BBC Radio 4 LW

Shipping Forecast

The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping

Shipping Forecast: 17/09/2009

17/09/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Shipping Forecast, 17/09/2009Close menu

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.

News Briefing

News Briefing: 17/09/2009

BBC Radio 4 - News Briefing, 17/09/2009Close menu

Prayer for the Day

Prayer for the Day: 17/09/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Prayer for the Day, 17/09/2009

Daily prayer and reflection with Alison Twaddle.

Farming Today

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside

Farming Today: 17/09/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 17/09/2009

Charlotte Smith asks if it matters that a bottle of milk costs less than a bottle of water

Charlotte Smith hears that we're importing over 1 million litres of milk a day, but Farming Minister Jim Fitzpatrick tells us we don't need to be self-sufficient.

At the UK's largest dairy event, Charlotte Smith hears that we're importing over 1 million litres of milk a day, but Farming Minister Jim Fitzpatrick tells us we don't need to be self-sufficient. Dairy farmers show optimism for the future as Farming Today asks whether it matters if a bottle of milk costs less than a bottle of water.

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: 17/09/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Today, 17/09/2009

Including Sports Desk; Weather; Thought for the Day.

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

Presented by John Humphrys and Sarah Montague.

GP catchment areas are to be scrapped in England within a year, health secretary Andy Burnham will announce. Dr Laurence Buckman, of the BMA's GP committee, discusses whether more choice will drive up standards. 

US president Barack Obama does not believe current criticism of his policies is based on the colour of his skin, the White House has said. North America editor Mark Mardell visits South Carolina to gauge reaction to the outburst in Congress against Mr Obama that led to the rebuke of Republican lawmaker Joe Wilson. 

What public services will the UK have in 2020? Sir Andrew Foster, former chief executive of the Audit Commission, considers how cuts in public spending could affect the services available to the taxpayer. 

Culture secretary Ben Bradshaw has called for changes to the way the BBC is governed and said there may be 'a case' for the licence fee to be cut. John Whittingdale MP, chairman of the culture, media and support committee, considers whether the BBC has reached the limits of its 'reasonable expansion'. 

Around 1.5 million Somalis have been forced from their homes since a surge in fighting between government forces and Islamic militia groups in 2007. In the second of his reports from the country, correspondent Mike Thomson talks to a young mother who has just fled from Somalia with her four remaining children. 

Flavio Briatore has left his position as boss of the Renault team after they decided not to contest charges of fixing the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. Former F1 world champion Damon Hill discusses the extent of the damage done to motor racing by the scandal. 

More than 70,000 members of Britain's armed forces have served in Afghanistan since 2001 and the number of personnel killed since the start of operations now totals 214. Denise Harris, the mother of Corporal Lee Scott, and Lucy Aldridge, the mother of Rifleman William Aldridge, discuss the death of their sons and their attempt to show soldiers in Afghanistan that they have support at home. 

Ballot papers for a national strike at Royal Mail over pay and job cuts are being sent out to the main postal union. Dave Ward of the Communication Workers Union, Mark Higson, managing director of Royal Mail Letters, and Sean Rickard of the Cranfield School of Management discuss the future of the postal service. 

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that President Obama is to scrap US plans for a missile defence shield in Poland and the Czech Republic. Correspondents Mike Wooldridge and Adam Easton reflect on the claims. 

More than 1,000 costumes, 70 acrobats and dancers, 32 horses, 100 doves, three falcons, two eagles, two vultures and two donkeys appear in the stage show Ben Hur Live. Composer and narrator Stewart Copeland, founder of band The Police, discusses the extravaganza based on an 1880 novel which was turned into the 1959 screen epic starring Charlton Heston. 

The BBC Trust, which sets the corporation's strategy and upholds standards, could not be both 'regulator and cheerleader' for ever, culture secretary Ben Bradshaw says. Sir Michael Lyons, chairman of the BBC Trust, considers the future of his organisation. 

What will happen next in fertility treatment and embryo research? The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is looking ahead at what might present some of the challenges in the future. Reporter Tom Feilden and Lisa Jardine of the HFEA discuss the accuracy of so-called 'horizon scanning' in predicting the future direction of research. 

Mary Travers, a member of the hugely popular 1960s US folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, has died aged 72. The Today programme plays tribute to the folk star by playing one of the group's most famous hits, Puff The Magic Dragon. 

Afghan President Hamid Karzai's campaign team has condemned as 'irresponsible' claims by EU monitors about the extent of election fraud. Correspondent Allan Little reports on the reliability of the final preliminary result.

In Our Time

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

In Our Time: St Thomas Aquinas

St Thomas Aquinas

BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, St Thomas Aquinas

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss St Thomas Aquinas.

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss St Thomas Aquinas, the Catholic Church's foremost western philosopher and theologian.

Melvyn Bragg discusses the life, works and enduring influence of the medieval philosopher and theologian St Thomas Aquinas with Martin Palmer, John Haldane and Annabel Brett. St Thomas Aquinas' ideas remain at the heart of the official doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church today and inform philosophical debates on human rights, natural law and what constitutes a 'just war'.Martin Palmer is Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture; John Haldane is Professor of Philosophy at the University of St Andrews; Annabel Brett is Lecturer in History at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.

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: 17/09/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Daily Service, 17/09/2009

Christian worship and music led by Bishop George Stack.

Woman's Hour

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

Woman's Hour: William Shawcross on the Queen Mother

William Shawcross on the Queen Mother

BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, William Shawcross on the Queen Mother

William Shawcross on the Queen Mother. Plus the sexualisation of young girls.

William Shawcross on his biography of the Queen Mother. Plus the sexualisation of young girls; and can being a mother enhance sporting prowess?

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: 17/09/2009

BBC Radio 4 - From Our Own Correspondent, 17/09/2009

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

BBC foreign correspondents with the stories behind the world's headlines. Introduced by Kate Adie.

The A-Z of Dr Johnson: Words, Words, Words

BBC Radio 4 - The A-Z of Dr Johnson: Words, Words, Words

Sue Perkins explores the house of Dr Johnson, author of the great English dictionary.

Comedian Sue Perkins explores the house of Dr Johnson, author of the great English dictionary, which would set the standard for all future dictionaries.

Comedian Sue Perkins explores the house of Dr Johnson, author of the great English dictionary, which would set the standard for all future dictionaries and yet still led to his being sent to debtor's prison. 

The towering figure of Dr Johnson has dominated the classification of English. The publication in 1755 of his dictionary has traditionally been seen as the starting point of the defining of our language, but this was by no means the first dictionary. 

Sue gets her hands on a precious first edition of the Johnson's Dictionary and, along with biographer Henry Hitchings, meets the editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, John Simpson, to find out how Johnson set about his monumental task, which he completed in just nine years. Sue also visits the British Library in the company of antiquarian book seller Karen Thomson, who gives her a whirlwind tour of our earliest dictionaries, with all their attendant quirks and oddities.

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

News Headlines; Shipping Forecast

News, weather and Shipping Forecast updates. 

News Headlines; Shipping Forecast: 17/09/2009

BBC Radio 4 - News Headlines; Shipping Forecast, 17/09/2009

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: 17/09/2009

BBC Radio 4 - You and Yours, 17/09/2009

Consumer news and issues with Winifred Robinson.

Weather

Weather: 17/09/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Weather, 17/09/2009Close menu

World at One

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

World at One: 17/09/2009

BBC Radio 4 - World at One, 17/09/2009

National and international news with Martha Kearney.

Costing the Earth

Fresh ideas from the sharpest minds working toward a cleaner, greener planet

Costing the Earth: Buildings

14/09/2009

Buildings

BBC Radio 4 - Costing the Earth, Buildings

Tom Heap asks if we are looking in the wrong place for solutions to climate change.

Buildings use more energy than all forms of transport put together. Tom Heap asks if we are looking in the wrong place for solutions to climate change.

The places where we live and work account for well over a third of the energy the world uses - our homes, offices, cinemas and sports centres are a much bigger problem for the planet than cars, lorries, planes and ships. Does that mean we can fly as much as we like as long as we sort out the problems on the ground? Tom Heap investigates. 

A recent report backed by some of the world's leading corporations identified buildings as major contributors to problems of climate change. The even worse news is that most of the homes, offices and public buildings that will be standing in the middle of the century have already been built, so they will have to be expensively adapted if they are to be made green enough to meet even modest energy-saving targets. The business leaders behind the report have said that although the work is expensive, it will pay for itself in reduced energy bills in a surprisingly short time. 

But they also say that it simply won't get done until governments make it compulsory. Have the politicians got the bottle? Do the numbers really work? Tom Heap visits homes, offices and experts to ask whether payback time has arrived, who is footing the bill, and how much disruption it will mean at home, at work and at play.

The Archers

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

The Archers: 16/09/2009

16/09/2009

BBC Radio 4 - The Archers, 16/09/2009

Neil tells Susan he's too old for chasing pigs. He's had enough, and the money's terrible. Susan suggests Tom might offer him a new contract. Neil is doubtful. 

Later, as Susan tells Lilian about this, newly re-energised Neil arrives with Tom, who's asked Neil to supply thirty weaners a month. 

Lilian tells Jolene about Chalkman's threats. Lilian doesn't think Matt will be sentenced to ten years. Jolene says she wishes Fallon would make an effort with Wayne. Later, Lilian scolds Sid to stop scowling at Wayne. Lilian says he must be pleased Wayne's getting on better with Fallon, because when they've sorted things out, Wayne will leave. 

While Wayne's helping in the Bull, he tells Fallon he's mending his drinking ways. Jolene sees them chatting. Wayne says Fallon's only being polite, but Jolene's sure Fallon cares for him. When Wayne tells Tom about his misspent youth, Fallon changes the subject. After Tom goes, Wayne expresses regret to Fallon about his past. 

In the kitchen, Wayne makes Jolene a sandwich. Sid finds Jolene and Wayne laughing over old times. Wayne tells Sid he's getting somewhere with Fallon and thanks Sid for letting him stay. Sid grudgingly says that's good news.

Episode written by Mary Cutler.

International Cricket

BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Ball by ball coverage of Twenty20 and One Day International events

International Cricket: 17/09/2009

BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra - International Cricket, 17/09/2009

Coverage of the sixth One Day International between England and Australia at Trent Bridge.

Coverage of the sixth One Day International between England and Australia from Trent Bridge. Commentary from Jonathan Agnew, Jim Maxwell and Christopher Martin-Jenkins.

Coverage of the sixth One Day International between England and Australia from Trent Bridge. Commentary from Jonathan Agnew, Jim Maxwell and Christopher Martin-Jenkins and analysis by Alec Stewart, Stuart Law and Peter Moores.

Including Shipping Forecast.

The World Tonight

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

The World Tonight: 17/09/2009

BBC Radio 4 - The World Tonight, 17/09/2009

National and international news and analysis with David Eades.

News and analysis with David Eades. Includes Washington scrapping the European missile defence system, the deadly air strike in Yemen and Brixton's new currency.

National and international news and analysis with David Eades.

Washington scraps the European missile defence system, but will the move make Russia more co-operative on Iran? 

With the deadly air strike in Yemen, is the country in danger of becoming a failed state? 

Spending versus cuts: has cutting government spending become the new economic orthodoxy? 

, Brixton gets a new currency, but will the 'Brixton pound' bring prosperity to local traders?

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: Ordinary Thunderstorms

Book at Bedtime: Ordinary Thunderstorms: Episode 4

Episode 4

Ordinary Thunderstorms

BBC Radio 4 - Book at Bedtime, Ordinary Thunderstorms, Episode 4

Adam is lying low, but both the police and Philip Wang's killer are on his trail.

Adam is lying low, suspected of murdering the scientist Philip Wang. But it is not only the police who want to find him, the real killer is also onto his trail.

David Holt reads from the thriller by William Boyd. Adam Kindred, a young scientist, loses everything and is pursued by the police and a ruthless hitman. 

Adam is lying low, suspected of murdering the scientist Philip Wang. But it is not only the police who want to find him, the real killer is also onto his trail.

A Jane Marshall production for BBC Radio 4.

David Holt reads from the thriller by William Boyd

David Holt reads from the thriller by William Boyd. Adam Kindred, a young scientist, loses everything and is pursued by the police and a ruthless hitman

I've Never Seen Star Wars

Marcus Brigstocke invites guests to try new experiences

I've Never Seen Star Wars: Series 1

I've Never Seen Star Wars: Series 1: Episode 6: Esther Rantzen

Episode 6

Episode 6: Esther Rantzen

Series 1

Esther Rantzen

BBC Radio 4 - I've Never Seen Star Wars, Series 1, Esther Rantzen

Marcus Brigstocke invites Esther Rantzen to try new experiences.

Jon Ronson On

Jon Ronson and guests examine a series of diverse stories and subjects

Jon Ronson examines a series of diverse stories and subjects with the help of contributors from the worlds of comedy, journalism, entertainment and culture

Jon Ronson On: Series 4

Jon Ronson On: Series 4: Episode 3: States of Mind

Episode 3

Episode 3: States of Mind

Series 4

States of Mind

BBC Radio 4 - Jon Ronson On, Series 4, States of Mind

How we all exist in different states of reality, according to the balance of our minds.

Jon Ronson looks at how we all exist in different states of reality. With Derek Draper on sociopathic behaviour in Parliament. From September 2008.

Jon Ronson looks at how we all exist in different states of reality, according to the balance of our minds. 

He talks to ex-Labour spin doctor and psychoanalyst Derek Draper about the sociopathic behaviour in Parliament. Jon also interviews the ex-Norwegian prime minister who resigned after announcing he was depressed and who later went on to be re-elected. 

There is also an update on a previous story involving ex-MI5 officer David Shayler, who announced he is the Messiah and invites Jon along to his first press conference.

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.

Jon Ronson takes a quirky look at aspects of human behaviour

Midnight News

The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.

Midnight News: 17/09/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Midnight News, 17/09/2009

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

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

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: Halfway to Hollywood

Book of the Week: Halfway to Hollywood: Episode 4

Halfway to Hollywood

BBC Radio 4 - Book of the Week, Halfway to Hollywood, Episode 4

Michael's fond recollections of his sister, Angela, and the germ of A Fish Called Wanda.

Michael Palin reads from his second volume of memoirs. Michael's fond recollections of his sister, Angela, and the germ of A Fish Called Wanda.

Michael Palin reads from his second volume of memoirs, covering his film work and family life in the 1980s. 

Michael's fond recollections of his sister, Angela, and the germ of A Fish Called Wanda.

Michael Palin reads from his second volume of memoirs

Michael Palin reads from his second volume of memoirs, covering his film work and family life in the 1980s

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes

A selection of BBC World Service news and current affairs, arts and science programmes

BBC Radio 4 presents a selection of news and current affairs, arts and science programmes from the BBC World Service

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Shipping Forecast

17/09/2009

Genres

Brand

Weather

17/09/2009

Genres

Brand

The World Tonight

17/09/2009

Genres

Brand

Shipping Forecast

17/09/2009

Genres

Brand

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