BBC Radio 4 FM

BBC Radio 4 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced BBC Home Service.

BBC Radio 4

Shipping Forecast

The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping

Shipping Forecast: 11/12/2008

11/12/2008

BBC Radio 4 - Shipping Forecast, 11/12/2008Close menu

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

News Briefing

News Briefing: 11/12/2008

BBC Radio 4 - News Briefing, 11/12/2008Close menu

Test Match Special

; 8.58-9.45; 10.00-11.02* 
India v England 
Commentary continues from last night. 
For commentators and details see yesterday at 3.50am Also on 5 Live Sports Extra *approximate times

Prayer for the Day

Prayer for the Day: 11/12/2008

BBC Radio 4 - Prayer for the Day, 11/12/2008

Daily prayer and reflection with Shaykh Michael Mumisa.

Pause for reflection with Shaykh Michael Mumisa.

Farming Today

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside

Farming Today: 11/12/2008

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 11/12/2008

News and issues in rural Britain with Charlotte Smith.

Fanning Today

With Charlotte Smith. Producer Alasdair Cross

Today

Radio 4's flagship news and current affairs programme; including Thought for the Day

Radio 4's flagship news and current affairs programme; including religious reflections from Thought for the Day at 0748

Today: 11/12/2008

BBC Radio 4 - Today, 11/12/2008

Including Sports Desk; Weather; Thought for the Day; Yesterday in Parliament.

With John Humphrys and Sarah Montague. Including Sports Desk; Weather; Thought for the Day; Yesterday in Parliament.

Presented by John Humphrys and Sarah Montague.

Mark Easton considers the Tackling Knives Action Plan.

Postmen are being told to walk at a set speed of 4mph in order to deliver more mail, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) claims. Gavin Lee discusses.

Sarah Mukherjee reports on an inquiry into the security of UK food supplies.

Rear Admiral Scott Lidbetter and Brigadier Alan Mallinson discuss the delay of the entry into service of two new aircraft carriers so money can be spent instead in Afghanistan.

Angus Stickler visits Edmonton to discover the extent of gang violence.

Cristina Odone, whose brother Lorenzo lived for many years with a fatal disease, as documented in the film Lorenzo's Oil, discusses the recent cases of assisted suicide.

Thought for the day with The Right Reverend Lord Harries.

Robert Peston discusses Britain's switch from financial prudence to heavy borrowing.

Politician Brian Paddick and actor Femi Oyeniran discuss the effectiveness of stop and search in reducing knife crime.

Economist Steven Bell discusses the pros and cons of having a weak pound.

Rebecca Jones talks to Sir Peter Maxwell Davies about the dedication of his new work to Sir Paul McCartney.

Andrew Hosken reports from Athens on the mood there following the recent unrest.

Bob Gibson of the CWU discusses claims that delivery staff are being told to walk at a set speed of 4mph in order to deliver more mail.

Prof Don Braben explains the new prize being launched by UCL in the hope of uncovering the next Einstein.

Columnist Jan Moir and Roger Royle of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund discuss whether the Royal Variety Show is still relevant.

Camilla Batmanghelidjh, of the charity Kids' Company, discusses the use of the term 'gangs'.

With John Humphrys and Sarah Montague. 
6.25,7.25,8.25 Sports News 
6.45 Yesterday in Parliament 
With Robert Orchard and David WHDy. 
7.48 Thought for the Day 
With the Rt Rev Richard Harries. 
8.31  Yesterday in Parliament

; 10.00-11.02* 
India v England 
Commentary continues from last night. 
For commentators and details see yesterday at 3.50am Also on 5 Live Sports Extra *approximate times

In Our Time

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the ideas, people and events that have shaped our world.

In Our Time: The Fire of London

The Fire of London

BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, The Fire of London

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Great Fire of London and the rebuilding of the city.

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss The Great Fire of London in 1666 and how the city rose from the ashes.

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss The Great Fire of London which destroyed up to a third of the city in 1666.  Samuel Pepys described the scene in his diary:“all over the Thames, with one's face in the wind, you were almost burned with a shower of firedrops…and in corners and upon steeples, and between churches and houses, as far as we could see up the hill of the City, we saw the fire …It made me weep to see it.”The London that rose from the ashes was a visible manifestation of ideas; of the politics, religion, economics and science of the heady Restoration period. Christopher Wren, of course, but also Robert Hooke, The Royal Society, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Restoration court of Charles II and, inevitably, building regulations. With Lisa Jardine, Centenary Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary, University of London; Vanessa Harding, Reader in London History at Birkbeck, University of London and Jonathan Sawday, Professor of English Studies at the University of Strathclyde

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Great Fire of London and the rebuilding of the city. Shortened repeat at 9.30pm

Book of the Week

Serialised book readings, featuring works from various genres

Serialised book readings, featuring works of non-fiction, biography, autobiography, travel, diaries, essays, humour and history

Book of the Week: Coda

Book of the Week: Coda: Episode 4

Episode 4

Coda

BBC Radio 4 - Book of the Week, Coda, Episode 4

An overcrowded airport provides the material for a darkly comic tableau.

Playwright and diarist Simon Gray's candid account of coming to terms with terminal cancer. An overcrowded airport provides the material for a darkly comic tableau.

Toby Stephens reads from playwright Simon Gray's candid account of his battle with cancer

Toby Stephens reads from the playwright Simon Gray's candid and darkly comic account of his battle with terminal cancer

4/5. An overcrowded airport provides the material for a darkly comic tableau. By Simon Gray. For details see Monday Repeated at 12.30am

Daily Service

Led by the Rev Dr Martyn Atkins. Be SWLMy 
Soul (Finlandia). Philippians 4, vv4-8. Rejoice, the Lord Is King (Archer). What a Faithful God 
Have I (Critchley, arr Leddington Wright ).

Woman's Hour

Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.

Woman's Hour: Learning poetry by heart; Violence in teen relationships

Learning poetry by heart; Violence in teen relationships

BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Learning poetry by heart; Violence in teen relationships

Daisy Goodwin on the merits of memorising and reciting poetry.

Daisy Goodwin on the merits of memorising and reciting poetry. Plus, why violence occurs in teen relationships and what can be done about it, and three concertina players.

Presented by Jenni Murray. 
10.45 To the North 4/5 The Woman's Hour drama. For details see drama repeat at 7.45pm

Crossing Continents

Series focusing on foreign affairs issues

Crossing Continents: Australia's Northern Territory

Australia's Northern Territory

BBC Radio 4 - Crossing Continents, Australia's Northern Territory

The Australian government's intervention in the remote Aboriginal areas.

Lorena Allam investigates the Australian government's intervention in the remote Aboriginal areas after claims of rampant alcoholism and child abuse.

Lorena Allam investigates the Australian government's intervention in the remote Aboriginal areas after claims of rampant alcoholism and child abuse. Last year, army, police, doctors, nurses and bureaucrats were sent there in a billion-dollar state-run bid to curb violence and improve the wellbeing of Aboriginal families. But Lorena finds that their work has had mixed results, and in some cases has led to poorer diets, premature babies and even an increase in teenage suicides.

5/9. Last year Australia's government declared as state of emergency in the remote Aboriginal areas of the Northern Territories after claims of rampant alcoholism and child abuse. Army, police, doctors, nurses and bureaucrats were sent there in a state-run "intervention" designed to improve the well-being of Aboriginal families. But Lorena Atam finds that the intervention has had mixed results.
(Repeated on Monday at 8.30pm)

Drawn to Be Wild

BBC Radio 4 Extra - Drawn to Be Wild

Jenny Eclair explores the world of outrageous animated ladies over the years.

4 Extra debut. Jenny Eclair explores the world of outrageous animated ladies and reveals why certain creations upset the censors. From December 2008.

Jenny Eclair explores the world of outrageous animated ladies and considers why certain creations have upset censors and infuriated moralists over the years. 

Popular characters such as Betty Boop, Minnie the Minx and Wonder Woman have frequently challenged stereotypes of how 'good girls' should look and behave. Examining today's female comic book heroes, Jenny discovers how far we have come from being offended by Betty Boop's garter. 

With contributions from comic strip enthusiasts Paul Gravett and Mel Gibson.

BBC Radio 4 Extra

Your digital radio entertainment station showcasing the best in comedy and drama

Your digital radio entertainment station showcasing the best in comedy and drama. With recent favourites from BBC Radio 4.

Jenny Eclair explores the history of outrageous animated ladies, revealing how certain cartoon creations pushed boundaries and upset censors. She examines characters who have challenged stereotypes, including Betty Boop and Producer 
Stephen Garner

You and Yours

You and Yours: 11/12/2008

BBC Radio 4 - You and Yours, 11/12/2008

Consumer news and issues with Peter White.

Presented by Peter White.

Lambeth Council in London is coming under criticism from some of its own councillors for opening - and then closing - three cultural information centres. BBC London's Marc Ashdown reports.

According to the charity advisory website Intelligent Giving, some fundraisers are living up to their nickname of 'chuggers', or charity muggers. One man who spent three months working for a street fundraising agency gives an insider's view.

The car industry has been one of the largest victims of the economic downturn. Paul Everitt, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, and Matt Sanger of What Car? magazine analyse the situation.

An increasing number of personal genetic testing companies are being set up, including some in the UK, which claim to analyse your DNA and tell you the likelihood of developing a whole range of illnesses. Ben Hammersley reports.

Brookside Close in Liverpool, home of the former long-running soap, is up for auction. Stephanie Power visits the street with local estate agent Phil Furling and TV presenter and property developer Simon O'Brien, who played original Brookside cast member Damon Grant.

Reporter Jon Douglas visits a Woolworths store as the chain holds closing down sales, and Bryan Roberts, research director at Planet Retail, gives his views.

Weather

Weather: 11/12/2008

BBC Radio 4 - Weather, 11/12/2008Close menu

World at One

Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.

World at One: 11/12/2008

BBC Radio 4 - World at One, 11/12/2008

National and international news with Martha Kearney.

The World at One

Open Country

Countryside magazine featuring the people and wildlife that shape the landscape of Britain

Countryside magazine featuring the people and wildlife that shape the landscape of the British Isles

Open Country: 06/12/2008

06/12/2008

BBC Radio 4 - Open Country, 06/12/2008

Matt Baker finds out about a project to revive the hydroelectric plant in Yorkshire.

Matt Baker finds out about a new project to revive the hydroelectric plant at Grassington in Yorkshire and others like it using a 2,000-year-old invention called Archimedes' Screw.

The Archers

An intense and gripping week of events unfolds in Ambridge. Listen to all the drama here.

The Archers: 10/12/2008

10/12/2008

BBC Radio 4 - The Archers, 10/12/2008

Tom and Tony are constructing Peggy's new summerhouse. Once it's finished, they come inside and Jack gets confused by the amount of people in the room. Tom takes Jack into the lounge to calm down. 

Tony comforts Peggy. The carer, Barney, seems nice and has good references. Peggy decides she will take him on. In the evening Peggy and Jack sit out in their new summerhouse and enjoy looking at the stars.

Neil needs to dash to the shop, as the bathroom suite for the flat's been delivered and left on the pavement. Just as he and Susan try to leave, Mike pops round asking to use the bathroom - the builders have turned his water off.

Later Neil visits Mike and finds him with no water, central heating or power. The building work won't be finished until Christmas, so Neil insists that Mike stays with them before he makes himself seriously ill. Mike doesn't want to impose. Susan returns from a fraught rehearsal, where Eddie and Kenton have been squabbling over who plays the Dame, so Mike starts to leave. However Susan insists he stays, and Mike agrees. Being in that house just isn't that good for his health! 

Episode written by Tim Stimpson.

Drama on 4

Drama from BBC Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra.

Afternoon Play

Drama on 4: The People's Princess

The People's Princess

BBC Radio 4 - Drama on 4, The People's Princess

Facing financial ruin, George, Prince of Wales was obliged to marry his cousin Caroline.

By Shelagh Stephenson. Facing financial ruin, George, Prince of Wales was obliged to marry his first cousin Princess Caroline of Brunswick.

By Shelagh Stephenson.

Facing financial ruin, George, Prince of Wales was obliged to marry his first cousin Princess Caroline of Brunswick. But if he had been expecting a docile partner with whom he could maintain appearances, George had seriously underestimated his wife-to-be.

George IV ...... Alex Jennings
Caroline of Brunswick ...... Rebecca Saire
Henry Brougham ...... Julian Rhind Tutt
Lord Sidmouth ...... Chris McHallem
Lord Liverpool ...... Richard Howard 
Sir Robert Gifford ...... Mark Lambert
Lady Jersey ...... Jill Cardo 
Mr Majoucci ...... Nial Cusack 

Directed by Eoin O'Callaghan.

Afternoon Play: The People's Princess

By Shelagh Stephenson. Facing financial ruin George, Prince of Wales, was obliged to marry his first cousin Princess Caroline of Brunswick. But if he had been expecting a docile partner with whom he could maintain appearances, George had seriously underestimated his wife-to-be.        
Director Eoin O'Callaghan

Journey of a Lifetime

Following the travels of the winners of the annual BBC/RGS's dream journey competition

Following the travels of the winners of the annual BBC/Royal Geographical Society's dream journey competition

Journey of a Lifetime: 2008: Emily Ainsworth

29/08/2008

2008: Emily Ainsworth

BBC Radio 4 - Journey of a Lifetime, 2008: Emily Ainsworth

The latest winner of the BBC/Royal Geographical Society's annual competition.

The winner of the BBC/Royal Geographical Society's annual competition for travellers. Emily Ainsworth takes a dream trip to perform with a family circus in Mexico.

The latest winner of the BBC/Royal Geographical Society's annual competition for travellers who want to fulfil their dream journey to the back of beyond.

Emily Ainsworth takes a dream trip to perform with a family circus in Mexico.

5/5. Another chance to travel the world with the young winners of the BBC/Royal 
Geographical Society Journey of a Lifetime award. The 2006 winner, anthropologist 
Emily Ainsworth , lived and worked in Mexico for three months with a circus. On her first day when the Big Top was being set up, the towers supporting the structure collapsed. producer Simon Elmes (Revised rpt)

Radio 4 Appeal

Highlighting a charity and appealing for donations. The presenters donate their time.

A weekly programme highlighting the work of a charity and appealing for donations. The presenters give their time without payment.

Radio 4 Appeal: St Martin-in-the-Fields

07/12/2008

St Martin-in-the-Fields

BBC Radio 4 - Radio 4 Appeal, St Martin-in-the-FieldsSearch BBC

Rev Nicholas Holtam appeals on behalf of the St Martin-in-the-Fields Christmas Appeal.

Rev Nicholas Holtam appeals on behalf of the St Martin-in-the-Fields Christmas Appeal, for help for homeless people in the capital and individuals in need across the United Kingdom.

The Radio 4 Christmas Appeal

Afternoon Reading

Short stories or abridged books, often from new writers

Afternoon Reading: 80 Not Out

Afternoon Reading: 80 Not Out: Episode 4: Complimentary Souls

Episode 4: Complimentary Souls

80 Not Out

Complimentary Souls

BBC Radio 4 - Afternoon Reading, 80 Not Out, Complimentary SoulsSearch BBC

Comic story of American excess in Europe and lost love rekindled after many years.

Series of five stories read by distinguished actors who are now in their eighties. Comic story of American excess in Europe and lost love rekindled after many years.

Series of five stories read by distinguished actors who are now in their eighties. 

Comic story of American excess in Europe and lost love rekindled after many years. By EF Benson, read by Liz Smith.

Series of five stories read by distinguished actors who are now in their eighties

4/5. Complementary Souls. A charming witty insight into love rekindled by EF Benson, read by Liz Smith. For details see Monday

Radio 4 Christmas Appeal

Donate online or call 0800 082 82 84 (free from UK landlines and mobile phones).

Radio 4 Christmas Appeal: Received with Thanks

Received with Thanks

BBC Radio 4 - Radio 4 Christmas Appeal, Received with Thanks

Libby Purves finds out how the 2007 BBC Radio 4 Christmas Appeal funds have been spent.

Libby Purves finds out how the money raised by listeners for the 2007 BBC Radio 4 Christmas Appeal has been spent over the past 12 months.

Libby Purves finds out how the money raised by listeners last year for the 2007 BBC Radio 4 Christmas Appeal has been spent over the past 12 months. More than 700,000 pounds was raised for St Martin-in-the-Fields's work with homeless people and those in urgent need across the UK.

"Bed is a very small word until you haven't got one." Libby Purves hears from homeless people who have been helped by the £700,000 raised last year by Radio 4 listeners for the work of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Repeated from Sunday at 9.45am

Bookclub

Led by James Naughtie, readers talk to acclaimed authors about their best-known novels

Led by James Naughtie, a group of readers talk to acclaimed authors about their best-known novels

Bookclub: Amitav Ghosh

Amitav Ghosh

BBC Radio 4 - Bookclub, Amitav Ghosh

James Naughtie talks to the Indian writer Amitav Ghosh.

James Naughtie talks to the Indian writer Amitav Ghosh. He joins an audience of readers to discuss his novel The Glass Palace.

Material World

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines. Each week, scientists describe their work, conveying the excitement they feel for their research projects

Material World: Plague in the Great Gerbils of Kazakhstan - Eternity and the Earth After Us

Plague in the Great Gerbils of Kazakhstan - Eternity and the Earth After Us

BBC Radio 4 - Material World, Plague in the Great Gerbils of Kazakhstan - Eternity and the Earth After Us

Quentin Cooper discusses the transmission of plague through gerbil populations.

Quentin Cooper is joined by infectious diseases expert Michael Begon to discuss the transmission of plague through gerbil populations, particularly those in Kazakhstan.

Plague in the Great Gerbils of Kazakhstan
The underground world of Kazakhstan's great gerbils harbours a deadly secret: the bubonic plague. Instead of dying out with the Great Fire, the Black Death continues to thrive in groups of wild animals across Africa, Asia and the Americas. 

Clues to how it spreads come from the coffee percolator! The mathematical 'percolation' theory describes how substances move through the gaps between something like coffee grounds, and can be applied to the spread of plague through a population. With the risk of cross-transmission and the apparent rise in human deaths from the plague, scientists need to find ways of controlling it.

Infectious disease expert Mike Begon from the University of Liverpool joins Quentin Cooper to discuss the unique transmission of the disease through gerbil populations, and how work on an early warning system could help prevent future outbreaks in both wildlife and humans. 

To look at the wider implications of wildlife disease, animal epidemiologist Andrew Cunningham from the Zoological Society of London explains how plague and other illnesses can drive species to extinction.  He also discusses how controlling global trade and crates of bananas could help stop wildlife diseases in their tracks. 


Eternity and the Earth After Us
When it comes to global change and the future of the Human species, we’re getting used to tales of gloom and doom. Time to cheer up, says science writer Michael Hanlon. In his new book ‘Eternity our next billion years’ he argues that, though the road ahead may be rocky, our descendents will survive and even flourish for many millennia. He's not suggesting that everything will go smoothly.

There may be famines and epidemics, earthquakes and volcanoes, floods and wars. But, he argues, though millions may die, our species will come through. He certainly doesn't agree that this could be our final century.

We may even learn to deflect asteroids of the sort that may have killed the dinosaurs. Other cosmological cataclysms such as a nearby exploding star or a passing black hole have not affected Earth in its 4.5 billion year history so are unlikely now, he suggests.

As a geologist at Leicester University, Jan Zalasiewicz also takes a long perspective. But he has seen many species come and go in the fossil record and imagines a similar fate for humans. In his own book, ‘The Earth After Us’ he describes the legacy that will be left in the rocks by human civilisation, as it might be revealed by alien geologists after a hundred million years. 

Both guests speculate on the even longer term: if our descendants still survive, what will they have evolved into? Will they be masters of the Galaxy? What will happen to Earth when the sun finally runs out of fuel and swells into a red giant? What will be our physical legacy in trillions of years time when even the protons of normal atoms have decayed?

Material World: Plague Kazakhstan

The Material World

The underground world of Kazakhstan's great gerbils harbours a deadly secret: the bubonic plague. Infectious disease expert Michael Begon from the University of Liverpool joins Quentin Cooper to discuss the transmission of plague through gerbil populations, and how work on an early warning system could help prevent future outbreaks in both wildlife and humans. Producer Martin Redfern

Afternoon news and current affairs programme

Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines

PM: 11/12/2008

BBC Radio 4 - PM, 11/12/2008

Coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair.

Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Plus Weather.

Six O'Clock News

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4

Six O'Clock News: 11/12/2008

BBC Radio 4 - Six O'Clock News, 11/12/2008

National and international news from BBC Radio 4.

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4, followed by Weather.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Shipping Forecast

11/12/2008

Genres

Brand

Test Match Special

Weather

11/12/2008

Genres

Brand

Weather

11/12/2008

Genres

Brand

Shipping Forecast

12/12/2008

Genres

Brand

BBC Radio 4 FM

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