Authors
Niall Ferguson: Reith Lecture pt.4 - Civil and Uncivil Societies
Editor's note: In the Reith Lecture this week, Niall Ferguson talked about Civil and Uncivil Societies . The programme is available to listen to online or to download and keep - PMcD ""Over the past 50 years governments have encroached too far on the realm of civil society," says Nial...
The Mysterious Case of Maria
Editor's note: The Mysterious Case of Maria is the Radio 4 Afternoon Drama on 22 November. Unusually for a radio drama, it was written by a team of young writers. Here, one of the writers, Corey Montague-Sholay, writes about what it was like to be involved. PMcD "Maria's case found m...
5 tips for men to survive the modern first date
Tim Samuels is presenter of Men's Hour on 5 live, gives his 5 tips for men on how to survive the modern first date. He'll be co-presenting a Woman's Hour dating special with Jane Garvey on Monday.
King James Bible podcasts
How much of King James Bible Day did you catch on Sunday? It was hard to miss with 28 readings across a single day and a star-studded cast: Samuel West, Emilia Fox, Hugh Bonneville, Toby Stephens, Henry Goodman, Niamh Cusack, Rory Kinnear, Miriam Margolyes and others. There were some interest...
Will Self on taking over A Point of View
Will Self I grew up listening to Alistair Cooke's Letter from America which used to be scheduled in the spot now occupied by A Point of View - why? Because my insufferably bien-pensant parents had got rid of our television because they thought it was a terrible influence on children, maki...
The Silver Sword comes to Radio 4 Extra
[L to R] Barry Letts as Joseph and Frazer Hines as Jan in the 1957 BBC serialisation of The Silver Sword The first time I saw my father's book The Silver Sword being transferred to another medium was in 1957. I was 7, and Dad took me and my older sister Helen up to Shepherd's Bush, where a b...
The World Tonight: The gradual growth of protest in China
Ritula Shah reports on gradual growth of protest in China.
Book of the Week - Nilsson: The Life of a Singer-Songwriter
Writer, broadcaster and Jazz historian Alyn Shipton discusses why he was compelled to write new biography Nilsson: The Life of a Singer-Songwriter.
Five Reasons Why Mordred is a Great Villain
The Once and Future King - an Arthurian epic written by T.H.White - has been dramatised for Radio 4 by Brian Sibley. Here, he reflects on the treacherous Mordred.
How many times have you been in love? A kind of census
Did you know why Jesus was born in Bethlehem and not Galilee? A kind of census required Joseph and Mary to be in Bethlehem around Christmas a couple of millennia ago. Fascinating. One wonders the Fate of Christianity had there not been a census. I'm not pretending my alternative census will hav...
What's @NowOnBBCRadio4 and @NowonBBC4Extra?
Today we’ve launched two new Twitter accounts that help answer one of life’s eternal questions, ‘What’s about to start on Radio 4 or 4 Extra? Find out how to follow us.
Short Cuts presents "true stories, radio adventures and found sound"
Editor's note: Short Cuts returns to Radio 4 on Tuesday 11 September with a new series of programmes featuring short documentaries from the UK and abroad. Here, the presenter Nina Garthwaite writes about some of her favourite recordings - GS. "My name is Witold Sadowy," says Witold Sadowy. ...
Honey cake help!
Editor's note: I know I said that the Farming Today bees were off to their own blog a little while ago but we've now decided that they should stay here, on the Radio 4 blog, for the rest of the season. We've grown attached to them (and we like the honey). And, in a follow-up email, Charlotte app...
Announcers have super-powers
ANNOUNCERS' WEEK: DAY FOUR Friends are always telling me I have the best job in the world. "You spend your entire working day listening to Radio4!" they say. Well, that's true, but only partly true. You see, we hear the programmes, but not in the same way we would at home. All the announcers ha...
Radio 4 Extra: Arthur Smith's Slippers Speak
Good day to you. A year ago we were sitting in a shop in Crewe as we had been doing for several weeks, when a man came in, bought us for £7.99 and took us down South to Balham in London. We are Arthur Smith's slippers. We are not his best pair - they are thicker and more luxurious but...
Five days, fifty eight minutes
Seismic events. An upheaval in the British political landscape. Radical change in the destiny of parties and political careers. The challenge - to capture the complex, fast-moving, five-day narrative of those events in just 58 minutes. There was no shortage of material. Transcripts of the many ...
Book at Bedtime? I wish!
ANNOUNCERS' WEEK: DAY THREE The real book at bedtime for the Radio 4 announcer is our Book of the Week at half past midnight. By this time we are entering the last quarter hour of our late shift and the part that is arguably the busiest for us. If you're familiar with the end of our day's tra...
Granta Best of Young British Novelists under 40
Editor Di Speirs explains how she chose 5 stories from the latest Granta Best of Young British Novelists under 40 list for Book at Bedtime.
I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again, Again: A Legacy of Laughs?
Is there any thread that links I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again to it's famous TV decendants, Monty Python or The Goodies? Producer Nick St George reflects on ISIRTA's legacy of laughs.
Weird Tales: recording episode two
I have only done a few radio plays and still feel very much like a novice but I have to say all my experiences so far in the recording studio have been thoroughly enjoyable. I think the reason I enjoy it so much is because you aren't being watched. The director, producers and sound engineer are...
