BBC Radio 4 LW

Daily Service

Spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.

A space for spiritual reflection with a Bible reading, prayer and a range of Christian music.

Daily Service: 03/12/2007

03/12/2007

BBC Radio 4 - Daily Service, 03/12/2007

Christian worship and music led by Clair Jaquiss.

BBC Radio 4

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

Test Match Special

Test Match Special: Test Match Special

BBC Radio 4 - Test Match Special, Test Match Special

Coverage of the First Test between Sri Lanka and England at the Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy.

Coverage of the First Test between Sri Lanka and England at the Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy. Commentary by Jonathan Agnew, Christopher Martin-Jenkins and Roshan Abeysinghe.

Ball-by-ball coverage of the third day's play of the First Test between Sri Lanka and England at the Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy.

Commentary by Jonathan Agnew, Christopher Martin-Jenkins and Roshan Abeysinghe with summaries from Vic Marks, Angus Fraser and Simon Hughes.

News Headlines; Shipping Forecast

News, weather and Shipping Forecast updates. 

News and Weather

News Headlines; Shipping Forecast: 03/12/2007

BBC Radio 4 - News Headlines; Shipping Forecast, 03/12/2007

National and international news and the shipping forecast.

The latest national and international news headlines, followed by the shipping forecast.

You and Yours

You and Yours: 03/12/2007

BBC Radio 4 - You and Yours, 03/12/2007

Consumer news and issues with Liz Barclay and Mishal Husain.

Weather

Weather: 03/12/2007

BBC Radio 4 - Weather, 03/12/2007Close menu

World at One

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

World at One: 03/12/2007

BBC Radio 4 - World at One, 03/12/2007

National and international news with Martha Kearney.

Brain of Britain

General knowledge in which listeners compete for the title of Brain of Britain.

The nationwide general knowledge contest in which 48 listeners from all parts of the UK fight their way to the final. The prize is a silver salver and the title Brain of Britain.

Brain of Britain: 03/12/2007

BBC Radio 4 - Brain of Britain, 03/12/2007

Peter Snow hosts the first quarter-final in the national general knowledge quiz.

Peter Snow hosts the first quarter-final in the nationwide general knowledge quiz.

The Archers

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

The Archers: 02/12/2007

02/12/2007

BBC Radio 4 - The Archers, 02/12/2007

Ed and Fallon discuss the Grundys' forthcoming Christmas Fair - Clarrie's busy baking mince pies and Ed's planning to go door-to-door leafleting and selling mistletoe and holly. Ed's impressed when Fallon says she can get hold of a PA for the fair so that they can have some music there. Later Clarrie's chuffed when Fallon turns up unexpectedly to do a shift in 'the pie factory'.

There's slight tension at the Stables as Alistair's father settles in - especially when Alistair feels that Jim is criticising Shula. Shula tries to keep her cool during Sunday lunch when Jim mischievously tries to undermine her and side with Daniel. Later, as they're about to set off for a refreshing afternoon stroll, Jim manages to persuade Daniel to stay behind to play computer games with him. Shula manages to restrain herself but on the walk with Alistair she tells him she can't stand this for another two months. They both agree that they can't let this continue.

Drama on 4

Drama from BBC Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra.

Afternoon Play

Drama on 4: Kepler's Mum's a Witch

Kepler's Mum's a Witch

BBC Radio 4 - Drama on 4, Kepler's Mum's a Witch

By Stephen Sharkey. German astronomer Johannes Kepler's mother is accused of witchcraft.

Kepler's Mum's a Witch, by Stephen Sharkey. 17th-century German astronomer Johannes Kepler is appalled when his loud and annoying mother is accused of witchcraft.

Money Box Live

Phone-in programme with discussion and advice on personal finance

Money Box Live: 03/12/2007

BBC Radio 4 - Money Box Live, 03/12/2007

Paul Lewis and guests answer calls on financial issues.

Paul Lewis and guests answer calls on financial issues. Listeners can call 08700 100 444 from 1.30pm until 3.30pm. Calls from land lines cost no more than 8p a minute.

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

Afternoon Reading

Short stories or abridged books, often from new writers

Afternoon Reading: An Audience with Max Wall

Afternoon Reading: An Audience with Max Wall: Episode 1: First Footings

Episode 1

Episode 1: First Footings

An Audience with Max Wall

First Footings

BBC Radio 4 - Afternoon Reading, An Audience with Max Wall, First FootingsSearch BBC

Max recalls his birth into a showbiz world of spit and sawdust in Brixton in 1908.

Max recalls his birth into a showbiz world of spit and sawdust in Brixton in 1908. His father was Scottish character comedian Jack Lorrimer, famous for songs and eccentric dancing.

Tony Lidington plays entertainer Max Wall in a series of shows recorded before an invited audience at the Concert Artistes' Association in Covent Garden.

Max recalls his birth into a showbiz world of spit and sawdust in Brixton in 1908. His father was Jack Lorrimer, a Scottish character comedian famous for songs and eccentric dancing. Max recalls seeing Marie Lloyd and Little Titch perform.

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

Tony Lidington plays the entertainer Max Wall in this series of shows

Tony Lidington plays the entertainer Max Wall in this series of shows recorded before an invited audience at the Concert Artistes' Association in Covent Garden

Apprentice to the Past

Apprentice to the Past: Episode 1

BBC Radio 4 - Apprentice to the Past, Episode 1

Suffolk pargeter Bill Sargent teaches the skills of decorative plasterwork to his son.

Clare Jenkins presents a series about ancient British trades. 1/4: Suffolk pargeter Bill Sargent is teaching his son Kenny this ancient skill of decorative plasterwork.

Series about ancient British trades, presented by Clare Jenkins

Series about ancient British trades, many of which are in danger of disappearing due to a lack of people willing to learn them. Presented by Clare Jenkins

The Food Programme

Investigating every aspect of the food we eat

Food Programme

The Food Programme: Food and Farming Awards Revisited

Food and Farming Awards Revisited

BBC Radio 4 - The Food Programme, Food and Farming Awards Revisited

Sheila Dillon catches up with the winners of the 2006 Radio 4 Food and Farming Awards.

As this year's winners of the Radio 4 Food and Farming Awards celebrate their success, Sheila Dillon hears from those who won last year.

More or Less

Tim Harford explains the numbers and statistics used in everyday life

Tim Harford explains - and sometimes debunks - the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life

More or Less: Are Food Links to Cancer Overstated? - A Dollar a Day - Reading Scores  - Encryption 

Are Food Links to Cancer Overstated? - A Dollar a Day - Reading Scores  - Encryption 

BBC Radio 4 - More or Less, Are Food Links to Cancer Overstated? - A Dollar a Day - Reading Scores  - Encryption

Tim Harford examines the science on lifestyle links to cancer.

Tim Harford examines the science on lifestyle links to cancer. Plus how little is a "dollar a day"? We also look at child literacy rates and investigate how secure computer encryption really is.

Are Food Links to Cancer Overstated? 
Hardly a week seems to go by without news about the discovery of a link between cancer and something we eat or drink. 

Epidemiologists - the scientists who study factors that influence the occurrence of disease - have spent decades trying to identify some of the causes of cancer. 

The most notable success in this quest was the discovery of a strong link between smoking and lung cancer, uncovered by Sir Richard Doll in the early 1950s. Since then, scientists have found links between cancer and some of the food and drink we consume but the links have not been as powerful as the link between smoking and cancer. 

Michael Hanlon, science editor of the Daily Mail, thinks that the public is being given a false impression. He argues that the discovery of relatively trivial risk factors is often reported to the public as if it were as important as the link between smoking and tobacco. He joins presenter Tim Harford in the studio to debate the issues with Professor David Shuker, one of the expert panel members advising the World Cancer Research Fund on a recent study. 

Professor Shuker spent years at the Open University researching the link between the link between red meat consumption and cancer. 

A Dollar a Day 
Just over 18% of the world's population lives on less than a dollar (48p) a day. Anyone living on less than a dollar a day is regarded by international development specialists as living in extreme poverty. 

"A dollar a day" sounds like a simple measure but, as our reporter Mukul Devichand discovers, it can get complicated. He talks to Martin Ravallion, the economist behind the original concept at the World Bank, and to Michael Ward, a former Cambridge dean and previously a principal economist at the World Bank. 

Mukul discovers that a dollar does not always mean a dollar.


Reading Scores 
"Study shows fall in child reading skills." You might have seen or heard the reports in the last week about an international study called Pirls - the Progress in International Reading and Literacy Study. 

Pupils in England and Scotland have apparently been slipping down the Pirls league table. Scotland went from 14th in 2001 to 21st in the latest survey, whilst England went from 3rd to 15th. But a fall in the league tables does not necessarily indicate a decline in absolute standards. 

More or Less listener Mike Cummins wondered therefore whether the headlines claiming a drop in reading ability were justified. 

Encryption 
The recent loss of two computer discs containing the personal data of millions of families in receipt of Child Benefit is regarded as a scandal. 

The fact that the data was protected only by a password rather than encrypted has compounded the potential risks to privacy. 

But how safe is computer encryption? One of the world's top cryptographers, Adi Shamir, has recently identified a flaw in the standard type of cryptography known as public key cryptography, 

According to Professor Shamir, a small mathematical error in the system would make it possible for a hacker to break the encryption code. Such an error could occur due to a careless mistake or deliberate action by a computer programmer. 

Presenter Tim Harford talks to Paul Kocher, president and chief scientist of the encryption company Cryptography Research in San Francisco about the potential threat that a subtle mathematical error could pose to our information security.

Afternoon news and current affairs programme

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

PM: 03/12/2007

BBC Radio 4 - PM, 03/12/2007

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

Full coverage and analysis of the day's news with Eddie Mair. Including at 5.57pm Weather.

Shipping Forecast

The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping

Shipping Forecast: 03/12/2007

BBC Radio 4 - Shipping Forecast, 03/12/2007Close menu

Weather: Weather

BBC Radio 4 - Weather, WeatherClose menu

Six O'Clock News

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4

Six O'Clock News: 03/12/2007

BBC Radio 4 - Six O'Clock News, 03/12/2007

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

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

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue

The long-running, self-styled antidote to panel games.

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue: Series 50

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue: Series 50: Episode 4

Episode 4

Series 50

BBC Radio 4 - I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, Series 50, Episode 4

Regulars Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor are joined by Jeremy Hardy.

The perennial antidote to panel games comes from the Manchester Opera House. Regulars Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor are joined by Jeremy Hardy.

Humphrey Lyttelton chairs the perennial antidote to panel games

Humphrey Lyttelton chairs the perennial antidote to panel games. Regulars Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor are joined by a guest

The Archers: 03/12/2007

BBC Radio 4 - The Archers, 03/12/2007

Brian wonders to Jennifer how Matt and Lilian are getting on; he noticed last week that Matt couldn't take his eyes off Annabelle Schrivener, a new lawyer on the board of Borchester Land.

Adam chats to Brian about Debbie's idea of having an anaerobic digester. Adam explains that it produces methane which can be burnt to make electricity. They could form a cooperative and maybe do deals with supermarkets too. The only problem is that it would cost a million pounds but they could get 40% of that through grants. Brian's definitely interested, but needs a feasibility study to be carried out first. His main concern is that Matt doesn't have anything to do with it. He agrees with Adam that they should sound out Brookfield and Bridge Farm as partners.

Kenton goes to the Stables and catches Alistair constructing a ramp for Jim's wheelchair. Alistair tells him having Jim staying there is a nightmare - they've never got on and old age hasn't mellowed him. However, Kenton gets along a storm with Jim and promises to tell him all about his trip to Vienna when he returns. When Kenton goes, Jim comments how lively, witty and entertaining he is - it's extraordinary that he's Shula's twin brother!

Episode written by Caroline Harrington.

Front Row

Live magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music

Front Row: 03/12/2007

BBC Radio 4 - Front Row, 03/12/2007

Mark Lawson reports on the playwrights who are reinventing the traditional pantomime.

Arts news and reviews with Mark Lawson, who also reports on the playwrights who are currently reinventing the traditional pantomime.

15 Minute Drama

Classic and contemporary original drama and book dramatisations

Woman's Hour Drama: Dombey and Son

15 Minute Drama: Dombey and Son: Episode 11

Episode 11

Dombey and Son

BBC Radio 4 - 15 Minute Drama, Dombey and Son, Episode 11

Harriet tries to appeal to her brother's better nature.

Mike Walker's adaptation of Charles Dickens's classic tale of family relationships. 11/20: Harriet Carker tries to appeal to her brother's better nature.

15 Minute Drama: Dombey and Son

Mike Walker's adaptation of Charles Dickens's classic tale of family relationships

Revert to Type

Revert to Type: Episode 1: Murder on the High Seas

Episode 1: Murder on the High Seas

Murder on the High Seas

BBC Radio 4 - Revert to Type, Murder on the High SeasSearch BBC

Nick Davies revisits his story from 1993 about African stowaways trying to reach Europe.

Journalists revisit stories they covered. 1/3: Murder on the High Seas. Nick Davies returns to a piece he wrote in 1993 about a group of African stowaways trying to reach Europe.

Journalists revisit stories they covered and explore how they have moved on today

Crossing Continents

Series focusing on foreign affairs issues

Crossing Continents: Iran: The Story of Leila

29/11/2007

Iran: The Story of Leila

BBC Radio 4 - Crossing Continents, Iran: The Story of Leila

Julia Rooke tells the story of Leila, an Iranian sold into prostitution at the age of nine

Julia Rooke tells the story of Leila, an Iranian girl sold into prostitution at the age of nine and sentenced to death at 18. Her life was saved by human rights lawyer Shadi Sadr.

Julia Rooke tells the story of Leila, who lives in Tehran. Sold into prostitution by her own mother at the age of nine, Leila was sentenced to death by hanging nine years later. Her life was saved by human rights lawyer Shadi Sadr. Her story provides an insight into poverty in Iran and pays tribute to social workers and lawyers fighting to reform a justice system heavily biased against women.

Natural Despots

Natural Despots: Episode 1

BBC Radio 4 Extra - Natural Despots, Episode 1

Michael Portillo hunts down nature's tyrants and meets the animals who make it to the top.

Michael Portillo investigates nature's tyrants. Leadership is hard to find in the animal world, but many creatures exercise lethal power to get their own.

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.

Michael Portillo investigates nature's tyrants

Start the Week

Weekly discussion programme, setting the cultural agenda every Monday

Start the Week: 03/12/2007

BBC Radio 4 - Start the Week, 03/12/2007

Andrew Marr is joined by James Rubin, Anatol Lieven, Giles Foden and Gillian Beer.

Andrew Marr sets the cultural agenda for the week. Guests include James Rubin, former US State Department spokesperson.

From 1997 to 2000, JAMES RUBIN served as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, Chief Spokesman for the State Department and senior policy adviser to Secretary of State Madeleine K Albright. Now, after seven years in the UK, he is about to return to the US. During his time here he has been considering how America's image abroad has been affected by the war in Iraq. On Start The Week he discusses how European attitudes towards American foreign policy have changed, the loss of American prestige in recent years, and what a Democrat foreign policy would mean for the transatlantic partnership. James Rubin is delivering a lecture, America and Europe: From 9/11 to the 2008 Presidential Election, on Tuesday 4 December at Chatham House in London. 

Pakistan is facing political upheaval and uncertainty as General Musharraf sets his army uniform aside and promises to lift the state of emergency later this month. Is this enough to bring his main rivals Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif back to the table? Will they take part in the elections scheduled for January? If not, will further violence follow? ANATOL LIEVEN is Chair of International Relations and Terrorism Studies at King's College London and worked as a correspondent for The Times newspaper in Pakistan and Afghanistan in the 1980s. He discusses the prospects for democracy in Pakistan. Anatol’s lecture, How Pakistan Works, is on Wednesday 5 December at Chatham House, London.

As the writer of novels about Africa, including The Last King of Scotland, GILES FODEN is intrigued by the work of Joseph Conrad. On the 150th anniversary of Conrad's birth, Foden argues that Conrad's multiple-perspective approach in his fiction and his belief in a cultural multiplicity makes him a writer who's very relevant today. Giles Foden is taking part in a discussion called The Secret Agent: Conrad, London and Contemporary Fiction on Thursday 6 December at the National Portrait Gallery.

Politicians fret over their legacy as they step down from office. We worry about the judgement of the next generation as to how we've treated the planet. PROFESSOR GILLIAN BEER argues that posterity may be about how we are regarded in the future, but it is a living force in the present. And, she asks, why is our current preoccupation with posterity so laced with guilt? Gillian Beer is taking part in a British Academy event on 3 December, Posterity: Present concerns with the future.

The World Tonight

In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and major breaking news from a global perspective

The World Tonight: 03/12/2007

BBC Radio 4 - The World Tonight, 03/12/2007

With Robin Lustig. Are Russians content with outcome of their election?

News and analysis with Robin Lustig. Putin's party wins the Russian election - but despite allegations of vote rigging, are Russians content with the outcome?

Book at Bedtime

Readings from modern classics, new works by leading writers and world literature

Readings from modern classics, new works by leading writers and literature from around the world

Book at Bedtime: Burning Bright

Book at Bedtime: Burning Bright: Episode 6

Episode 6

Burning Bright

BBC Radio 4 - Book at Bedtime, Burning Bright, Episode 6

Maisie has taken a shine to John Astley. A chance encounter leads the girl into danger.

Maisie, living next door to William Blake, likes John Astley, the local circus owner's son. Read by Jenny Coverack.

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03/12/2007

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Shipping Forecast

03/12/2007

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Weather

Weather

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Weather

03/12/2007

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Shipping Forecast

04/12/2007

Genres

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Test Match Special

Test Match Special

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