Programme Information

Weird Tales Ep 1/3

Wednesday 6 January

11.00-11.30pm BBC RADIO 4

Introduced by the mysterious HP Lovecraft, played by Stephen Hogan, Weird Tales is a series of three chilling and intimate plays for the late-night slot on BBC Radio 4.

Drawing listeners into a claustrophobic and disturbing world, the plays set out to explore their characters' deepest fears and torments. The series concentrates on the psychological element of the horror genre, stirring the imagination of the listener.

In Connected, by Melissa Murray, Steph's brother-in-law, Ray, buys her a hi-tech phone for Christmas as a joke – everyone knows she's useless with technology. When Ray is killed in a car crash, Steph is overcome with sadness and can't seem to deal with the shock.

One day, feeling maudlin, she picks up the phone that Ray gave her and rings his number. She just wants to hear his voice on the voicemail. She says goodbye to him for the last time and rings off, feeling a bit of a fool. The next day, he calls her back...

Steph is played by Fiona Glascott and Ray by Joseph Kloska.

The next story, on Wednesday 13 January, is Split The Atom by Lynn Fergusson, in which Frank Ivory played by Derek Riddell is very angry – burning, simmering, steaming angry.

The final tale, on Wednesday 20 January, The House On Pale Avenue by Richard Vincent, tells the story of Geoff Williams, who is determined to give his family a fresh start by moving house. But then the noises begin... Jamie Glover plays Geoff.

Producers/Mary Peate, Gemma Jenkins and Luke Fresle

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

5 Live Sport

Wednesday 6 January

7.00-10.30pm BBC RADIO 5 LIVE

Mark Pougatch presents all the day's sports news and from 8pm there's live League Cup semi-final first-leg commentary.

Presenter/Mark Pougatch, Producer/Graham McMillan

BBC Radio 5 Live Publicity

Test Match Special

Wednesday 6 January

8.15am-4.00pm BBC RADIO 5 LIVE SPORTS EXTRA

Ball-by-ball commentary of the fourth day's play of the third Test between South Africa and England comes live from Newlands, Cape Town.

Jonathan Agnew leads the commentary team, alongside Simon Mann, and Gerald de Kock, with expert summary from Ashes-winning former England captain Michael Vaughan, Geoffrey Boycott and Duncan Fletcher.

Producer/Jen McAllister

BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra Publicity

Gideon Coe plays concert recordings of Gil Scott Heron at Glastonbury in 1986 and The Good The Bad And The Queen at Camden's Roundhouse in 2006. Vintage session artists include Eighties indie from the June Brides, Elbow, I Am Kloot, Toronto sextet Stars and scary goth-tinged beats from Killing Joke.

Presenter/Gideon Coe, Producer/Frank Wilson

BBC 6 Music Publicity

Jaggy and Darren tease Deepika about the poor turnout for the Rangers youth game in today's visit to Silver Street. Deepika remembers something that wipes the grin off Darren's face.

Mary warns Sean not to help Deepika – she will only take the credit for all his work. Later, Sean sees something that makes him wonder if Mary has a point.

Jaggy and Darren are in the pub when Jaggy gets another call from Cyrus. It's decision time...

Jaggy is played by Jay Kiyani, Darren by Samuel Kindred, Deepika by Babita Pohoomull, Mary by Carole Nimmons, Sean by Lloyd Thomas and Cyrus by Nigel Hastings.

BBC Asian Network Publicity

Discovery – What Scientists Believe Ep 1/3

Wednesday 6 January

8.30-9.00pm BBC WORLD SERVICE

Stephen Webster, a philosopher of science at Imperial College London, talks to six scientists in this new, three-part series, as he investigates the links between scientists' personalities and their research work.

He asks how much of a scientist's personality can be reflected in their work. Can subjective, privately held beliefs be a part of objective scientific outcomes and what happens when tensions develop between a scientist's beliefs and the formal demands of science?

In the first of three programmes, Stephen talks to Philip Kilner about the strengths and weaknesses of scientific method. Philip initially trained as a doctor before leaving medicine to retrain as a sculptor. He is now a consultant in cardiovascular magnetic resonance at the Royal Brompton Hospital. Philip talks to Stephen about the combination of artistic and scientific insights that help him interpret images of the heart.

Presenter/Stephen Webster, Producer/John Watkins

BBC World Service Publicity

To top

Earlier this year, Fifa sent out a warning to the soccer world that it would not tolerate any expression of religion on the pitch during the World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations Tournament in Angola (10-31 January 2010).

Religion, like politics, the organisation argues, should be kept out of football stadiums. The Vatican, among others, disagrees and argues that because the values promoted by religions are being abandoned, football is affected by moral degradation.

In this week's Heart And Soul, the Reverend Richard Coles explores the role that faith plays in football and asks how realistic and desirable it is to expect football to be secular.

Producer/Estelle Doyle

BBC World Service Publicity