The latest shipping forecast.

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day.

News about food, farming and the countryside. Fodder shortages from the dry weather mean that some farmers are taking the drastic decision to kill cattle early. Show more

Series of stories about British birds, inspired by their calls and songs. Kate Humble presents the hoopoe. Show more

Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.

Three diplomats talk about how their personal careers reflect the changing attitudes of the country they have served for over 40 years. Show more

David Cannadine meets the present Duke of Wellington to explore how his ancestor's utilitarian boots came to define his military and political leadership. Show more

Katharine Longworth reflects on the poetic works of St Francis. She meets Fra Alessandro at the Church of San Damiano in Assisi where Francis wrote The Canticle of the Creatures. Show more

A look at the thousands of children forced to share a bed with a sibling or parent, how to date without apps, healthy language learning and coercive control. Show more

Commentary on the first day of the first Test between England and India, from Edgbaston, with Jonathan Agnew, Prakash Wakankar, Michael Vaughan and Ebony Rainford-Brent. Show more

The latest shipping forecast.

The latest shipping forecast.

Josh and his wife attend their first NCT class, where Josh typically manages to fall out with almost everyone. From 2016. Show more

Rex is pushed out, and Brian's frustrations grow. Show more

Arts news, interviews and reviews. Tracy Chevalier, Brian Irvine and Kenneth Steven on how the British landscape has inspired so many artists as well as work of their own. Show more

Amy finds the pressure too much and wants to run back to London, but Ryley persuades her to stay in Manchester. Show more

Anne McElvoy invites figures from opposing sides of a political issue to listen to each other, with the help of conflict resolution specialist Gabrielle Rifkind. Show more

Sam Kane tells Dominic Lawson how she met the challenges which destroyed her family and business career after surgically changing her gender three times in the past twenty years. Show more

Andrew Pontzen, reader in cosmology at UCL, looks at iron's sometimes ambivalent history and how, beyond war and peace, the element has shaped human biology and culture. Show more

Three diplomats talk about how their personal careers reflect the changing attitudes of the country they have served for over 40 years. Show more

Council's leader said it was his priority to protect the most vulnerable. Show more

Willa makes a shocking discovery about who shot Denise. Anne Tyler’s tale of family and self-discovery read by Barbara Barnes. Show more

Patrick Marber and Peter Curran’s riff in the dark discusses reading literature in the nude and ideal death scenes. From 2018. Show more

Fictitious improvised comedy, listening to the phone messages of Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch. Stars Kayvan Novak. From 2015. Show more

When Tracy fell in love with a fellow European she never imagined that he would one day keep their child in another country and that the law would allow that to happen. Show more

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

Charlotte Higgins investigates mental mazes and describes the neuroscience behind a human's sense of direction. From 2018. Show more

The latest shipping forecast.

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.