bloomberg News
Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief of The Economist

Material from:
British Pathé, "Bretton Woods Money Pact Signed" (1946)


THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (w3ct977s)
Can we engineer ourselves out of a heatwave?

As the UK and Europe battles with extreme weather warnings, is it time for us to consider some more extreme tactics to tackle the heat? Tom Whipple is joined by Mark Maslin, Professor of Earth System Science at University College London, to explore if solar geoengineering can help.

Also on the show, science journalist Lizzie Gibney discusses the "Salah effect", when exposure to celebrities from stigmatised groups can help increase tolerance. She also examines new research into how the atom nucleus contain energy which can be used for telling the time.

Plus, how laughter in great apes may have paved the way for the evolution of complex human language.

Presenter: Tom Whipple
Producer: Katie Tomsett, Alex Mansfield & Kate White
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth


THU 17:00 PM (m002y1hy)
UK's June heat record broken again

Temperatures go past 36.5C in Somerset, beating yesterday's record. Evan Davis assesses the impact on productivity, and delves into a row that's heating up around air conditioning. Plus: we'll update on rescue efforts after an earthquake hits Venezuela.


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002y1j0)
Venezuelan earthquakes, heatwave sweeps Europe

Rescuers in Venezuela are searching the rubble in the capital, Caracas where more than 100 buildings have collapsed after a double earthquake hit the country last night. 164 people have died and almost 1000 other people have been injured. The record for the hottest day recorded in the UK in June has been broken for a second day in a row, with 36.7 celsius recorded in Somerset. The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves says she'll back Andy Burnham to be the next Prime Minister, despite speculation that he would demote her to a junior position in the cabinet.


THU 18:30 P.O.V. (m002y1j2)
Series 2

S2 E2: Black Friday Forever!

This week we hear an acrimonious sports commentary, every paranormal podcast ever, and some unmissable Black Friday deals.

Written and performed by Davina Bentley, Jake Bhardwaj, Kylie Brakeman, Cowboy Complex, Rachel Fairburn, Daniel Foxx, Matt Green, Farrel Hegarty, Larry & Paul, Kelechi Okafor, Will Sebag-Montefiore, and Ed Night & Paddy Young.

Additional material by James Clarke.

Recorded at The Soundhouse Studios and Guilt Free Post, London; Maximum Fun, Los Angeles; and Oscillate Recordings, Manchester.

Sound design: Rich Evans at Synbox Post.

Producer: Ed Morrish
Executive producer: Lyndsay Fenner

A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4


THU 19:00 The Archers (m002y1j4)
Tom tells Helen he’s confused as to why she’s acting as if the new milking parlour is the obvious next step for the farm. Helen insists it’s just about belief in her business, and expansion of the farm, which will benefit Tom too. She suggests they discuss it calmly rather than falling out – getting a quote isn’t the same as ordering a parlour. It’s the bare minimum needed for putting a business proposal together. Fine, says Tom, he’ll work on a proposal too. Helen’s in favour – then they can each present their case to the family.

Ed discovers Keira’s found her own work experience placement at Rewilding Ambridge. Clarrie remembers when Keira helped make bat boxes as a child. Ed doesn’t recall, and Keira huffs that he was probably distracted by something George was doing at the time. Ed protests he’s always asked Keira to do things with him, but she’s often buried in her phone. George arrives and immediately winds Keira up, resulting in her storming out. Later she apologises for shouting, and for bolting at New Year. She admits she finds it hard to talk, and at New Year they were too worried about George to listen to her. Ed wishes he’d realised how much she was struggling. He reassures her, and she confides her worries about school and friendships. Ed reckons lots of her classmates will have had the same anxieties. They hug. Later Ed sets Keira and George a task to clear out a barn. They have fun, and Ed declares they’ve passed his challenge.


THU 19:15 Front Row (m002y1j6)
Review Show: Frida Kahlo, Mads Mikkelsen in The Last Viking, Museum of the Year

Writer Charlotte Mullins and author Viv Groskop join Tom to discuss the Frida Kahlo exhibition at Tate Modern in London. It's the highest pre-selling exhibition in Tate's history, and contains 30 significant works, has her clothes on display, and looks at the artist's life and impact on contemporaries and later generations.

They also offer their verdict on the Danish black comedy The Last Viking, which is the 6th film by director/actor trio Anders Thomas Jensen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Mads Mikkelsen.

Finally, they talk about Lisa Owens' novel Natural Disaster which dissects the last 24 hours before a mother goes back to work after maternity leave.

Plus The Box in Plymouth is revealed as the winner of the UK Museum of the Year, with Chair of Judges Jenny Waldman.

Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Claire Bartleet


THU 20:00 When It Hits the Fan (m002xzj6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Wednesday]


THU 20:15 The Media Show (m002xzj8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:15 on Wednesday]


THU 21:00 Loose Ends (m002xzml)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Saturday]


THU 21:45 Strong Message Here (m002y1gy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 today]


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m002y1j8)
Venezuela earthquakes death toll reaches 188, but thousands feared dead

The UN says more than 100 buildings have collapsed as rescuers search the rubble for survivors. We hear from a resident of Caracas and the former head of the USAID office which used to lead the United States government’s response to foreign disasters.

Also in the programme: King Charles has disclosed he paid £12.9m in tax for 2024-2025, becoming the first monarch to reveal their tax bill. Would a proposal to tax California’s billionaires raise much-needed cash, or encourage the state’s richest citizens to flee? And the teenager working with Sir Stephen Fry to create a Latin audio guide for a Bath tourist attraction.


THU 22:45 Land by Maggie O'Farrell (m002y1jb)
Episode 9

Things take a darker turn for Rose and Eugene. Everything is again in flux for the siblings, as new choices and new journeys are made.

Inspired by Maggie O’Farrell’s own family history, this spellbinding story follows a family’s struggle for survival in aftermath of the Great Hunger.

On a windswept peninsula in the west of Ireland in 1865, Tomás and his son Liam are working for the Ordnance Survey to map the whole country. The landscape is scarred by deserted villages, entire populations lost to famine.

Land is the story of their family’s life, in the years and decades that follow.

The bestselling author of Hamnet returns with her tenth novel, a soaring history set in Ireland.

Read by Brian Gleeson, best known for his roles in Bad Sisters, Love/Hate, Peaky Blinders and Under Salt Marsh.

Music: Veil of Mist by Caroline Dale
Reader: Brian Gleeson
Abridger: Sara Davies
Production Co-ordinator: Alison Crawford
Mixed by Caitlin Gazeley
Producers: Fay Lomas and Mary Ward-Lowery


THU 23:00 Radical with Amol Rajan (m002y1jd)
Last Call for the Local: Are Old Pubs the Solution to Modern Crises? (Oisín Rogers)

The British pub has played a huge part in our lives for hundreds of years: it’s a place to eat, drink, grieve, flirt, celebrate and put the world to rights. Yet thousands have disappeared, and many more are fighting to stay open.

This week, Amol speaks to Oisín Rogers, co-founder of The Devonshire in Soho. For Oisín, saving pubs isn’t just about nostalgia - it’s about defending the everyday places that make communities feel less isolated and more human.

He’s got some radical ideas on how to save the pub but, as drinking habits change, should we be saving them at all? And what is the reality outside of London where the economic viability of pubs is increasingly under scrutiny?

GET IN TOUCH:

* WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480

* Email: radical@bbc.co.uk

Episodes of Radical with Amol Rajan are released every Thursday and Monday.

Amol Rajan presents the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 and hosts University Challenge on BBC One. Before that, Amol was the BBC’s media editor and the editor of The Independent newspaper.

Radical with Amol Rajan is a Today Podcast. It was made by Rufus Gray, Oscar Pearson, and Julian Paszkiewicz. Digital production was by Joe Wilkinson. Technical production was by Mike Regaard. The series producer is Rufus Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.


THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002y1jg)
Sean Curran reports as ministers unveil plans to criminalise "abusive acts" aiming to change someone's sexual orientation or transgender identity,

FRIDAY 26 JUNE 2026

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m002y1jj)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


FRI 00:30 How to Spot Potential (m001rylt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m002y1jl)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m002y1jn)
BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


FRI 05:00 News Summary (m002y1jq)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


FRI 05:04 Yesterday in Parliament (m002y1js)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament


FRI 05:34 Shipping Forecast (m002y1jv)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m002y1jx)
Walking

Spiritual reflection to start the day with Bryan Kerr, a Church of Scotland Minister in Kilmacolm, Inverclyde.
Script:
Good morning. I remember a friend of mine who climbed Munroes said that you don't really know a hill until you've climbed it slowly. You can drive past it; you can photograph it; you can read about it in a guidebook; but the hill only gives itself up to the person who's put one foot in front of the other long enough to feel it.

I think most of the things worth knowing are like that. Friendships. Marriages. Work that matters. Faith, when it's any good. None of them arrive by post. They arrive by walking.

This week I've been talking about some of the small habits that, over time, shape the kind of person we become. Noticing what we name. Knowing the people and the things that matter to us. Serving the neighbour we'd rather avoid. Trusting, when the path goes dark. Showing, by how we live, what we say we believe. None of it is dramatic, or even delivers quick results. It's just one foot in front of the other.

For Christians, this is what following Jesus actually looks like. It’s not a single decision or a finished argument. It’s a walk, with company, in roughly the right direction. There are days you can see the path clearly and there are days that you can't … but you keep walking anyway.

You don't have to share my faith to recognise the principle. Most of what makes a human life worth anything is built quietly, by small repeated choices, over the years that nobody films. The weekend ahead is part of it. So is Monday … and Tuesday. So is the next conversation you have with someone you love, or someone you struggle to.

God of the road and of the rest at the end of it, give us today the patience for the walking, and the wisdom to know we are not walking alone. Amen.


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m002y1jz)
26/06/26 NI to miss its environmental targets, farming in the heatwave, farm campsite

Northern Ireland is 'largely' missing the targets in its own Environmental Improvement Plan. A report from the environment watchdog, the Office for Environmental Protection, says of 38 targets, just two are likely to be met and that ministers must now move from 'planning and strategies into delivery'.
The heatwave isn't a problem for everyone - it's mostly welcome in vineyards. Some had a difficult spring with badly timed frosts, so winemakers are glad to see the sun at an opportune moment.
We've been looking at the tourism businesses farmers have diversified into. There is a huge variety, everything from the familiar b&bs to off road experiences and walking with llamas. Today we visit a farm campsite.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


FRI 06:00 Today (m002y248)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m002xzpj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Sunday]


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m002y24b)
Beth Orton performs live, The 23-year divorce case, DJ Smokin Jo

For three decades, the singer-songwriter Beth Orton has remained one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary music. She’s developed a devoted audience, winning a BRIT Award and Mercury Prize nominations for albums such as Trailer Park and Central Reservation. She has collaborated with artists such as The Chemical Brothers, Andrew Weatherall and Nick Cave, and she’s performed at venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House, Glastonbury Festival and Carnegie Hall. Her 2022 album, Weather Alive, became a major critical breakthrough. Her first self-produced album, it earned widespread acclaim, with The New York Times praising its “modal vocal phrases". Beth joins Anita to discuss her new album The Ground Above, and to perform live.

Schools across England and Wales have faced major disruption this week as extreme heat forces closures and early finishes. BBC analysis suggests more than 2,400 schools have either shut or been disrupted as temperatures climbed. It’s raised fresh questions about whether the education system and its buildings are prepared for hotter summers. BBC Education reporter Vanessa Clarke explains the impact the heat has had alongside Harry Paticas, architect and Founder of RAFT, non-profit community organisation focussing on reducing emissions in schools and communities.

Varsha Gohil’s 23 year case against her ex-husband changed the law for anyone whose spouse hides their wealth in divorce proceedings. It is thought to be the one of the longest-running financial disputes in English family law. Varsha tells Anita Rani about a two-decade battle that included gaining a law degree and representing herself in court.

DJ Smokin Jo has been a trailblazer in an industry largely dominated by men. A resident at the legendary Trade parties in London in the early 90s she was soon playing the world’s biggest clubs and was the first - and still only - woman to be named DJ Magazine’s DJ of the year. Jo joins Anita to discuss her memoir which details the highs and lows of her career, from finding her community on the dancefloor to rehab, misogyny and what has and hasn’t changed for women in dance music.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Simon Richardson


FRI 11:00 The Food Programme (m002y24d)
The Weight of the World

Why did obesity become a global problem? Professor of Diet and Population Health Susan Jebb explores a heavy history, our changing relationship with food and reasons for optimism. She believes we live in an 'ultra-processed food system' which drives more of the world's population towards health harming diets and a lifetime of being overweight or obese. But she also believes change is possible, and the conditions are right for a food systems change.

Also featuring Hannah Ritchie of Our World in Data, Henry Dimbleby, author of the 2020 National Food Strategy, and Alicia Weston of Bags of Taste, a programme of change for people with few cooking skills on low incomes.

Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.


FRI 11:45 How to Spot Potential (m001rykw)
Potential futures

Digital technology has become an essential part of our everyday lives, enabling us to communicate, find information and increasing our range of leisure activities.

Kate Mason looks at how the growth of such technologies could impact on our potential. In the workplace technology can speed up menial tasks, would this free up time and allow more human creativity ? And how can such tech help us explore our potential throughout our lives?

Ghislaine Boddington discuses the concept of digital twins, our very own personalised form of AI https://www.gre.ac.uk/people/rep/las/ghislaine-boddington

And Sophie Scott considers the potential of the human brain. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/icn/people/sophie-scott

Presenter : Kate Mason
Producer : Julian Siddle


FRI 12:00 News Summary (m002y24g)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 12:04 Rare Earth (m002y24j)
The Sound of Water

Helen Czerski and Tom Heap discover how new technology lets us listen in to the extraordinary sounds of the planet's waterways. From the deepest ocean to the tributaries, rivers and streams, this is an exploration of the sound made under water by animals, humans, and yes even plants. From the snapping of shrimp to the bark of a John Dory, Tom and Helen ask how sound travels through water, how important it is and what is known about the purpose of these sounds. They also ask what impact human activity is having on the watery soundscapes and their inhabitants. Joining Tom and Helen are Marine Biologist Steve Simpson, Former Submariner Bob Mansergh, Principle Scientist Rosalyn Seddon and Eco-Acoustician Jack Greenhalgh.

Producer: Ellie Richold

Assistant Producer: Toby Field


FRI 12:57 Weather (m002y24l)
The latest weather forecast


FRI 13:00 World at One (m002y24n)
The week Europe baked in extreme heat

As Britain's week of extreme heat comes to an end, we hear why Europe is heating faster than other continents. And we ask a leading UN advisor whether it will prompt political action on climate change.

Rescue teams are still looking for survivors in Venezuela, after an earthquake killed hundreds.

The influential left-wing economist Thomas Piketty tells us his plan for a new global economic system.

And as the King announces he will not return to Buckingham Palace after renovations finish next year, we hear creative ideas for the palace's future.


FRI 13:45 Tony Hawks Just Wants to Play (m002y24q)
Game On!

Access to play, sport and nature shouldn’t be taken for granted. Join comedian Tony Hawks as he explores the barriers shaping how we play in the UK, and why it matters to us all.

In the final episode, Tony turns from the barriers to playing and having fun in Britain, to the communities creating open and welcoming public spaces where they can play freely. In Exeter, volunteers run weekly free community tennis sessions on public courts that remain accessible without gates or booking systems, bringing together people of all ages and backgrounds.

Tony also heads to the River Thames, where he bravely tries cold water swimming within the city. Meeting with campaigners,  swimming activists Chris Romer-Lee and Simon Griffiths, they discuss promoting safer public access to urban rivers and better water quality monitoring. This work challenges the assumption that city waterways are too polluted to use, and therefore should remain off-limits.

In Bristol, parents and play advocates temporarily close residential streets so children can safely play outside again, transforming traffic-dominated roads into lively communal spaces.

Across tennis courts, rivers and neighbourhood streets, it's clear that play cannot be just leisure, or a privilege for the few. It's about well-being, connection and community - and how ordinary people can come together to reclaim public space, making it somewhere safe to socialise, exercise and belong.

Presenter: Tony Hawks

Producer: Guy Natanel

Assistant Producer: Lauren Lewis

Executive Producers: Shannon Delwiche and Chris Jones

Composer: Pat Moran

Sound Mixer: David Crackles

A Sound and Bones production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 14:00 The Archers (m002y1j4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Limelight (m002xtxz)
The Courier

Episode 4

Mo is recovering in hospital after a hit and run. Now he's going to have to tell Omar what's going on. It's only a matter of time before the killer finds him again, or the police have enough evidence to arrest him for a murder he didn't commit.

Series creators: Eno Mfon and Darragh Mortell.

Episode 4 by Darragh Mortell

CAST
Mo - Mohamed Elsandel
Elli - Maeve Courtier-Lilley
Omar - Ali Goolyad
Mama - Alaa Taha
Amna - Fatima Seedahmed
DI Johnson - Kyle Lima
Driver - Ben Crowe
Rosa - Laura dos Santos

Original Music by Tom Tripp
Oud Music by Nabra
Sound: Catherine Robinson and Rhys Morris
Production Coordinators: Maggie Olgiati and Eleri McAuliffe
Script consultant: Majid Hassan
Director: John Norton
A BBC Audio Drama Wales Production


FRI 14:45 The Hackers (m0012r78)
Series 1

Broken

In the past, it was natural to open your phone and pop in a new battery. Today, to do that you may have to be a hacker. Biella speaks to representatives from the EU Right to Repair Movement, and farmers Nebraska to talk about this new, and unexpected frontier in hacker culture we may all soon belong to - the Right to Repair Movement.


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m002y24s)
From the Archives: A Tribute to Matthew Biggs

In this special episode, Kathy Clugston and Peter Gibbs dip into the archives to celebrate the life and work of Matthew Biggs.

Matt spent four decades doing what he loved most - sharing his extraordinary knowledge of the natural world with anyone who would listen. And through the power of radio, listen they did!

In this episode you'll hear Matt in his own words - from his very first appearance on Gardeners' Question Time in 1994, to the remarkable final broadcast he made just weeks before his passing.

Alongside clips of Matt's encyclopaedic and witty gardening advice, you'll hear from friends, colleagues and fellow horticulturalists who knew and loved him, as well as messages from listeners, whose lives he touched in ways that go far beyond gardening.

Producers: Matthew Smith, Rahnee Prescod and Dan Cocker
Assistant Producer: William Norton

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 15:45 Short Works (m002y24v)
The Day of the Papering by Bernie McGill

An original short story specially commissioned by BBC Radio 4 from the writer Bernie McGill. Read by Amy Molloy.

The Author.
Bernie McGill is the winner of the 2023 Edge Hill Short Story Prize for her collection ‘This Train is For’. She is the author of the novels ‘The Butterfly Cabinet’, ‘The Watch House’ and one previous short story collection ‘Sleepwalkers’. She has written audio scripts for heritage projects and stage scripts for theatre. She is a Writing for Life Fellow with the Royal Literary Fund and an honorary member of The Linen Hall Library in which building her writing archive is held.

Writer: Bernie McGill
Reader: Amy Molloy
Producer: Michael Shannon

A BBC Audio Northern Ireland Production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 16:00 Last Word (m002y24x)
"He became one of the most powerful men in the world” - the story of the man who shaped modern economics

A giant of American economics, former US Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan, was an economic pioneer who shaped the modern American economy and believed in free markets and light touch regulation. A world financial crisis after he left the job, however, forced him to question some of his economic assumptions. We hear from Bloomberg's Stephanie Flanders.

Tulsi Vagjiani survived the plane crash which killed her family, but it left her with burns over much of her body. She went on to be a legendary camapigner for better treatment for people who have visible differences. Phil Gorf from Changing Faces and broadcaster model and fellow campaigner Katie Piper pay tribute to her work.

French sailor Charlie Dalin, smashed the record in the non-stop round-the-world Vendée Globe race. It was only afterwards that he revealed that he had taken part in the gruelling competition with a rare cancer. We hear from friend and Vendée Globe competitor Pip Hare.

Teddie Beverley was the last surviving member of the original girl group, The Beverley Sisters. The trio found huge fame in the 1950s, with hits such as I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. Teddie's daughter Sasha Felix tells us how they became the highest-paid female entertainers in the UK, and why some of their tracks were banned from the airwaves.

Presenter: John Wilson
Producer: Ben Mitchell
Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell
Researcher: Jesse Edwards

Archive:
Beverley Sisters: London Plus, BBC, 04/02/1985; Legends: The Beverley Sisters – Tickled Pink, BBC Two, 31/12/2010; Saturday Live, BBC Radio 4, 05/03/2022; Changing Faces: Visible Hate campaign, YouTube, 23/01/2020; Changing Faces: Our ambassador Tulsi on our #IAmNotYourVillain campaign, YouTube, 14/10/2021; Charlie Dalin: Vendée Globe, 14/01/2025; Alan Greenspan, Capitalism, Newsnight, BBC One, 01/10/2007; Alan Greenspan, Newsnight, BBC One, 01/10/2007; Evan meets Alan, BBC Radio 4, 23/10/2013


FRI 16:30 More or Less (m002xzhb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]


FRI 17:00 PM (m002y24z)
Record heat for the third day in a row

The hottest day in June is reset for the third consecutive day, peaking at 37.3 celsius. We hear from the fire service battling the wildfire that broke out in Derbyshire. Also: the death toll in Venezuela doubles after Wednesday's earthquakes. We are joined by former tennis number one Caroline Wozniacki ahead of Wimbledon. Presenter: Katie Razzall.


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m002y251)
Venezuela searches for earthquake survivors

Rescue teams from around the world, including the UK arrive in Venezuela where tens of thousands of people are missing after 2 powerful earthquakes on Wednesday. Hundreds of people are confirmed to have died. Also: The record for the hottest June day in the UK has been broken for a third day in a row, and BBC Radio 4 prepares to broadcast on Long Wave for the final time.


FRI 18:30 Dead Ringers (m002y253)
Series 27

Heat, Hydration and Harry Kane

The Dead Ringers team train their vocal firepower on the week’s news. This week: Keir is ex-Prime Minister, Rob is ex-army, and Liz Truss is ex-cited. Oh and it’s ruddy HOT.

Starring Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Lewis Macleod, Duncan Wisbey and Jess Robinson.

Produced by Jon Holmes
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Production Co-ordinator: Giulia Lopes Mazzu

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.


FRI 19:00 The Archers (m002y255)
It’s the day of Brian’s mediation meeting with Adam and he’s made biscuits, rebutting Kate’s suggestion that they’re an olive branch. He doesn’t need one; he’s the good guy. When she asks whether he’s thought about division of the partnership’s profits, he laughs that there aren’t any. Kate wishes him luck, reminding him he can’t be both the good guy and a stubborn stick-in-the-mud.
Ian advises Adam to stay calm and remember that Brian’s refusal to pay the family what they’re owed is immoral. Ian confides to Kate he fears Adam will lose his cool if Brian doesn’t play ball. Adam’s worked night and day to keep the farm afloat. Kate agrees, though she worries Xander’s relationship with his grandfather’s getting a little lost. Ian insists Brian sees Martha as more of a real grandchild than Xander.
Brian declares to Ruth that his main goal is to put a stop to the claims for money. Ruth reminds him today’s about negotiation and compromise. However when Adam arrives it’s clear Brian won’t shift his in view, insisting he’s bankrolled his children for years. Seeing an impasse, Ruth suggests a break and another meeting, but Brian declares there’ll be no more meetings. When Adam leaves Ruth asks Brian what he actually wants.
Later when Adam declares it’s the end of the road, Ian ventures they still have information on Ruairi. They know the secret and could mention this to Brian. Adam’s against this. Ruairi’s his brother and he’ll never do anything that puts him at risk. Family is more than just blood.


FRI 19:15 Add to Playlist (m002y257)
Tom Seals and Debbie Wiseman slap that bass

Wolf Hall composer Debbie Wiseman and boogie-woogie pianist and singer Tom Seals are Jeffrey and Anna's final guests of the current series as they add the final five tracks, taking them from a Prince classic via the First Lady of Song to Bob Geldof's ticking clock and a Punjabi bhangra megahit.

Add to Playlist will be back on air on 14 August.

For details of the Crossed Wires podcast festival in Sheffield and for free tickets for the recording of Add to Playlist and other Radio 4 shows, visit https://crossedwires.live/fringe

Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe

The five tracks in this week's playlist:

When Doves Cry by Prince
Slap That Bass by Ella Fitzgerald
La Valse by Maurice Ravel
Like Clockwork by The Boomtown Rats 
Mundian To Bach Ke by Panjabi MC

Other music in this episode:

West End Girls by Pet Shop Boys
Billie Jean by Michael Jackson
Africa by Toto
In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins
L'Enfant et les Sortilèges by Maurice Ravel
Time by Pink Floyd
Hung Up by Madonna
Knight Rider theme by Stu Phillips & Glen A. Larson
Turn It Up/Fire It Up by Busta Rhymes


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m002y259)
Sarah Champion MP, Dr Caroline Johnson MP, Gerard Lyons, Danny Sriskandarajah

Alex Forsyth presents political debate from Sheffield High School For Girls, with the Labour MP and chair of the Commons international development committee, Sarah Champion; shadow health minister, Dr Caroline Johnson MP; economist Gerard Lyons; and Danny Sriskandarajah from the New Economics Foundation.

Producer: Paul Martin
Assistant producer: Jo Dwyer
Production co-ordinators: Ishmael Soriano & Sam Grist
Lead broadcast engineer: Phil Booth
Editor: Andrea Kennedy


FRI 20:55 This Week in History (m002xzhl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:40 on Wednesday]


FRI 21:00 Free Thinking (m002y25c)
The Child's Eye View

Shahidha Bari investigates the child’s-eye view of the world. From navigating AI to living through war and the joys of reading, what makes children’s perspectives so distinctive? With writer Katherine Rundell, psychotherapist Josh Cohen, nature writer and novelist Elizabeth-Jane Burnett, historian Emma Butcher and psychologist Nomisha Kurian.

Producer: Luke Mulhall


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m002y25f)
UN says 50,000 Venezuelans still missing after twin earthquakes

The number of people killed has risen to at least 920, with 3,360 injured, according to officials. We report live from Caracas.

Also on the programme: actor Brian Cox on his hopes for the Scotland football team as they wait to find out whether their 2026 World Cup campaign is over. And just hours before BBC Radio 4's Long Wave signal ends, we hear about the transmission masts that put Droitwich in Worcestershire on the map.


FRI 22:45 Land by Maggie O'Farrell (m002y25h)
Episode 10

Very different lives await the four siblings, as Ireland and Canada change across the years.

Inspired by Maggie O’Farrell’s own family history, this spellbinding story follows a family’s struggle for survival in aftermath of the Great Hunger.

On a windswept peninsula in the west of Ireland in 1865, Tomás and his son Liam are working for the Ordnance Survey to map the whole country. The landscape is scarred by deserted villages, entire populations lost to famine.

Land is the story of their family’s life, in the years and decades that follow.

The bestselling author of Hamnet returns with her tenth novel, a soaring history set in Ireland.

Read by Brian Gleeson, best known for his roles in Bad Sisters, Love/Hate, Peaky Blinders and Under Salt Marsh.

Music: Veil of Mist by Caroline Dale
Reader: Brian Gleeson
Abridger: Sara Davies
Production Co-ordinator: Alison Crawford
Mixed by Caitlin Gazeley
Producers: Fay Lomas and Mary Ward-Lowery


FRI 23:00 Americast (w3ct8lz8)
How can Democrats persuade more voters to like them? (with Ben Rhodes, Obama’s former senior advisor)

What should Democrats be doing when it comes to challenging Donald Trump, and in particular, why are Democrat politicians struggling to connect with voters? In this episode, Ben Rhodes joins Americast and gives Justin his current view on the Democrats (and whether they should avoid lecturing voters) plus, why Republicans have been more successful at getting their message out in the digital sphere. What are they doing more effectively than the Democrats?

Ben Rhodes was a speech writer and Deputy National Security Advisor to President Obama and is now the co-host of the popular Pod Save the World podcast. They also discuss Ben’s latest book “All We Say: The Battle for American Identity” which explores American history through the lens of 15 speeches; from Benjamin Franklin to President Trump.

Are we living through a unique moment in time or can we learn more about our present through a study of the past? Have arguments over immigration, citizenry, race and religion always been part of the American story?
And, as negotiations continue between the US and Iran, Ben Rhodes gives us an inside view after his experience negotiating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) directly with Iran in 2015. What sort of deal could Trump strike with Iran and should we trust it?

GET IN TOUCH:
• Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB
• Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480
• Email Americast@bbc.co.uk
• Or use #Americast

HOSTS:
• Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter

GUEST:
• Ben Rhodes, former Deputy National Security Advisor under President Obama and author of All We Say: The Battle for American Identity, A History in 15 Speeches

This episode was made by Alix Pickles, Bethan Ashmead Latham, Purvee Pattni and Tom Gillett. The technical producer was Rohan Madison. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds by hitting the subscribe button on the app.

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

US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155

Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including Newscast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below.

Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl
Top Comment: BBC Sounds - Top Comment - Available Episodes
Radical: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0gg4k6r
The Global Story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvsd


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FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m002y25l)
Alicia McCarthy reports on Parliament under a new Prime Minister, wildfires and who should pay for preserving the nation's churches