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BBC Radio 4 Podcasts

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Topical comedy from the sharpest satirical minds in the business. Listen first on BBC Sounds, every Friday. Is the news driving you up the wall? You’re not alone. Let the comedians take the strain and work out what’s been funny this week. Features BBC Radio 4’s The News Quiz, Dead Ringers, The Naked Week and Too Long; Didn’t Read. Listen on BBC Sounds, seven days earlier than anywhere else, and subscribe to make sure that you don’t miss an episode.
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Uncanny

BBC Radio 4

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From ghostly phantoms to UFOs, Danny Robins investigates real-life stories of paranormal encounters. So, are you Team Believer or Team Sceptic? Written and presented by Danny Robins Editor and Sound Designer: Charlie Brandon-King Music: Evelyn Sykes Theme Music by Lanterns on the Lake Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard A Bafflegab and Uncanny Media production for BBC Radio 4
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Armando Iannucci hosts the programme that gives you a cast-iron guarantee to be laser-focused on decoding the baffling world of political language. Each week he'll be joined by a guest to crack open the political phrasebook and attempt to demystify the doublespeak. Why does everything now have to be 'turbo-charged'? What's the difference between a 'pledge' and a 'mission'? Why has my local MP been 'weaponised' and should I be worried? You'll be treated to a crash course in the dark arts of p ...
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Arts & Ideas

BBC Radio 4

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Leading thinkers discuss the ideas shaping our lives – looking back at the news and making links between past and present. Broadcast as Free Thinking, Fridays at 9pm on BBC Radio 4. Presented by Matthew Sweet, Shahidha Bari and Anne McElvoy.
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Professor Jim Al-Khalili talks to leading scientists about their life and work, finding out what inspires and motivates them and asking what their discoveries might do for us in the future
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Take Four Books

BBC Radio 4

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Presenter James Crawford looks at an author's latest work and delves further into their creative process by learning about the three other texts that have shaped their writing.
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Americast

BBC News

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Americast is the authoritative US news and politics podcast from the BBC. Each week we provide audiences with the best analysis from across the BBC, with on-the-ground observations and big picture insights about the stories which are defining America right now. The podcast is hosted by trusted BBC journalists including the BBC’s North America editor, Sarah Smith, BBC Radio 4 presenter, Justin Webb, the BBC’s disinformation and social media correspondent, Marianna Spring, and BBC North Americ ...
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You're Dead to Me

BBC Radio 4

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The comedy podcast that takes history seriously. In each episode of You’re Dead to Me from BBC Radio 4, Greg Jenner is joined by a comedian and an expert historian to learn and laugh about the past. History isn’t just about dates and textbooks – it’s about extraordinary characters, amazing stories, and some very questionable fashion choices. How long did it take to build an Egyptian pyramid? What does the Bayeux Tapestry reveal about medieval life? Why did it take nearly half a millennium fo ...
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Shadow World

BBC Radio 4

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In Shadow World: Anatomy of a Cancellation, the BBC's Culture Editor Katie Razzall revisits a story that rocked the UK's publishing industry in 2021. It led to what some saw as the unjustified cancellation of a prize-winning writer and teacher - but to others, was a long overdue reckoning for the world of publishing. It grew into a culture war about race, class, and who has the right to say what. Gripping stories from the Shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK.
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Professor Brian Cox and Robin Ince host a witty, irreverent look at the world through scientists’ eyes. Joined by a panel of scientists, experts and celebrity science enthusiasts they investigate life, the universe and everything in between on The Infinite Monkey Cage from the BBC. From the smallest building blocks of life to the furthest stars, the curious monkeys pull apart the latest science to reveal fascinating and often bizarre insights into the world around us and what lies beyond. Ca ...
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Screenshot

BBC Radio 4

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Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode guide us through the expanding universe of the moving image revealing fascinating links and hidden gems from cinema and TV to streaming and beyond.
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Rare Earth

BBC Radio 4

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Environmental journalist Tom Heap and physicist Helen Czerski tackle major stories about our environment and wildlife, celebrate the wonder of nature and meet the people determined to keep it wonderful.
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This week, The Naked Week fingers some fudge, profits from the spoils of war, and reads everyone a lovely bedtime story with a very special guest. From host Andrew Hunter Murray and The Skewer's Jon Holmes, Radio 4’s newest Friday night comedy The Naked Week returns with a blend of the silly and serious. From satirical stunts to studio set pieces v…
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Has the Trump administration just said the quiet part out loud? After months of speculation about what the U.S. really thinks about Europe, the Trump administration has published an excoriating 33-page National Security Strategy. It warns Europe faces "civilisational erasure" over migration and EU integration policies, and questions whether certain…
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Kate Winslet speaks to Samira Ahmed about her directorial debut, Goodbye June. With a screenplay written by her son Joe Anders, the film portrays complex family dynamics colliding with the surreal realities of palliative care. With talks around a possible peace deal in Ukraine ongoing, we discuss whether the country has effectively used arts and cu…
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Sir Keir Starmer has said any ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia must be just and lasting following talks in Downing Street. Also: A nurse says she's "beyond relieved and delighted" after winning a partial victory against NHS Fife over having to share a changing room with a transgender doctor. And the British driver, Lando Norris, has told the BB…
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This week's books are:Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner chosen by the Welsh poet and writer Gwyneth LewisThe LIving Mountain by Nan Shepherd picked by author Annabel AbbsEmma by Jane Austen chosen by Harriett Gilbert ahead of the writer's 250th birthday in December 2025 Join us over on Instagram @agoodreadbbc Produced for BBC Audio in Bristo…
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Three prize-winning authors in today's discussion programme hosted by Tom Sutcliffe: The German Peasants’ War of 1524–1525 was the greatest popular uprising in Western Europe before the French Revolution. Tens of thousands of peasants rose up to demand a new, more egalitarian order—only to be crushed in a brutal counterattack that left up to 100,00…
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Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life. This week: 8th to 14th December12th December 1963 - Jomo Kenyatta leads Kenya to independence13th December 2003 - Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is captured by US forces near his hometown of Tikrit9th December 1952 - The Great Smog of London finally clears Presen…
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The Governments of the UK need to do more to support native farm animal breeds. That's the view of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust which says that while there have been many warm words about the importance of rare and native breeds, clarification is needed on what the post-Brexit support schemes will offer. And the Trust says government funding shou…
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Greg Jenner is joined in early modern India by historian Dr Jagjeet Lally and comedian Nish Kumar to learn all about the subcontinent’s dynamic 18th century. From the 16th century, the dominant power in India was the Mughal Empire. According to the traditional narrative, when the Mughals began to decline in the 18th century, the subcontinent descen…
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Frank & guests Dee Allum, Hasan Al-Habib, Marcus Brigstocke & Bella Hull discuss the most fashionable way to wear a pizza, the most unfashionable way to wear a Tam o’Shanter and the tallest swimming trunks in the world This is the panel game based on what we all sit down and do at least once a day – shop online and leave a review, as an all-star pa…
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Presenter James Crawford speaks to bestselling crime writer and Norwegian novelist Jo Nesbø about his book, Wolf Hour - a standalone thriller set in Minneapolis, where a dysfunctional detective, Bob Oz, investigates the attempted murder of a crooked gun dealer. The three books that inspired Jo while writing Wolf Hour were: Hunger by Knut Hamsun (18…
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Sally Mann is a photographer and a New York Times bestselling writer. She is best known for making large-format black and white photographs of the people and places in her immediate surroundings: her children, her husband, and the rural landscape of her home state and the American South.Sally was born in Lexington, Virginia, the youngest of three c…
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Writer: Sarah McDonald HughesDirector: Rosemary WattsEditor: Jeremy Howe 30th Nov - 5th December Pat Archer.... Patricia GallimoreTony Archer.... David TroughtonChris Carter.... Wilf ScoldingNeil Carter.... Brian HewlettSusan Carter.... Charlotte MartinIan Craig.... Stephen KennedyAmber Gordon.... Olivia Bernstone Clarrie Grundy.... Heather BellEd …
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A BBC investigation has found driving instructors are being offered hundreds of pounds by touts for access to their official accounts so they can bulk book tests. The touts then use social media to sell the slots on to learner drivers for hugely inflated prices.Four protestors have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage -- after food was thr…
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Kate Adie introduces stories from Israel, Honduras, Turkey and Lebanon, Georgia and Russia. Israel is facing an impending crisis over conscripting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the Israeli army, and the issue is threatening to undermine Israel's government and split the country. Lucy Williamson reports from the city of Bnei Brak. Donald Trump surprised …
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Stephen Smith profiles the former racing driver and marketing guru who's turned around McLaren's fortunes and led them to Formula 1 glory. Born in California in 1971, friends and colleagues paint a picture of a fiercely competitive man with ‘noble intentions’. After dropping out of high school Zak Brown’s life changed after meeting former F1 world …
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Jacinda Ardern, became the Prime Minister of New Zealand in 2017 at the age of 37, she was the youngest female head of government in the world. Since her resignation from the role she has shared her learnings on how the integrate empathy into leadership, written an autobiography, become a DJ, and is part of a new documentary film, 'Prime Minister',…
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MPs on the Treasury Select Committee are seeking answers from HMRC after thousands of parents have had their child benefit stopped because they took a holiday abroad. The mistakes happened during a fraud crackdown on people emigrating from the UK but still claiming the benefit for their children. Now, among all the financial pressures of recent yea…
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Rural traditions, from morris dancing to dry stone walling and tartan weaving, could be internationally protected by UNESCO. The government has launched its search for examples of living heritage to go onto an inventory. With dairy companies continuing to cut the prices they pay farmers for milk, the man appointed to ensure fairness and transparenc…
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Around the world, many countries are concerned about tackling the decline in birth rates and total fertility rates. The US is no exception. To tackle this issue the US government announced that it would provide subsidies for Americans seeking IVF treatment. The announcement was accompanied by one suspect sounding stat from US Health Secretary Rober…
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Anna Foster and some of the BBC’s best-known foreign correspondents are joined by an audience of Radio 4 listeners to celebrate 70 years of ‘From Our Own Correspondent’. Since the first episode was broadcast on 25th September 1955, FOOC – as it’s affectionately known – has reported from almost every country in the world. Anna’s guests for the event…
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented Donald Trump with a newly created FIFA Peace Prize at the World Cup draw in Washington DC. The 2026 tournament will be held in the US, Canada and Mexico. Also on the programme: Netflix has agreed to buy Warner Bros' streaming and studio business, potentially paving the way for a radical reshaping of the ent…
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Do individuals or broader forces shape history? In the 2025 Reith lectures on BBC Radio 4, Rutger Bregman argues that small groups of individuals can have an outsize influence and he looks to examples in history from suffragism to the ending of slavery. In the Free Thinking studio for Radio 4's round-table discussion about the history of ideas, Mat…
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The BBC understands that the government will investigate the historical use of electric shock treatment in NHS hospitals which aimed to change people's sexuality. Also: The government has been outlining its strategy to reduce the number of children living in poverty by more than half a million by 2030. And Washington hosts a theatrical draw for nex…
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Matthew Bannister has a star-studded cast on this week’s Last Word: Sir David Hare pays tribute to his friend and fellow playwright Sir Tom Stoppard. Boy George recalls the flamboyant fashion designer Pam Hogg. Sir Mark Rylance gives an insight into the many talents of the actor, director and writer Jack Shepherd. We also remember Yanxin He, one of…
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How do you grow coriander successfully from seed? Do seeds have a sow-by-date? And will your treasured perennials thrive in the challenging Scottish climate? Kathy Clugston hosts from the beautiful St Mary’s Church in Walthamstow, where a lively audience puts their gardening dilemmas to an expert panel. Joining Kathy are renowned garden designer an…
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Tom and guests Arifa Akbar and Nick Hilton consider Paddington The Musical. It's the latest step for a beloved British institution... How does he work on stage? Is the bear believable? Are the songs memorable? Iranian director Jafar Panahi's latest film has won the Palme d'Or. It Was Just An Accident, straddles a difficult gap between political com…
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Good morning,This week, Wendy Dalrymple, Canon Pastor at Ripon Cathedral, shared on social media her experience of being in an abusive relationship when she was young. Like many other women who face violence at the hands of men they know, she was locked in a cycle of abuse, followed by remorse, followed by forgiveness, followed by more abuse. The r…
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We tend to think of wildlife as something which exists in the countryside or in nature reserves, but in fact there are plenty of plants and animals which thrive in an urban environment. In this programme Tom Heap and Helen Czerski explore the species that live alongside us in our towns and cities - finding out what makes a good habitat for them, as…
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When Tam o’ Braan began marketing Scottish Tea from his Wee Tea Plantation, the response was astonishing. Upmarket retailers such as Fortnum and Mason and hotels from the Dorchester in London to the Balmoral in Edinburgh paid top prices for the supplies of this rare treat. Scottish farmers caught the bug and bought tea bushes from Tam's plantation …
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Could you survive an eternal winter? Or is endless summer sun a more appealing prospect? Lots of us are grateful for the seasonal changes that shape the world around us, but this week Hannah and Dara are asking what life would look like without the axial tilt that brings each hemisphere closer and further away from the sun as the seasons change eac…
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As the United States gets ready to host the Fifa World Cup 2026, Americast looks at what’s behind the close relationship between Donald Trump and the president of football’s world governing body, Gianna Infantino. Sarah and Anthony go back to 2018, in Trump’s first term, when America won its bid to host the 2026 World Cup. We look at how the relati…
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Augusto Pinochet is woken by his nurse around midnight and a few minutes later finds a handful of British police officers at the foot of his bed, with an international warrant for his arrest. The dictator is furious, as are his supporters, but among his victims and their families there is joy and relief. His arrest is unprecedented and is hailed by…
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Rural traditions - from morris dancing, to dry stone walling to tartan weaving - could be internationally protected by UNESCO. The government has launched its search for examples of living heritage, from the people who are involved with them to go onto an inventory.With dairy companies continuing to cut the prices they pay farmers for milk, the man…
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Greg Jenner is joined in 16th-century Italy by historian Professor Jill Burke and comedian Tatty Macleod to learn all about Renaissance beauty standards and treatments. Early modern Italy is renowned for the gorgeous artworks created by painters like Titian, Rubens and Botticelli, many of them featuring beautiful women looking at themselves in mirr…
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A bright but hopelessly out-of-his-depth Brit arrives in Beijing for a dream job and stumbles straight into a chaotic mix of surveillance, blackmail and very bad decisions. Packed off to Taiwan to keep him out of trouble, he must muddle through shady allies, confused loyalties and rising global tension, all while trying to pretend he knows what he …
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Mars, 2048. The first settlers, a mix of international workers and the super-rich. And the first unexplained death. When a body turns up in the corridor between a scrappy warehouse and a half-built luxury hotel, no-nonsense Harbourmaster Rita Siddiqui finds herself in charge. With Earth temporarily out of contact and no official law enforcement on …
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Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands have all said they won’t send acts to the Eurovision Song Contest next May in protest at Israel’s participation. There have been calls for Israel to be excluded because of the war in Gaza, but members of the European Broadcasting Union, which organises the contest, rejected a push for a vote on the issue…
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Almost 40 years ago, the first treatment was approved for HIV, but it came with a warning: “This is not a cure.” On the week of World AIDS Day, Kate Bishop, principal group leader at the Francis Crick Institute, tells us how science may now have finally found a “functional” cure for the virus that causes AIDS. How are tree rings, volcanoes, trade r…
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A public inquiry has found that Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, bears "moral responsibility" for the poisoning of a woman near Salisbury. Also: Ireland, Spain and the Netherlands withdraw from next year's Eurovision Song Contest in protest at Israel's participation. And the government has ordered an independent review of the rising demand for m…
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In her budget the Chancellor increased the state pension by 4.8 % in line with the government's triple lock formula. It was good news for pensioners but is it good news for the young? A constant background to spending and economic decisions for well over a decade now has been an argument about generational injustice. That the young are getting poor…
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The jury trial has been around for almost 1,000 years. Magna Carta, in 1215, enshrined the principle that “No free man shall be... imprisoned… except by the lawful judgement of his peers.” That could be about to change, under the proposal by the Justice Secretary, David Lammy, to restrict jury trials to the most serious cases. The aim is to deal wi…
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This week, Armando is joined again by Stewart Lee to discuss the language around AI. They are also joined by public policy expert and author of Careless People, A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism Sarah Wynn-Williams. For legal reasons, Sarah is not allowed to say anything negative about Meta, so we discuss lots of other areas arou…
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When the Spanish judge pursuing Augusto Pinochet learns the dictator is about to leave London - for the safety of Chile - much sooner than expected, he makes a snap decision that will have enormous international consequences. He needs Spain's legal machinery to act, but there's one big problem - it's a Friday afternoon, and almost everyone at Madri…
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A group of Labour MPs with rural consitituancies have urged the Government to think again on Inheritance Tax Changes, with some abstaining on a Commons vote on the issue earlier this week. This is the ongoing row over the Government's plan to re-impose inheritance tax on farming and business assets over a million pounds, which was introduced in las…
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The President of the European Commission, Ursula Von Der Leyen, has set out revised plans to use frozen Russian assets to loan money to Ukraine. Meanwhile, a German arms manufacturer invests in a drone manufacturing plant in Swindon to boost Europe’s defence. Also on the programme, Somali Americans in Minnesota react to president Trump’s attack on …
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