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Shipping Forecast

The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping

Shipping Forecast: 21/10/2009

21/10/2009

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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: 21/10/2009

BBC Radio 4 - News Briefing, 21/10/2009Close menu

Prayer for the Day

Prayer for the Day: 21/10/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Prayer for the Day, 21/10/2009

Daily prayer and reflection with Shaunaka Rishi Das.

Farming Today

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside

Farming Today: 21/10/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 21/10/2009

Britain's leading scientists say GM food is crucial if we're going to feed the world.

Leading British scientists from the Royal Society say GM food is crucial if we are to feed the world's growing population. Plus, Anna Hill visits a pub to barter for beer.

A group of Britain's leading scientists from the Royal Society say genetically modified food is crucial if we're to feed the world's growing population. And Anna Hill visits a pub where locals can barter for beer with their home grown fruit and vegetables.

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: 21/10/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Today, 21/10/2009

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

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

Presented by James Naughtie and Sarah Montague

The first swine flu vaccinations are to be carried out. The first people to get the vaccination will be those deemed most at risk such as pregnant women, babies and the elderly. Sir Liam Donaldson, chief medical officer for England, discusses the vaccination programme. 

The government's tax receipts are falling. They dropped by 15.5 billion pounds in the three months to September, compared with the same period last year. Tax accountants BDO say this means the government's budget estimate of a deficit of 175 billion pounds at the end of this fiscal year will be exceeded, and that spending cuts alone will not cut the deficit. Stephen Herring, senior tax partner at BDO, examines the implications on taxes. 

A new report by the Royal Society states that genetically modified (GM) foods could be the solution to global food security. The report calls for two billion pounds to fund a 'Grand Challenge' to help feed the world over the next ten years. Correspondent Tom Feilden looks back on the history of the GM revolution. 

There is to be a run-off in Afghanistan's presidential election on 7 November. A UN panel found that the first election was marred by fraud and has provoked allegations that the British army is propping up a corrupt regime. Correspondent Huw Williams has been talking to people in one of the army's key recruiting grounds along the Fife coast. 

The debate over secret inquests is being raised today as the Coroner's Bill goes to report stage in parliament. Clauses within the Bill include provisions for secret inquiries to replace secret inquests, which critics say could have even tighter restrictions on attendance for family and the press. It will also lead to the disclosure and publication of any documents. Baroness Miller, home affairs spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, examines the public interest issues around the new Bill. 

The Pope is setting up a new legal structure within the Catholic church which could allow entire parishes or even dioceses to leave the Church of England and become Catholics. Christina Rees, a member of the Church of England's general synod, and Rev Dr Giles Fraser of St Paul's Cathedral discuss the move. 

A new version of George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess is beginning its national tour in Cardiff. The classic story of racism, abuse and drugs in the American south has been translated to contemporary South Africa, with a cast from that country. Reporter Wyre Davies joined one of the rehearsals.

Thought for the day with Akhandadhi Das, a Vaishnav Hindu teacher and theologian. 

The Royal Society is urging the government to spend two billion pounds on crop research to combat global food shortages. A report from the society warns that current agricultural methods will not provide enough food for the world's rising population. Professor Sir David Baulcombe of Cambridge University, who chaired the panel which undertook the study, explains how GM technology can aid global food shortages. 

Afghanistan will hold a deciding round of its presidential poll on 7 November, pitting Hamid Karzai against his rival Abdullah Abdullah. News of the run-off vote came a day after a UN-backed panel said it had clear evidence of fraud in August's first round, lowering Mr Karzai's vote share below 50 per cent. Mr Karzai told a news conference that he accepted the findings, adding they were a 'step forward' for democracy. Foreign Secretary David Miliband discusses whether a second election will be more democratic than the first. 

Residents in Barnet, north London, could be given the option of lower council tax, if their bins are collected less often. The blueprint could be rolled out across other councils. Barnet councillor Mike Freer and chief executive of the Royal Society of Arts Mathew Taylor discuss the move to "local choice". 

The governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, says plans to reform UK banking are not enough. He wants to see a fundamental rethink of how banks are structured and says that some banks should be broken up to protect the taxpayer from a future dominated by institutions which are "too big to fail". Terry Smith, chief executive of specialist broker Tullett Prebon, and Steven Bell, chief economist at hedge fund GLC, analyse whether Mr King's recommendations could improve the banking sector. 

One of the most extraordinary books ever written about relations between the races is being published to mark Black History Month. Black Like Me tells the story of how the white American writer John Howard Griffin took drugs to darken his skin and then embarked on a dangerous journey through the then-segregated deep south of the United States, exactly 50 years ago. Correspondent Kevin Connolly has been reflecting on the book's impact. 

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been warning other countries of a catastrophe if there is no agreement on climate change at Copenhagen. But, here in the UK, one of the government's key prog

Midweek

Lively and diverse conversation with weekly guests

Midweek: 21/10/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Midweek, 21/10/2009

Lively and diverse conversation with Libby Purves and guests including Arturo Brachetti.

Lively and diverse conversation with Libby Purves and guests Arturo Brachetti, Virginia Fraser Johnson, David Wilson and Rachel Podger.

Arturo Brachetti is the magician, actor and quick-change artist who has almost single-handedly revived the lost art of quick change, practiced in Italy since the 16th century. With his vast repertoire of characters from James Bond to Sid Vicious and the Queen, his new show, Change, tells the story of a renowned artiste of the Golden Age of cabaret who, after a career that has taken him to some of the greatest theatres in the world, will finally take his place on the stage of London's West End. Change is at London's Garrick Theatre.

Virginia Fraser Johnson is the widow of Frank Johnson, the parliamentary sketch writer whose work enriched The Daily Telegraph for more than 30 years as well as The Times, The Sunday Telegraph and The Spectator. She has put together a collection of his work in a book, Best Seat in the House: The Wit and Parliamentary Chronicles of Frank Johnson, which is published by JR Books.

David Wilson is Professor of Criminology at Birmingham City University and director of the University's Centre for Criminal Justice Policy. He is widely recognised as the UK's leading expert on British serial murders. His work as a criminologist and profiler, and previously as a prison governor, brought him into close contact with several infamous serial killers. In his book A History of British Serial Killing, published by Sphere, he investigates some of these crimes.

Rachel Podger is a violinist and leading interpreter of the Baroque and Classical periods. She holds four professorships including Professor at The Royal Welsh College of Music and the newly-founded Michaela Comberti Chair for Baroque Violin at the Royal Academy of Music in London. She is releasing a new CD with Pavlo Beznosiuk and the Orchestra of the Age of Englightenment - Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante and Haydn's Violin Concerti 1 and 4 - and is running and starring in the Brecon Baroque Festival.

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

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: 21/10/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Daily Service, 21/10/2009

Christian worship and music led by Monsignor Tony Rogers.

Woman's Hour

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

Woman's Hour: Melanie C; Sexism in the city; Maternity rights

Melanie C; Sexism in the city; Maternity rights

BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Melanie C; Sexism in the city; Maternity rights

Former Sporty Spice Melanie C on motherhood and her theatrical debut.

Former Sporty Spice Melanie C on motherhood and her theatrical debut. Plus, the sex industry's infiltration of the modern workplace; and have maternity rights gone too far?

How to Run a City

How to Run a City: Episode 3

Episode 3

BBC Radio 4 - How to Run a City, Episode 3

Shari Vahl meets chief executives who have left local authorities for the national stage.

Shari Vahl meets former chief executives of English local authorities who have now moved to the national stage to find out what skills they've brought with them, and why they left.

Series in which Shari Vahl meets some of the past, present and future stars of English local authorities who are bidding to blow the cliches and stereotypes out of the water. 

Shari meets chief executives who have left local authorities for the national stage, to find out what they have brought with them from local government, and why they left. 

Sir Bob Kerslake used to run Sheffield City Council - now he runs the Homes and Communities Agency. Walking through rainswept central London streets, he takes Shari to see an impoverished part of Pimlico which to him embodies the local causes at the heart of his national job. 

Carolyn Downs, meanwhile, went from running Shropshire County Council to becoming Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Justice. So how different is her new role? 

Lin Homer succeeded Sir Michael Lyons as chief executive of Birmingham's huge city council. Shari visits each of them in their current roles - Homer is now head of the UK Borders Agency, and Sir Michael is chair of the BBC Trust. Each explains how the sometimes punishing experience of running a city has prepared them for their present work. 

And Shari asks Sir Howard Bernstein, chief executive of Manchester City Council, another of the country's biggest authorities, why, even after 40 years with the same authority, he finds the prospect of working in London utterly untempting.

Shari Vahl meets some of the past, present and future stars of English local authorities

Shari Vahl meets some of the past, present and future stars of English local authorities who are bidding to blow the cliches and stereotypes out of the water

Hut 33

Three code-breakers hate each other and their draughty hut. James Cary's wartime sitcom.

Three code-breakers are forced to share a draughty wooden hut as they try to break German ciphers. Unfortunately, they hate each other. James Cary's wartime sitcom.

Hut 33: Series 3: Big Machine

Big Machine

Series 3

BBC Radio 4 Extra - Hut 33, Series 3, Big Machine

Can Gordon's new computing invention help the Bletchley Park codebreakers?

Can Gordon's new computing invention help the Bletchley Park codebreakers? Stars Robert Bathurst. From October 2009.

1942: can Gordon's new computing invention help the Bletchley Park code-breakers? 

James Cary's sitcom set at Bletchley Park - the top-secret home of the Second World War codebreakers.

Professor Charles Gardner …. Robert Bathurst
Archie …. Tom Goodman-Hill
Gordon ...... Fergus Craig
3rd Lieutenant Joshua Featherstonhaugh-Marshall …. Alex MacQueen
Minka …. Olivia Coleman
Mrs Best …. Lill Roughley

Producer: Adam Bromley

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2009.

Hut 33: Series 3

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.

Sitcom by James Cary, set in Bletchley Park in 1941

News Headlines; Shipping Forecast

News, weather and Shipping Forecast updates. 

News Headlines; Shipping Forecast: 21/10/2009

BBC Radio 4 - News Headlines; Shipping Forecast, 21/10/2009

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: 21/10/2009

BBC Radio 4 - You and Yours, 21/10/2009

Consumer news and issues with Winifred Robinson.

Weather

Weather: 21/10/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Weather, 21/10/2009Close menu

World at One

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

World at One: 21/10/2009

BBC Radio 4 - World at One, 21/10/2009

National and international news with Martha Kearney.

The Media Show

This is the programme about a revolution in media.

Social media, anti-social media, breaking news, faking news: this is the programme about a revolution in media.

The Media Show: 21/10/2009

BBC Radio 4 - The Media Show, 21/10/2009

Culture secretary Ben Bradshaw; new media impact on newspaper opinion; the BBC Trust.

Culture secretary Ben Bradshaw on the future for UK broadcasting, the impact new media is having on newspaper opinion and how successful is the BBC Trust?

The Press Complaints Commission has received more than 22,000 complaints about an article on the death of the Boyzone singer Stephen Gately in the Daily Mail. Was this an orchestrated internet 'hate' campaign or a spontaneous response to a provocative article? Emily Bell, director of digital content at The Guardian, gives her thoughts.

It's been another big week for the BBC Trust. First the shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt called for it to be abolished, then Peter Hain asked the chairman, Sir Michael Lyons, to block the appearance of BNP leader Nick Griffin's appearance on Question Time. David Elstein joins Steve to discuss how successful the BBC Trust has been in doing the job it was set up to do.

Steve also talks to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Ben Bradshaw, about his plans for the future of UK broadcasting, print and online.

The Archers

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

The Archers: 20/10/2009

20/10/2009

BBC Radio 4 - The Archers, 20/10/2009

Lilian makes a point of telling Susan just how difficult Peggy's life is at the moment; how she has had to accept that Jack will have to go into a home. Shocked Susan didn't realise. At home with Neil she is upset. She had no idea how bad things had got with Jack. And now she feels they won't think twice about closing the shop.

Matt goes to see Russell, his solicitor, who now has full disclosure from Chalkman's side. Matt is horrified. It's clear to him that Chalkie is trying to dump it all on him - saying that everything they did was Matt's idea. He gets very wound up, so that Russell suggests he might like to think about some counselling. Matt can't believe it. 

When Matt tells Lilian, she thinks Russell might be right. Matt says he's bound to be in a state, he's facing ten years in gaol! When Lilian suggests he should at least go to a doctor and get something for his nerves, Matt is furious. There's nothing wrong with his head. What he is facing is real. And apparently, he's going to have to face it on his own. 

Episode written by Tim Stimpson.

Drama on 4

Drama from BBC Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra.

Afternoon Drama

Drama on 4: Daniel Thurman - Those Hard to Reach Places

Daniel Thurman - Those Hard to Reach Places

BBC Radio 4 - Drama on 4, Daniel Thurman - Those Hard to Reach Places

A former mayor sparks a battle for supremacy between two cleaners prepared to fight dirty.

4 Extra Debut. A former mayor's moment of madness sparks a battle for supremacy between two cleaners prepared to fight dirty. Stars Anne Reid and Geoffrey Whitehead.

'Cleaner...only dirtier' is not how your average domestic cleaner describes themselves. But then Rita is anything but your average domestic cleaner as an unfortunate former mayor is about to discover in Daniel Thurman's sparkling comedy.

Fawcett ..... Geoffrey Whitehead
Mrs Randle ..... Anne Reid
Rita ..... Janet Dibley
Bus Driver ..... Piers Wehner
Phone voice ..... Emerald O'Hanrahan

Directed by Toby Swift.

Money Box Live

Phone-in programme with discussion and advice on personal finance

Money Box Live: 21/10/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Money Box Live, 21/10/2009

Paul Lewis and a panel of guests answer calls on energy saving.

Paul Lewis and a panel of guests answer calls on energy saving.

Guests:  
Clare Corbett, energy campaigner, Which? 
Ann Robinson, director of consumer policy, Uswitch 
Rob Bell, Energy Saving Trust.

Afternoon Reading

Short stories or abridged books, often from new writers

Afternoon Reading: A Glimpse of Stocking

Afternoon Reading: A Glimpse of Stocking: Episode 2: The Hostess With the Mostest

Episode 2

Episode 2: The Hostess With the Mostest

A Glimpse of Stocking

The Hostess With the Mostest

BBC Radio 4 - Afternoon Reading, A Glimpse of Stocking, The Hostess With the MostestSearch BBC

By Laura Marney. Bus hostess Jill strives to win the monthly customer satisfaction bonus.

By Laura Marney. If bus hostess Jill is to afford a summer holiday, she has to win the monthly customer satisfaction bonus. Read by Gayanne Potter.

A short story in celebration of 'something shocking' - the nylon stocking. 

If bus hostess Jill is to afford a summer holiday, she's got to win the monthly customer satisfaction bonus. All that stands in her way are some curling sandwiches, a top-loading video cassette player and a pair of American Tan tights. Well, it is 1984...

Written by Laura Marney and read by Gayanne Potter.

Series of stories celebrating 70 years of nylon stockings

Amanda Vickery - A History of Private Life

Amanda Vickery - A History of Private Life: Episode 18: Spinsters

Episode 18

Episode 18: Spinsters

Spinsters

BBC Radio 4 Extra - Amanda Vickery - A History of Private Life, Spinsters

What 18th-century home life held for spinsters. As many as one in five women never married

Historian Amanda Vickery reveals what 18th-century home life held for spinsters. As many as one in five women never married.

Historian Amanda Vickery presents a series which reveals the hidden history of home over 400 years. She draws on first-hand accounts from letters and diaries, many of which have never been heard before. Including songs which have been specially recorded for the series. 

When we think of the history of home, the cosy experiences of the nuclear family spring easiest to mind. But what of those who had no family or home of their own? 

Probably as many as one in five women never married in 18th-century England. What about their story? What did the comforts of home mean for them? Prof Vickery tells the story of one admirable and disabled spinster, whose letters she discovered in a record office in Reading. 

Readers: Deborah Findlay, John Sessions, Madeleine Brolly and Simon Tcherniak.

Singers: Gwyneth Herbert and Thomas Guthrie, with David Owen Norris at the keyboard.

A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4.

Historian Amanda Vickery reveals the hidden history of home over 400 years

Historian Amanda Vickery presents a series which reveals the hidden history of home over 400 years, drawing on first-hand accounts from letters and diaries

Thinking Allowed

Thinking Allowed: Suburbia Planning - Modernity Forgets

Suburbia Planning - Modernity Forgets

BBC Radio 4 - Thinking Allowed, Suburbia Planning - Modernity Forgets

From suburbia to housing estates, Laurie Taylor discusses town and city planning.

From suburbs to housing estates Laurie Taylor explores the history and future of urban planning. Also modernity and memory - why contemporary life makes us forgetful.

How do housing estates and suburbs serve or fail to serve their residents? Three out of four British people live in the suburbs, many of which grew as cities and their populations expanded. Laurie Taylor is joined by Paul Barker and Lynsey Hanley to discuss housing estates and suburbs. What form of housing most fulfills people's desires? And will urban planning ever be able to fulfill Aneurin Bevan's dream of social integration?  

Also on the programme, why modernity makes us forgetful. Does the speed and transience of life today damage our shared and individual memories? The social anthropologist Paul Connerton thinks it does. He discusses his latest book with Laurie Taylor.

Trials For Life

Trials For Life: Episode 3

BBC Radio 4 - Trials For Life, Episode 3

Vivienne Parry asks what patients can do for themselves to relieve pain.

Doctors can offer traditional treatments or places on clinical trials, but what can patients do for themselves? Vivienne Parry visits a pain self-management programme in Plymouth.

Vivienne Parry explores the world of clinical trials. 

Doctors can offer traditional treatments or places on clinical trials, but, when all else fails, what can patients do for themselves? Vivienne visits a Challenging Pain course run by Arthritis Care in Plymouth and hears how patients are trialling their own pain relieving techniques at home. 

Rheumatoid arthritis affects the whole body, but especially the joints, and it can be so painful that a normal life is not possible. Even the newest 'biologic' drugs - which target individual molecules that cause the inflammation and damage in the joints - don't work for everybody, and so ongoing research is needed. Patients who volunteer for such studies are closely monitored and often hope for success for future patients, as well as relief of their own pain.

Why do patients volunteer for clinical trials: just to get better or for the common good?

Vivienne Parry asks whether patients take part in clinical trials simply to get better or for the common good, hoping for future cures

1989: Day by Day

1989: Day by Day: Episode 17: 21st October 1989

Episode 17

Episode 17: 21st October 1989

21st October 1989

BBC Radio 4 - 1989: Day by Day, 21st October 1989

Thousands of protestors march through East Germany.

Thousands of protestors march through East Germany; a BBC survey suggests one third of British muslims believe Salman Rushdie should be killed because of The Satanic Verses.

Sir John Tusa looks back at the events making the news 20 years ago.

Thousands of protestors march through East Germany; a BBC survey suggests one third of British muslims believe Salman Rushdie should be killed because of his book, The Satanic Verses.

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.

Sir John Tusa looks back at the events making the news 20 years ago

Afternoon news and current affairs programme

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

PM: 21/10/2009

BBC Radio 4 - PM, 21/10/2009

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: 21/10/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Six O'Clock News, 21/10/2009

National and international news from BBC Radio 4.

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

Rudy's Rare Records

Sitcom by Danny Robins, set in a Birmingham record shop

Rudy's Rare Records: Series 2

Rudy's Rare Records: Series 2: Episode 2: Oh Carolina

Episode 2: Oh Carolina

Series 2

Oh Carolina

BBC Radio 4 Extra - Rudy's Rare Records, Series 2, Oh Carolina

Adam finally goes out on a date, but is the lady in question quite what she appears?

Adam finally goes out on a date, but is the lady in question quite what she appears? Starring Lenny Henry. From October 2009.

Sitcom by Danny Robins, set in a Birmingham record shop.

The Archers: 21/10/2009

BBC Radio 4 - The Archers, 21/10/2009

Leon goes round to see Helen, but she's not there. Annette is though, and so he invites himself in. He soon gets Annette talking about Max, and the breakup - and then about all her previous disastrous relationships. Annette clearly enjoys talking to him, though they both jump up to tidy the room when Helen finally gets home. 

Clarrie and Eddie are looking forward to living at Brookfield for the week next week. Ed comes round to Keeper's Cottage to see them, not knowing that Will is there. Will overhears them talking about how much George loves Ed's cows. When the brothers are alone together it escalates into a row. Clarrie and Eddie have to calm things down. 

Afterwards, Clarrie is upset. She was hoping they could put all their differences on one side and have a family meal together in Brookfield's spacious kitchen. But there's no chance of that now. 

Episode written by Tim Stimpson.

Front Row

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

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1989: Day by Day

Episode 17: 21st October 1989

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21/10/2009

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21/10/2009

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21/10/2009

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Shipping Forecast

21/10/2009

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