Editor Chris Burns
A look back at the brightest and best from the British countryside in 2000. Producer Adrian Holloway. Shortened rptThursday4 January 1.30pm
With John Humphrys and Edward Stourton.
7.25,8.25 Sports News
7.45 Thought for the Day With Canon Eric James.
John Peel looks back over the year, and forward to an uncertain future of tall tales, haunted houses and evening classes.
Producer Jacqueline Smith. PHONE: [number removed] WEBSITE: www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hometruths
E-MAIL: home.truths@bbc.co.uk. Repeated New Year's Day 11pm
Michael Palin 's Iron Curtain. 1: Trieste. "From Szczecin.... to Trieste ..., an iron curtain has descended across the Continent" -Winston Churchill , 1946. In the first of two special editions of the travel programme, Michael Palin explores Trieste and how it was forced to play as a bordertown between East and West, capitalism and communism - and he gets to drink some pretty good wine as well.
Producer Sarah Jane Hall. PHONE: [number removed] WEBSITE: www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/excessbaggage E-MAIL: excessbaggage@bbc.co.uk
Dr Seuss, that's who! He also made the Grinch steal Christmas. Michael Rosen pulls up his fox in socks to discover how the good doctor helped two generations of children to read and love words. Producer Mark Burman (R)
Sheena McDonald presents the first of two political discussion programmes, sharpening the focus on current ideas and events. Producer Kirsten Lass
BBC foreign correspondents with the stories behind the world headlines. Introduced by Kate Adie. Producer Tony Grant
Paul Lewis with the latest news from the world of personal finance. Producer Jennifer Clarke
Simon Hoggart looks back at highlights of the past 12 months of the programme. With Alan Coren , Andy Hamilton , Jeremy Hardy , Linda Smith , Francis Wheen. Repeated from yesterday6.30pm
The very best of the year's broadcasting on BBC radio celebrated by Eddie Mair in the concluding part of his pick of picks.
Phone: [number removed] Email [address removed]
(Repeated tomorrow 6.15pm)
Brian Hayes traces the 50-year history of the radio phone-in programme, using archives of its most electric, poignant and confrontational moments. Among the extracts are Britain's first phone-in programme, What Are They Up to Now? and the late Sir Robin Day trying fruitlessly to defend Margaret Thatcher from an insistent caller who would not let her get a word in. With contributions from some of the phone-in's most important early pioneers, producer Matthew Dodd (R)
A touching comedy by Marcel Pagnol, France's greatest 20th-century comic writer.
Percy S. Smith is called 'the Flump', a nickname given by those in the film industry to a person who is obsessed with becoming a great tragic actor. The victim of a practical joke, Percy gets a walk-on part in a new film and suddenly finds himself an overnight star. However, he is feted as a comic, not as a tragedian.
Director Bruce Hyman
Jenni Murray presents the best bits of the year on Woman's Hour, including conversations with Kate Winslet , Patrick Duffy , Isabel Allende , Thora Hird , Jerry Hall , Terry Wogan and Julie Walters. Editor Ruth Gardiner. E-MAIL: womanshour@bbc.co.uk
Full coverage and analysis of the day's news, plus the sports headlines. Presented by Dan Damon.
Andrew Collins surveys the highlights of gossip and revelation from a year of interviews with film stars, including Michael Caine , Uma Thurman ,
Robert Carlyle , Joan Plowright , Ewan MacGregor and Rachel Griffiths. Producer Nicki Paxman
Ned Sherrin and guests with the usual eclectic mix of conversation, comedy and music. Producers Ian Gardhouse and Chris Wilson
Tom Sutcliffe and guests reflect on a year which has seen architectural triumphs and disasters, including Zadie Smith, Harry Potter, plenty of Pinter, and enough George Clooney films to guarantee DVD retailers a prosperous 2001. (Jerome Weatherald)
Kate Adie takes a historical perspective and draws on her experiences in the Balkans to consider the implications of reporting on wars as they happen. Shortened repeat from Christmas Eve 5.40pm
After 50 years of radio's longest-running soap,
Simon Hoggart revisits the Ambridge of the fifties to find out how this portrait of country life has moved with the times. Using contemporary news reports and music, he revisits old episodes and talks to series editors - past and present - to show how one of Radio 4's favourite programmes has always been very much more than just an everyday tale of country folk. Don't miss tomorrow's double-length episode at 7.00pm. Producer Lindsay Leonard
BBC Radio Collection: Three volumes of Vintage Archers cassettes are available from all good retail outlets and www.bbcshop.com.
By Ronnie Smith.
1958. Fulham, south-west London. It has been over five years since Tommie was demobbed after national service. Now he has come back in search of some familiar faces.
A poignant comedy, interspersed with the music of over 40 years ago. (R)
Another debate on the moral issues behind one of the week's controversies.
Shortened repeat from Wednesday 27 December 8pm
Huw Edwards uncovers the real-life history behind the scenes of six favourite operas.
4: Don Carlos. Verdi's opera, set in Spain, tells the story of a Spanish king. But its heart and music are in 19th-century Italy and in a people's Struggle for national unity. Producer Martin Smith (R)
Frank Delaney presents a selection of requests for the festive season, including Ghost Story by Dylan Thomas , Benjamin Zephaniah 's Talking
Turkeys and Walter de la Mare 's Mistletoe. Readers Timothy West , Stephanie Cole and Haydn Gwynne. Repeated from Christmas Eve 4.30pm
Etta Halliday talks to Donald Jackson, the Queen's scriptologist, about the task he has been preparing for all his life - handwritten Bible for the 21st century.
(Repeated from Christmas Day 6.45pm)
Five stories by writers at the Cheltenham Festival of Literature. 4: Stringhoppers by Romesh Gunesekera. A tale offood, ambition and national pride in Sri Lanka. Producer SaraDavies(R)
