BBC Radio 4 LW

Shipping Forecast

The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping

Shipping Forecast: 03/12/2009

03/12/2009

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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: 03/12/2009

BBC Radio 4 - News Briefing, 03/12/2009Close menu

Prayer for the Day

Prayer for the Day: 03/12/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Prayer for the Day, 03/12/2009

Daily prayer and reflection with Alastair McIntosh.

Farming Today

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside

Farming Today: 03/12/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 03/12/2009

News and issues in rural Britain with Charlotte Smith.

As British farmers call for stricter checks to prevent importing eggs with salmonella, the WHO tells Charlotte Smith how they could do more to reduce risks on their own farms.

British farmers have called for stricter checks on imported eggs and higher standards on farms exporting to the UK. But Charlotte Smith hears from the World Health Organisation who say Britain could still do more to reduce salmonella rates in its own eggs - by following techniques used in Scandinavian countries.

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: 03/12/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Today, 03/12/2009

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

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

Presented by James Naughtie and Evan Davis.

Nurses and pharmacists are helping to prevent the serious consequences of mis-prescribing by doctors. According to research published today, nearly one in ten prescriptions written by hospital doctors contained errors, and two per cent were potentially lethal. Professor Peter Rubin, chair of the General Medical Council (GMC) and professor of therapeutics at the University of Nottingham, discusses the findings. 

City bankers are nervously watching events in Brussels in the wake of comments made by France's President Sarkozy. The president warned that the appointment of the Frenchman Michel Barnier as the EU's new internal markets commissioner would rein in the 'free-wheeling Anglo-Saxon model' of banking. Europe business correspondent Nigel Cassidy reports on the financial disputes between France and the UK. 

Eight local authorities in England have been deemed inadequate in their provision of adult care services by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Southwark Council in London, which has dropped from 'excellent', has dismissed the results of an inspection as both 'flawed' and 'inaccurate'. Home affairs editor Mark Easton outlines the inspection results, and Annie Shepherd, chief executive of Southwark Council, comments on her service's downgrading. 

An exhibition tackling climate change is on display at the Royal Academy in London. Artists including Tracey Emin, Antony Gormley and Keith Tyson have contributed to the event, which shows how artists are tackling the topic of global warming. Arts correspondent David Sillito visited the exhibition. 

The government is set to announce a new centrally-funded nuclear research facility, designed to help British firms get contracts for work on the new generation of nuclear power stations. Business secretary Lord Mandelson discusses the plans. 

Goldman Sachs bankers have been buying handguns to defend themselves against any populist uprising. Journalist Alice Schroeder of Bloomberg News broke the story. 

Thought for the Day with Lord Harries of Pentregarth, Gresham Professor of Divinity. 

As many as 300,000 children could be living as slaves in Haiti. Under the restavek system, parents who sell their children are told that they will be educated and looked after well in return for doing chores. But for many children the reality is very different. Correspondent Mike Thomson reports from Haiti. 

A comprehensive account of adult care services by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is published today. The CQC identified eight councils where services are in urgent need of improvement - Poole, Cornwall, Solihull, Surrey, South Tyneside, Southwark, Peterborough and Bromley. With an increase in the number of elderly people in care homes, or receiving care at home, the quality of social care is urgent. 'Pamela', who is campaigning for better standards in care reflects on her experiences, and Baroness Young, chair of the CQC, discusses the report. 

Directors of the Royal Bank of Scotland have threatened to resign en masse if they are stopped from paying out 1.5 billion pounds in bonuses. They say the bonuses are essential to maintain the bank's competitiveness. Business editor Robert Peston outlines the bankers' position and Vince Cable, Treasury spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, examines the bonus culture. 

Tiger Woods has released an enigmatic statement in reaction to his car crash, arousing further suspicion and confusion. Mr Woods announced that he was not perfect, and has not been true to his values, without explaining what exactly he was referring to. Ed Smith, former captain of Middlesex County Cricket Club and sports columnist for The Times, comments on a sportsman's ability to stay calm under pressure. 

'I want the world to see the victory of the European model, which has nothing to do with the excesses of financial capitalism.' President Sarkozy's comment on the appointment of Frenchman Michel Barnier to the role of EU internal market commissioner has worried many people in the City. David Buik of BGC Partners and Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, debate how much financial supervision the EU has over the City. 

Twenty-five years ago today the central Indian city of Bhopal awoke to the horror of the world's worst industrial disaster. Forty tonnes of a deadly gas had leaked from the Union Carbide pesticide plant, killing more than 8,000 people living in the poor and densely-populated neighbourhoods nearby. Correspondent Allan Little reports from Bhopal and investigates how people are still trying to cope with the damage. 

How have British troops in Afghanistan reacted to the announcement of a US troop surge? Security correspondent Frank Gardner spoke to General Nick Carter, the British commander in charge of the south of the country. 

Should drug companies carry out their own clinical trials? The writer and doctor Ben Goldcacre argues that the practice is scandalous and that doctors are re

In Our Time

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

In Our Time: The Silk Road

The Silk Road

BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, The Silk Road

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Silk Road, the trade routes which spanned Asia.

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Silk Road, the trade routes which spanned Asia for over a thousand years, carrying Buddhism to China and paper-making and gunpowder westwards.

Melvyn Bragg and guests Tim Barrett, Naomi Standen and Frances Wood discuss the Silk Road, the trade routes which spanned Asia for over a thousand years, carrying Buddhism to China and paper-making and gunpowder westwards.In 1900, a Taoist monk came upon a cave near the Chinese town of Dunhuang. Inside, he found thousands of ancient manuscripts. They revealed a vast amount of evidence about the so-called Silk Road: the great trade routes which had stretched from Central Asia, through desert oases, to China, throughout the first millennium.Besides silk, the Silk Road helped the dispersion of writing and paper-making, coinage and gunpowder, and it was along these trade routes that Buddhism reached China from India.  The history of these transcontinental links reveals a dazzlingly complex meeting and mingling of civilisations, which lasted for well over a thousand years.With:Tim Barrett is Professor of East Asian History at the School of Oriental and African Studies; Naomi Standen is Senior Lecturer in Chinese Studies at Newcastle University; Frances Wood is Head of the Chinese Section at the British Library.

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: 03/12/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Daily Service, 03/12/2009

Christian worship and music led by Rev Dr Martyn Atkins.

Woman's Hour

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

Woman's Hour: Phone In: Delia Smith on Christmas cooking

Phone In: Delia Smith on Christmas cooking

BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Phone In: Delia Smith on Christmas cooking

Delia Smith answers listeners' questions about Christmas cooking.

Delia Smith answers listeners' questions about Christmas catering. Including: alternative festive goodies, advice for planning ahead, short cuts and last minute emergencies.

Crossing Continents

Series focusing on foreign affairs issues

Crossing Continents: Pakistan Drugs

Pakistan Drugs

BBC Radio 4 - Crossing Continents, Pakistan Drugs

An ex-heroin dealer returns to the mountain hideout where he received drugs rehabilitation

Julia Rooke accompanies former heroin dealer, Urfan Azad, on a journey back to the remote mountain madrassa in Pakistan where he received drugs rehabilitation.

Julia Rooke accompanies former heroin dealer, Urfan Azad, on a journey back to the remote mountain madrassa in north west Pakistan where he received drugs rehabilitation and spiritual healing. But during their journey Urfan reveals how young recovering addicts and criminals were given military training and that some went on to fight in Afghanistan.

The House That Jazz Built

BBC Radio 4 Extra - The House That Jazz Built

Paul Merton celebrates Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club.

Paul Merton looks back at the origins and impact of 'Ronnie Scott's', Britain's most famous Jazz venue. From 2009.

Paul Merton explores the origins of one of the world's most famous venues and examines its impact in the world of music 
 
Recorded at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in Central London.   

Featuring interviews with leading jazz artists Salena Jones, Ian Shaw, Jay Phelps and James Pearson.  

With music and archive from personalities associated with the venue which celebrated its 60th birthday in 2019. 

Made to mark the club 50th anniversary.

Producer:  Stephen Garner

First broadcast on Radio 4 in December 2009.

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.

News Headlines; Shipping Forecast

News, weather and Shipping Forecast updates. 

News Headlines; Shipping Forecast: 03/12/2009

BBC Radio 4 - News Headlines; Shipping Forecast, 03/12/2009

National and international news and the shipping forecast.

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

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

You and Yours

You and Yours: 03/12/2009

BBC Radio 4 - You and Yours, 03/12/2009

Consumer news and issues with Winifred Robinson.

Weather

Weather: 03/12/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Weather, 03/12/2009Close menu

World at One

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

World at One: 03/12/2009

BBC Radio 4 - World at One, 03/12/2009

National and international news with Martha Kearney.

Off the Page

Series featuring new writing and stimulating discussion.

Off The Page 

Off the Page: Everyone's A Critic

Everyone's A Critic

BBC Radio 4 - Off the Page, Everyone's A Critic

Dominic Arkwright and guests discuss criticism and the critics.

Toby Young, Lynne Hatwell, Clive Fletcher and Dominic Arkwright wonder if we really need critics or even criticism? From December 2009.

Are you worried about the future of criticism? 

You should be.  When newspaper editors are forced to make cutbacks, it is critics who are the first in the firing line. But do we really need critics and criticism? 

Critic and journalist Toby Young is joined by blogger Lynne Hatwell and occupational psychologist Clive Fletcher to write about and discuss criticism and the critics. 

Presented by Dominic Arkwright.

Producer: Beatrice Fenton.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2009.

The Archers

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

The Archers: 02/12/2009

02/12/2009

BBC Radio 4 - The Archers, 02/12/2009

Pip got some free time from college, so joins Ruth at the livestock market. Ruth's concerned she should spend more time in the college making friends. Pip says they're already in groups, she doesn't have anything in common with them, and she wishes she could get straight down to hands-on farming. 

It's time for Peggy to leave Jack at The Laurels. Jennifer reminds her to try to keep the farewell low key. Peggy gently tells Jack that he's at a nice hotel and he needs to stay and look after it. When Peggy hugs Jack to say goodbye he becomes distressed. Jennifer assures Peggy she's doing the right thing, Jack will settle down in time. 

Will tells Brian that Ed's been poaching Estate birds, only to discover that Brian offered them to Ed as a goodwill gesture. Will's angry Brian didn't inform him. Brian tells Will to focus on finding the fox he keeps going on about instead of bellyaching about Ed all the time.

Peggy's relieved when Mrs Dawson rings to say that Jack's settled down now. She advises them to wait a few days before visiting. Brian remarks to Jennifer how amazing Peggy is, coping with Jack at home for so long.

Episode written by Nawal Gadalla.

Drama on 4

Drama from BBC Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra.

Afternoon Play

Drama on 4: Headliner

Headliner

BBC Radio 4 - Drama on 4, Headliner

By Neil Brand. An up-and-coming stand-up comedienne is befriended by a US comedy legend.

By Neil Brand. Important elections loom in the eastern European state of Khovakhia when up-and-coming stand-up comedienne Katya Kalugin is befriended by US comic Doug Stokowski.

By Neil Brand. Important elections are on the horizon in the eastern European state of Khovakhia when up-and-coming stand-up comedienne Katya Kalugin is befriended by US comedy legend Doug Stokowski. 

Katya Kalugin ...... Laura Solon
Doug Stokowski ...... Ewan Bailey
Pavel ...... John Biggins
Mikael ...... Piers Wehner 
MC ...... Nigel Hastings 
Reporter ...... Kate Layden.

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: The New Face of the Clyde

28/11/2009

The New Face of the Clyde

BBC Radio 4 - Open Country, The New Face of the Clyde

Matt Baker finds how the River Clyde is being prevented from flooding Glasgow.

The people of Cumbria are facing a huge clean-up operation after the recent floods. Matt Baker learns how the River Clyde's floods of Glasgow are being prevented from happening again.

The people of Cumbria are embarking on the massive clean-up operation after record rainfall and devastating floods over the past days. But flooding has become an all too familiar experience across the UK. 

In this week's Open Country Matt Baker heads to Glasgow to explore the River Clyde. The waters of its White Cart tributary can rise by 20 feet in less than 12 hours. It's flooded significantly  20 times in the last century and Matt meets residents who have given up barricading the doors and accept living upstairs until floodwaters recede. But a massive engineering project is now underway to reduce the likelihood of flooding. Matt finds out where the water will go and just how the surrounding wildlife will be affected. 

Matt also explores the changing face of the Clyde. Traditionally it's been seen as an exit point from Glasgow. The massive shipbuilding industry and the docks meant both the ships and their goods left from the city. For Glasweigians too they headed to the river only to go on their holidays 'doon the watter' to the seaside. But now the image of the river is changing. Shipbuilding has declined so industry's dominance of the waterside has waned. 1.5 billion pounds has been invested to regenerate the Clyde and residents and visitors are being encouraged to rediscover it as a destination in itself. Matt Baker jumps aboard one of the new riverboat tours to see the city from a new perspective and see how tradition and the new wave of business and leisure sit side by side.

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: Computer Aid International

29/11/2009

Computer Aid International

BBC Radio 4 - Radio 4 Appeal, Computer Aid InternationalSearch BBC

Johnny Ball appeals on behalf of Computer Aid International.

Johnny Ball appeals on behalf of Computer Aid International.

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

Registered Charity No: 1069256.

BBC National Short Story Award

Stories shortlisted for the National Short Story Award

BBC National Short Story Award: BBC National Short Story Award 2009

BBC National Short Story Award: BBC National Short Story Award 2009: Episode 4: Exchange Rates

Episode 4

Episode 4: Exchange Rates

BBC National Short Story Award 2009

Exchange Rates

BBC Radio 4 - BBC National Short Story Award, BBC National Short Story Award 2009, Exchange Rates

By Lionel Shriver. The fourth of five shortlisted stories for the annual prize.

By Lionel Shriver. The fourth of five shortlisted stories for the annual prize, chosen from over 680 entries from published writers. Read by Jason Isaacs.

The fourth of five shortlisted stories for the annual prize, chosen from over 680 entries from published writers. Read by Jason Isaacs

Written by an exciting mix of well known and newer writers, the stories range from the contemporary to the fantastical, and from the funny to the intensely moving. They reflect the very best in short story writing in Britain today, and are read by some of the nation's best-known actors.

Readings of the five shortlisted stories for the annual prize

Readings of the five shortlisted stories for the annual prize, chosen from over 680 entries from published writers

Open Book

Programme looking at new fiction and non-fiction books

Programme looking at new fiction and non-fiction books, talking to authors and publishers and unearthing lost classics

Open Book: Jeanette Winterson, Sir Frank Kermode, Meg Rosoff and Philip Ardagh 

Jeanette Winterson, Sir Frank Kermode, Meg Rosoff and Philip Ardagh 

BBC Radio 4 - Open Book, Jeanette Winterson, Sir Frank Kermode, Meg Rosoff and Philip Ardagh

Jeanette Winterson discusses her two new books for children.

Mariella Frostrup's guests include novelist Jeanette Winterson, who discusses her two new books for children.

Mariella talks to Jeanette Winterson, best known for novels including Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit and Lighthousekeeping, about a pair of books she has written for children. The Battle of the Sun is the sequel to the bestselling Tanglewreck. She explains her fascination with Elizabethan London and why a childhood spent almost without books turned her into a storyteller.

Two other top children's authors, Meg Rosoff and Philip Ardagh, recommend their favourite titles of 2009, from picture books to novels for young adults.

Mariella also talks to the distinguished Shakespeare scholar Sir Frank Kermode. His new book, published in the week of his 90th birthday, returns to one of his first loves, the novels of EM Forster.  He explains his admiration for - and reservations about - Forster's work.

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: 03/12/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Material World, 03/12/2009

CERN particle smashing; secrets of toughest bacterium; lab pork; how to live longer.

Quentin Cooper hears how the CERN particle accelerator is breaking records, the toughest bacterium in the world, how to eat and live longer, and how to grow a pork chop in a lab.

Quentin Cooper looks into the science underlying extending healthy life and asks if you can live longer without dietary restriction and with parents of different sexes. 

He also hears about the latest from the Large Hadron Collider experiment at CERN.

What's the toughest bacterium in the world? One of those battling it out for the title is Deinococcus radiodurans. It was discovered in the 1950s after surviving in cans of food after they had been bombarded with radiation. Its ability to repair its own DNA means it could be used in the future to reclaim land contaminated by nuclear or chemical events. Quentin finds out how scientists are uncovering the secrets behind its ability to survive extreme temperatures, severe dehydration and lethal doses of radiation. Understanding how bacteria like Deinococcus coordinate their arsenal of defence mechanisms could help scientists overcome the defences of dangerous, disease causing bacteria.

1989: Day by Day

1989: Day by Day: Episode 60: 3rd December 1989

Episode 60

Episode 60: 3rd December 1989

3rd December 1989

BBC Radio 4 - 1989: Day by Day, 3rd December 1989

George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev declare that the Cold War is over.

George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev declare that the Cold War is over, as hundreds of thousands of people form a human chain to demand reforms in East Germany.

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

George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev declare that the Cold War is over, as hundreds of thousands of people form a human chain to demand reforms in East Germany.

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: 03/12/2009

BBC Radio 4 - PM, 03/12/2009

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: 03/12/2009

BBC Radio 4 - Six O'Clock News, 03/12/2009

National and international news from BBC Radio 4.

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

Bleak Expectations

Comedy Victorian adventures by Mark Evans

Bleak Expectations: Series 3: Lives Lost, Ruined, Wrecked and Redeemed

Lives Lost, Ruined, Wrecked and Redeemed

Series 3

BBC Radio 4 - Bleak Expectations, Series 3, Lives Lost, Ruined, Wrecked and Redeemed

Can Pip and Ripely save the nation or will Mr Benevolent get his evil way?

Can Pip and Ripely save the nation or will Mr Benevolent get his evil way? Starring Anthony Head. From December 2009.

Pip and Ripely find themselves facing a vast and evil undead army. 

England has only one hope - that Miss Sweetly Delightful can melt Mr Benevolent's cruel, undead heart. 

Mark Evans's epic Victorian comedy in the style of Charles Dickens.

Sir Philip ...... Richard Johnson
Young Pip Bin ...... Tom Allen
Gently Benevolent ...... Anthony Head
Harry Biscuit ...... James Bachman
Bishop Wackwallop ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Ripely Bin ...... Sarah Hadland
Miss Sweetly Delightful ...... Raquel Cassidy
The Duke of Chelsea ...... Mark Evans

Producer: Gareth Edwards

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2009.

Bleak Expectations: Series 3

Comedy Victorian adventure by Mark Evans. Several years after the death, for the second time, of his evil guardian Mr Gently Benevolent, Pip Bin's happiness is shattered once again

The Archers: 03/12/2009

BBC Radio 4 - The Archers, 03/12/2009

Vicky's eager to start practising making kissing bough decorations but Joe still needs to secure the job. When Elizabeth learns that Nigel's agreed, Elizabeth's tells them the decorations have to live up to Lower Loxley's professional reputation. Vicky suggests they come up with a prototype to show her, like on Dragon's Den. Joe tells Vicky they'd better keep their plans to sell punch under their hats for the time being. No need to worry Nigel with it! 

Peggy thanks Christine for going to The Laurels with her. Everyone's been so fantastic. After staying at Home Farm, she's not sure she how she'll cope with her first night at the Lodge without Jack. Christine empathises with her. She's still not used to it four years after George died. Peggy gratefully declines Christine's offer to stay with her. She's got to face it sometime. 

Lilian was also keen to have Peggy stay with her at the Dower House. Christine says they're a sad lot. They should all move in together! Peggy knows that Jack's going was inevitable, but she still hoped it wouldn't happen. She feels she's failed Jack somehow. Christine assures Peggy that she's done the right thing for Jack, and for herself in the long run. 

Episode written by Nawal Gadalla.

Front Row

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

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1989: Day by Day

Episode 60: 3rd December 1989

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