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: 09/07/2009

09/07/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Shipping Forecast, 09/07/2009Close 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: 09/07/2009

BBC Radio 4 - News Briefing, 09/07/2009Close menu

Prayer for the Day

Prayer for the Day: 09/07/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Prayer for the Day, 09/07/2009

Daily prayer and reflection with Rev Dr Craig Gardiner.

Farming Today

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside

Farming Today: 09/07/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 09/07/2009

The final Royal Show. Charlotte Smith hears the memories of champions and judges.

The final Royal Show. Charlotte Smith hears the memories and hopes of champions and judges, and we find out how the honey from the Farming Today bees has fared.

With Charlotte Smith. Producer Anne-Marie Bullock

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: 09/07/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Today, 09/07/2009

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

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

Presented by Evan Davis and Sarah Montague.

Nick Davies discusses the Guardian's investigation into allegations of phone hacking by News of the World journalist.  

James Robbins reports on the latest from the G8, where there has been disagreement between the industrialised G8 nations and newer economies.

Dr Chris Elliott explains the findings of a new RAC Foundation report involving private clamping companies.

Dr Paul Chirico, senior tutor at Fitzwilliam College Cambridge, discusses poet John Clare's passion for the environment.

London Mayor Boris Johnson says he is worried the EU will strangle the City of London if new directives on regulation within the financial sector are implemented in their current form.

Economists Professor Tim Congdon and Liam Halligan discuss if quantitative easing is good for the UK economy.

Thought for the Day with Reverend Dr Giles Fraser, Vicar of Putney. 

Correspondent Ian Pannell reports from Afghanistan where he is with US troops who are fighting in Helmand. Lib Dem Nick Clegg discusses the government's tactics in Afghanistan.  

Media correspondent Torin Douglas and broadcaster Andrew Neil discuss whether phone hacking has become commonplace in modern journalism. 

Political editor Nick Robinson and former Home Secretary Charles Clarke discuss whether Andy Coulson, who was the News of the World editor at the time of the scandal, should be held responsible. 

Environment analyst Roger Harrabin and Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband consider whether G8 nations and emerging economies should focus on improving energy efficiency and decarbonising energy supply.

Is the language that politicians and policy makers use clear or confusing? Columnist Matthew Parris  and linguistics expert Professor David Crystal discuss.

What is it about gangster films that make them so popular? Editor of Sight & Sound magazine Nick James and Erwin James, a writer and former prisoner, discuss how gangsters would like best to be represented on screen.

Will scientists be able to predict all details of an organism just from understanding the genome? Professor Lewis Wolpert and Dr Rupert Sheldrake, consider the predictive power of genetics. 

The World Paper and Comb Championship are to take place at Stonehaven Folk Festival. Previous winner Bob Kibble explains the appeal and shows off the skills that made him a world champion.

With Evan Davis and James Naughtie. 
6.25, 7.25, 8.25 Sports News 
6.45 Yesterday in Parliament 
With Sean Curran and David Wilby. 
7.48 Thought for the Day With the Rev Dr Giles Fraser. 
8.31  Yesterday in Parliament

In Our Time

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

In Our Time: Ediacara Biota

Ediacara Biota

BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, Ediacara Biota

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Ediacara Biota.

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Ediacara Biota: the Precambrian beings that some consider the first complex multicellular life forms.

Melvyn Bragg and guests Martin Brasier, Richard Corfield and Rachel Wood discuss the Ediacara Biota, the Precambrian life forms which vanished 542 million years ago, and whose discovery proved Darwin right in a way he never imagined.  Darwin was convinced that there must have been life before the Cambrian era, but he didn't think it was possible for fossils like the Ediacara to have been preserved. These sea-bed organisms were first unearthed in the 19th century, but were only recognised as Precambrian in the mid-20th century.  This was an astonishing discovery. Ever since, scientists have been working to determine its significance. Were the Ediacara the earliest forms of animal life? Or were they a Darwinian dead end?  Either way, it is argued, they reveal some of the secrets of the workings of evolution.  Richard Corfield is Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences at the Open University; Martin Brasier is Professor of Palaeobiology at the University of Oxford; Rachel Wood is Lecturer in Carbonate Geoscience at the University of Edinburgh.

The Dreyfus Affair. Melvyn Bragg and Ruth Harris discuss Alfred Dreyfus, the Franco-Jewish army officer who was falsely accused of treason, causing Emile Zola to write the open letter J'Accuse, in which he accused the French government of being anti-Semitic.

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: Stalin's Nemesis

Book of the Week: Stalin's Nemesis: Episode 4

Episode 4

Stalin's Nemesis

BBC Radio 4 - Book of the Week, Stalin's Nemesis, Episode 4

On the morning of May 24th 1940, Trotsky wakes to the sound of gunfire inside his fortress

In the early hours of May 24th 1940, Trotsky awakes to the sound of gunfire inside his fortress in Mexico City.

Nigel Anthony reads from Bertrand M Patenaude's account of the exile and subsequent assassination of Leon Trotsky.

In the early hours of May 24th 1940, Trotsky awakes to the sound of gunfire inside his fortress in Mexico City.

A Jane Marshall production for BBC Radio 4.

Bertrand M Patenaude's account of the exile and subsequent assassination of Leon Trotsky

Nigel Anthony reads from Bertrand M Patenaude's account of the exile and subsequent assassination of Leon Trotsky

Daily Service

Led by Bishop George Stack. 0 Happy Band of Pilgrims (Knecht). Luke 15, vvl-7. 0 Be Joyful in the Lord (Stanford). Christ Is the King! 0 Friends Rejoice (Vulpius).

4/5. In the early hours of 24 May 1940, Trotsky awakens to the sound of gunfire inside his fortress in Mexico City. Nigel Anthony reads Bertrand M Patenaude's book. For details see Monday Repeated at 12.30am

Woman's Hour

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

Woman's Hour: Parkinson's Disease care; Laura Dockrill on poetry

Parkinson's Disease care; Laura Dockrill on poetry

BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Parkinson's Disease care; Laura Dockrill on poetry

The gaps in Parkinson's disease care discussed. Laura Dockrill on making poetry cool.

The gaps in Parkinson's disease care discussed. Plus, working at Battersea Dogs Home; and writer Laura Dockrill on making poetry cool.

Woman's Hour from 10.45

Test Match Special

England v Australia 
The second day of the First Test from Cardiff. For commentators see yesterday *approximate times Commentary also on 5 Live Sports Extra at 10.45am TV highlights of today's play are on Five at 7.15pm

Sacred Hearts

9/10
The Woman's Hour drama. 
For details see drama repeat at 7.45pm

From Our Own Correspondent

Kate Adie introduces insight, wit and analysis from BBC correspondents and writers.

Kate Adie introduces insight, wit and analysis from BBC correspondents, journalists and writers telling stories from around the world.

From Our Own Correspondent: 09/07/2009

BBC Radio 4 - From Our Own Correspondent, 09/07/2009

Quentin Sommerville talks to the victims of ethnic violence in China.

Quentin Sommerville visits a hospital in Urumqi and talks to the victims of ethnic violence in China, and Peter Martell gives an inside look at escalating unrest in south Sudan.

Kate Adie introduces BBC foreign correspondents with the stories behind the headlines.

Quentin Sommerville visits a hospital in Urumqi and talks to the victims of ethnic violence in China, and Peter Martell gives an inside look at escalating unrest in south Sudan. 

Steve Gibbs visits a very quiet foreign ministry in Honduras, where the new government seems to have few friends.

The programme also includes dispatches on tourism in Libya and America's summer tradition of yard sales.

From Our Own Correspondent: 9 July

10/10. The stories behind global headlines, presented by Kate Adie.

The Wreck of the Alba

BBC Radio 4 Extra - The Wreck of the Alba

Michael Bird uncovers the significance of The Wreck of the Alba, painted by Alfred Wallis.

The painting, The Wreck of the Alba, depicts the tragedy that hit St Ives in 1938. Writer and surfer Michael Bird uncovers the story. From July 2009.

Michael Bird, an art historian and surfer, uncovers the universal and local significance of one of the most popular pictures in the Tate, St Ives - The Wreck of the Alba by Alfred Wallis. 

He interviews people in St Ives who remember the disaster, when the steamer's crew was wrecked on Porthmeor beach in January 1938. Michael also gains access to many recordings of people who knew Wallis, made in the 1960s by Dr Roger Slack, a St Ives GP, and speaks to Chris Stephens, senior curator at the Tate, and to people looking at the painting and surfers on the beach.

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.

A popular picture at the heart of the summer exhibition at Tate St Ives is The Wreck of the Alba by Alfred Wallis. The painting captures the moment when the ship foundered on Porthmeor on 31 January 1938. Michael Bird , art historian and surfer, tells the story of Wallis's painting and reveals its wider political significance as well as its resonances for local people. He interviews those in St Ives who remember both Wallis and the disaster, including the son of one of the lifeboat crew and the widow of the man who bought the painting from the artist for half a crown. Producer Julian May

You and Yours

You and Yours: 09/07/2009

BBC Radio 4 - You and Yours, 09/07/2009

Consumer news and issues with Winifred Robinson.

You and Yours: Housing market

Weather

Weather: 09/07/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Weather, 09/07/2009Close menu

World at One

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

World at One: 09/07/2009

BBC Radio 4 - World at One, 09/07/2009

National and international news with Martha Kearney.

The World at One

Off the Page

Series featuring new writing and stimulating discussion.

Off The Page 

Off the Page: You're Fired!

You're Fired!

BBC Radio 4 - Off the Page, You're Fired!

Dominic Arkwright and guests discuss the consequences of being sacked.

Dominic Arkwright, Anna Raeburn, Linda Blair and Jeremy Clarke discuss the process and aftermath of getting the sack. From July 2009.

Whether it is dressed up as 'downsizing', 'delayering', 'realigning the business' or simply having to 'let people go', firing or being fired is still a painful process. 

Broadcaster Anna Raeburn, writer Jeremy Clarke and psychologist Linda Blair join Dominic Arkwright to discuss the consequences of being sacked.

6/7. You're Fired! Whether it's dressed up as "downsizing", "realigning the business" or simply having to "let people go", it's still a painful process. Broadcaster Anna Raeburn , writer Jeremy Blair and psychologist Linda Blair join Dominic Arkwright to talk about the process and aftermath of getting the sack. Producer Sarah Langan Repeated on Monday at 11pm

The Archers

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

The Archers: 08/07/2009

08/07/2009

BBC Radio 4 - The Archers, 08/07/2009

Alan and Usha discuss Jim's tenancy at Blossom Hill Cottage, and their argument the previous week. Things are better between them and, inspired by the good weather, Alan suggests that they go camping together. Usha is not so keen.

Lilian is delighted when her son James arrives in Ambridge for her birthday. He takes her to lunch, and surprises her by saying he's booked to stay in Grey Gables all week. Lilian tells him about Matt, and her ordeal in the car. James seems more worried about Matt's financial situation but Lilian does not pick up on his concern.

Shula bites her tongue as she's summoned to Blossom Hill Cottage to help Jim with a leaking washing machine. The damage is minimal, prompting Shula to reprimand Jim gently for calling on her and Alistair too easily. Shula is frosty with Alan and Usha who call in to see Jim, pointing out to Usha that the facilities in Blossom Hill Cottage are her responsibility. Later, she's cool with Alan when he brings Jim to the Stables on his motorbike but Jim doesn't notice.

Episode written by Nawal Gadalla.

Drama on 4

Drama from BBC Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra.

Afternoon Play

Drama on 4: The Night Horse

The Night Horse

BBC Radio 4 - Drama on 4, The Night Horse

By Catrin Clarke. A mother and daughter wait for a soldier to come back from Afghanistan.

By Catrin Clarke, set on the outskirts of Cardiff. Tensions grow as a mother and daughter wait for a soldier to come back from Afghanistan.

By Catrin Clarke, set on the outskirts of Cardiff. Tensions grow as a mother and daughter wait for a soldier to come back from Afghanistan.

Sian ...... Eiry Thomas
Dee ...... Carli Hughes
Nansi ...... Catrin Stewart
Riding Instructor ...... Keiron Self

Directed by Polly Thomas.

Afternoon Play: The Night Horse

Two women wait for a soldier to come back from Afghanistan. As they do so, tensions between mother and daughter grow. A new play by Catrin Clarke , set on the outskirts of Cardiff.  Producer/Director Polly Thomas

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: Orkney Energy

Orkney Energy

BBC Radio 4 - Open Country, Orkney Energy

Helen Mark meets the Scottish islanders determined to become self-sufficient in energy.

Helen Mark drives a chip fat-powered car around the Orkney island of Westray as she meets the pioneers determined that their island becomes self-sufficient in energy.

Helen Mark drives a chip fat-powered car around the Orkney island of Westray as she meets the pioneers determined to turn their island into the first community in Britain to be entirely self-sufficient in energy. The local kirk is powered by a wind turbine, holiday homes are heated by ground source heat-pumps and local farmers and fishermen are making their own fuel from cattle manure and cooking oil.

Helen also takes to the water to discover more about the enormous energy resource contained within the tides and currents of the Orkney Islands. Can a parade of new gadgets harness the power without disturbing the birds and mammals that feed in the rich waters of the Pentland Firth?

1/11. Helen Mark travels to Westray, one of the most northerly of the Orkney Islands, to find out how and why a group of fishermen, farmers and teachers is leading the way in proving that Britain can become self-sufficient in energy. Repeated from Saturday at 6.07am

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: Working Families

05/07/2009

Working Families

BBC Radio 4 - Radio 4 Appeal, Working FamiliesSearch BBC

Lynda Bellingham appeals on behalf of Working Families.

Linda Bellingham appeals on behalf of Working Families.

Lynda Bellingham appeals on behalf of Working Families. 

Donations to Working Families, should be sent to FREEPOST BBC Radio 4 Appeal, please mark the back of your envelope Working Families. Credit cards: Freephone 0800 404 8144. If you are a UK tax payer, please provide Working Families with your full name and address so they can claim the Gift Aid on your donation worth another 25 per cent. The online and phone donation facilities are not currently available to listeners without a UK postcode. 

Registered Charity No: 0427690.

Afternoon Reading

Short stories or abridged books, often from new writers

Afternoon Reading: Mick Jackson - Bears of England

Afternoon Reading: Mick Jackson - Bears of England: Episode 3: Sewer Bears

Episode 3

Episode 3: Sewer Bears

Mick Jackson - Bears of England

Sewer Bears

BBC Radio 4 - Afternoon Reading, Mick Jackson - Bears of England, Sewer BearsSearch BBC

In the 19th century, under London's streets, several bears are sorting the city's effluent

For many years in the 19th century, under London's streets, several dozen bears are sorting the city's effluent. Dark tale read by Ian Holm.

Series of three eccentric stories by Mick Jackson, which mix fantasy with folk tale and myth with history. 

For many years in the 19th century, several dozen bears were held in London's sewers, where they served as the city's unpaid flushers and toshers.

Read by Ian Holm.

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.

Series of eccentric stories which mix fantasy with folk tale and myth with history.

Series of eccentric stories by Mick Jackson, which mix fantasy with folk tale and myth with history. Read by Ian Holm

Bears of England

3/3. Sewer Bears. Ian Holm reads Mick Jackson 's magical story, set in the 19th century, when several dozen bears were held in London sewers, where they served as the city's unpaid flushers. For details see Tuesday

America, Empire of Liberty

America, Empire of Liberty: Episode 89: Iraq and the 'Axis of Evil'

Episode 89

Episode 89: Iraq and the 'Axis of Evil'

Iraq and the 'Axis of Evil'

BBC Radio 4 - America, Empire of Liberty, Iraq and the 'Axis of Evil'

The 9/11 attacks propel President Bush and America in to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Series charting the history of America, written and presented by David Reynolds. The September 11 attacks propel President Bush and America in to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Series charting the history of America, written and presented by David Reynolds. 

The September 11 attacks propel President Bush and America in to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Series charting the history of America, written and presented by David Reynolds

America, Empire of Liberty: 89/90: Iraq and the Axis of Evil

The 11 September attacks propel George W. Bush and America into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The penultimate instalment in David Reynolds's history of America.

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: Bernard MacLaverty

Bernard MacLaverty

BBC Radio 4 - Bookclub, Bernard MacLaverty

James Naughtie and readers meet Northern Irish writer Bernard MacLaverty.

James Naughtie and readers meet Northern Irish writer Bernard MacLaverty to discuss his Booker Prize-shortlisted novel Grace Notes.

James Naughtie and readers meet Northern Irish writer Bernard MacLaverty to discuss his Booker Prize-shortlisted novel Grace Notes, which concerns a young female composer very much in a man's world. Now living in Scotland, MacLaverty returns to his native Belfast especially for the recording of the programme.

Northern Irish writer Bernard MacLaverty talks to James Naughtie and an audience of his readers about Grace Notes, which charts the life of a female composer in a man's world. Repeated from Sunday at 4pm

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: 09/07/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Material World, 09/07/2009

Quentin Cooper hears about the birth of an ocean off the Horn of Africa.

Quentin Cooper hears about the birth of an ocean - in the Afar triangle off the Horn of Africa, which is breaking away from the mother continent.

Quentin Cooper hears about the birth of an ocean - in the Afar triangle off the Horn of Africa, which is breaking away from the mother continent.

Plus the science behind the week's headlines on artificial sperm from Newcastle University; and the Easter Island compound, Rapamycin, which could help us all live to an older age.

Material World: Afar Triangle

The Material World

Quentin Cooper explores topical scientific issues, discussing the latest developments with researchers from across the country.

Afternoon news and current affairs programme

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

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Shipping Forecast

09/07/2009

Genres

Brand

You and Yours

09/07/2009

Genres

Brand

You and Yours

Contributors

Weather

09/07/2009

Genres

Brand

Weather

09/07/2009

Genres

Brand

Shipping Forecast

09/07/2009

Genres

Brand

BBC Radio 4 FM

About BBC Radio 4

Appears in

About this data

About this data