Programme Information

The fourth series of International Radio 1 sees another four BBC Radio 1 DJ's checking out the music scenes of the cities they love.

In tonight's show, Huw Stephens visits Venezuela as part of a British Council trip to run radio workshops with local communities. While there Huw discovers some new local music and DJs at the Por El Medio De La Calle festival.

The next part of the series comes from the Judge Jules in Helsinki.

International Radio 1 is part of a line up of documentaries that have so far included BBC Radio 1 Stories and Story Of The Noughties. Alongside Nihal's Review show and In New DJ's We Trust they sit at the heart of the weeknight schedule at 9pm.

BBC Radio 1 Publicity

The Chris Evans Breakfast Show

Monday 11 January

7.00-9.30am BBC RADIO 2

BBC Radio 2 presenter Chris Evans

The Chris Evans Breakfast Show launches today.

After four years at the helm of BBC Radio 2's Drivetime show, Chris switches to the morning with the aim of setting up the nation for the day with the widest of smiles.

Chris is joined by sports reporter Jonny Saunders, who moves from the Drivetime show, and travel reporter Lynn Bowles who remains on the early shift.

The programme will be a fully interactive show for all the family, featuring listeners on the phone, as well as a classic blend of music for everyone.

Chris will also continue to post his daily blog on the Radio 2 website – bbc.co.uk/radio2.

Presenter/Chris Evans, Producer/Helen Thomas

BBC Radio 2 Publicity

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Singer-songwriter Nerina Pallot, who was a huge hit at last year's ABBA tribute concert Thank You For The Music, chooses her Tracks Of My Years each day this week on Ken Bruce's show.

Nerina reveals her favourite music, which includes songs by Prince, Tears For Fears and Joni Mitchell. There's also PopMaster, Record Of The Week and Album Of The Week.

Presenter/Ken Bruce, Producer/Gary Bones

BBC Radio 2 Publicity

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Fern Britton makes her BBC Radio 2 debut, sitting in for Jeremy Vine for the next two weeks. Fern takes a close look at the day's headlines, with lively debate and listeners' views.

Fern says: "I'm delighted to be deputising for Jeremy as I'm a huge fan of the show. I can't wait to interact with the listeners and get my teeth stuck into the topics of the day."

Presenter/Fern Britton, Producer/Phil Jones

BBC Radio 2 Publicity

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Simon Mayo takes over the helm of BBC Radio 2's Drivetime show from today. The show continues the Radio 2 Drivetime tradition of entertainment, information, intelligent conversation and audience interaction.

Matt Williams is a new addition to the Drivetime team and joins Simon with the sporting news, and Rebecca "Foxy" Fox continues to present the Money feature each day. Plus, every Thursday, Simon is joined by resident gastronome Nigel Barden and, from time to time, Simon will conduct an in-depth interview after 6pm.

Drivetime will also be the home of Radio 2's Great British Songbook initiative – the network's celebration of the work of British songwriters by creating a collection of their finest songs – and occasionally Simon is joined by top artists performing their own version of their favourite British song. First to perform live is Scottish songstress Amy Macdonald, who features on today's show just after 6pm.

From Monday 4 January, Simon launches his own blog on the Radio 2 website – bbc.co.uk/radio2 – and will also be found on Twitter.

Simon continues to present an expanded film programme with Mark Kermode on Friday afternoons on BBC Radio 5 live.

Presenter/Simon Mayo, Producers/Andy Warrell and Carmela DiClemente

BBC Radio 2 Publicity

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Lenny Kravitz, a lifelong fan of Curtis Mayfield's music, celebrates Mayfield's life and musical achievements in this four-part series which was first broadcast over Christmas on BBC 6 Music.

Curtis was a prolific songwriter whose career was sadly cut short following a tragic accident in August 1990 which eventually led to his death at the age of 57 on 26 December 1999. However, his musical achievements remain and show his immense contribution to soul music. His songs of love and peace influenced millions, and he was an inspiration to many music luminaries including Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin.

The first programme concentrates on Curtis's early musical influences: gospel beginnings, writing songs for Jerry Butler, and early Impressions' hits from Gypsy Woman to People Get Ready. The subjects of his songs ranged from simple, tender love songs to broadsides demanding social and political equality.

Presenter/Lenny Kravitz, Producer/Sue Clark

BBC Radio 2 Publicity

Donald Macleod presents a celebration of the music of Russian composer, Alfred Schnittke.

The music of Alfred Schnittke is like being lost in a hall of mirrors. Staring back at you is the whole of music history – from Bach to modern pop via tangos, Soviet work songs, Gregorian chant and Viennese waltzes – refracted and distorted: all woven together to create a uniquely personal style.

Thrilling, grotesque, occasionally nightmarish, Schnittke's work knits layer upon layer of subtle allusions, creating a world where everything has a hidden meaning. Beethoven's Fifth Symphony suddenly springs terrifyingly out of the darkness in the midst of an otherwise chaotic symphony. Or a Russian pop song appears inexplicably amidst a Baroque chorale.

Schnittke's world of suppressed meaning perfectly captured life under the cosh of Soviet Communism. This week, Donald Macleod attempts to unpick the myriad strands of a composer often seen as the heir to Shostakovich – and perhaps the last truly great composer of the 20th century: a Soviet composer with a Teutonic name, born with Jewish blood in a German state within the USSR, who described himself as "a stranger everywhere".

Monday's programme looks at Schnittke's early career, culminating in his oratorio Nagasaki, a work that resulted in him being blacklisted by the USSR from "approved" lists of musicians for decades.

Presenter/Donald Macleod, Producer/Steven Rajam

BBC Radio 3 Publicity

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Over five evenings some of Britain's leading academics explore the life of the Dutch philosopher, Baruch de Spinoza (1632-1677). Of Portuguese-Jewish origin and living in Holland during the 17th century – earning a modest living as a lens grinder – Spinoza used his considerable intellectual acumen to lay the groundwork for the 18th-century Enlightenment.

His thoughts on religion were considered so inflammatory by the authorities that he was banished from Amsterdam. His clandestine works were distributed among Europe's intellectuals and were eagerly read. Despite the obstacles he faced, he continued his life writing about the role of religion, and his thoughts on how a multi-faith society can live together co-operatively still have relevance for us today.

In tonight's programme Professor Justin Champion – Head of History at Royal Holloway, University of London – looks at the life of Spinoza and how he managed to have his ideas published despite the authorities' ban on his work.

Presenter/Justin Champion, Producer/Sarah Taylor

BBC Radio 3 Publicity

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Jez Nelson presents a gig by US trio Fly recorded at Charlie Wright's as part of the 2009 London Jazz Festival. Fly features tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, double bassist Larry Grenadier and Jeff Ballard on drums.

Ballard and Grenadier make up two thirds of pianist Brad Mehldau's trio with whom they have recorded two successful albums. They met Mark Turner on the East Coast in the Nineties, and though they've individually collaborated with the likes of Chick Corea, Pat Metheny and Joshua Redman, they say "Fly needed to happen", such is their shared instinct for expansive, intelligent and emotive improvised music. In the words of Brad Mehldau, "it's music that hits the head and then seeps into the heart".

Presenter/Jez Nelson, Producer/Peggy Sutton

Book Of The Week – Must You Go? Ep 1/5

Monday 11 to Friday 15 January

9.45-10.00am BBC RADIO 4

At times painful, at times very funny, Antonia Fraser's Must You Go? is a love story and – as with many love stories – the beginning and the end, the first light and the twilight, are dealt with more fully than the high noon in between.

Must You Go? is based partly on Antonia's own diaries which she has kept since October 1968 – as well as her own recollections, immediate reactions, as she always writes her diary the next morning unless otherwise stated, and memories.

Intriguingly her diaries pay special attention to any green shoots where her late husband Harold Pinter's writing is concerned, which is perhaps a consequence of a biographer living with a creative artist and observing the process first hand. The book is also interlaced with the love poems Pinter wrote to Antonia.

What is particularly poignant is the record of Pinter's long and painful struggle with cancer to which he eventually succumbed at Christmas 2008.

The result is an extremely candid testimony to one of modern literature's most celebrated marriages, between one of the greatest playwrights of our age and the prize-winning biographer.

The book is read by the author.

Reader/Antonia Fraser, Producer/David Roper

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

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Gerry Anderson investigates whether sport in Northern Ireland has been reclaimed to be enjoyed by the many instead of the few, in Playing For The Common Ground.

Gerry grew up as a Catholic in Derry. He played football and cricket as a boy and is still a fan of both. However, when he went to the Christian Brothers School he was made to play traditional Irish games of hurling and Gaelic football (GAA), as football and cricket were deemed to be games for Protestants. This was the complication of sport in Northern Ireland – like most things it has been divided down sectarian lines but, in the last 10 years, great efforts have been made to change this way of thinking.

Football and GAA have been the two controversial sports which have alienated opposing communities. During the programme, BBC Radio 5 Live sports presenter and football fanatic Colin Murray speaks to Gerry about how he feels efforts made by Northern Irish fans to stamp out sectarian and racist chanting is the first concrete sign that the peace process is working at a grass-roots level.

Gerry also looks at ice hockey and boxing. Boxing escaped the sectarian tagging, largely because paramilitaries allowed boxing clubs to mix from one side of the community to the other, while ice hockey was introduced to Belfast in 2000, specifically as a non-sectarian sport to which families would be able to bring their children and not feel that they were at any risk of violence.

Presenter/Gerry Anderson, Producer/Rachel Hooper

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

Ed Reardon's Week Ep 1/6

Monday 11 January

11.30am-12.00noon BBC RADIO 4

Author and pipe-smoker Ed Reardon

Ed Reardon, the nation's favourite author, pipe-smoker, cat-lover, scrimper, saver and master of the abusive email, returns for a new series of Ed Reardon's Week.

Picking up the threads of Ed's thwarted life, listeners' find him prematurely but happily retired, ensconced at Charterhouse Court – Berkhampstead's accommodation of choice for the financially distressed. Ed has given up the life of a writer and gone to the place that his daughter and her right-on vicar stepfather were so heartily encouraging him to move to at the end of the last series. No more is his life one of unmitigated misery, disappointment, abuse and sheer grinding poverty, but rather one of happily undertaking Piccadilly Pot Pourri, the latest jigsaw from the games cupboard, and leading the fight to get the parental controls taken off the day-room computer.

Of course this life of joy won't last, and so it is that Ed is forced to return to his eternal struggle to keep mind, body and soul together with the rather pressing matter of earning some money.

The series is written by Christopher Douglas and Andrew Nickolds and the cast, once again, stars Christopher Douglas, Stephanie Cole, John Fortune, Philip Jackson, Rita May, Geoffrey Whitehead and Barunka O'Shaugnessy, with guest appearances from Tony Gardner and Emma Fryer.

Producer/Dawn Ellis

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

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Book At Bedtime – The Coral Thief Ep 1/10

Monday 11 to Friday 15 January

10.45-11.00pm BBC RADIO 4

The Coral Thief by Rebecca Stott is a compelling love story set in Paris in 1815 following the end of the Napoleonic wars.

Daniel Connor, a brilliant and ambitious student, is in the French capital to take up a new position with some of the leading scientists of the day. The chaos of an occupied city, a beautiful and enigmatic woman, and the swirl of revolutionary and heretical ideas about how life began, create a heady atmosphere that is all too seductive.

The Coral Thief is read by Dan Stevens (In The Line Of Beauty and Sense And Sensibility).

Reader/Dan Stevens, Producer/Liz Allard

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

Victoria Derbyshire presents the latest news and entertainment, plus there's real-life listener stories and special guests.

Presenter/Victoria Derbyshire, Producer/Louisa Compton

BBC Radio 5 Live Publicity

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Gabby Logan presents a new daily lunchtime programme (Monday to Friday) as part of the new look to BBC Radio 5 Live's weekdays; with the latest news and business stories and George Riley has all the day's sports news.

On Wednesdays the programme will come live from Westminster when Gabby will be joined by John Pienaar and political guests for Prime Ministers Questions.

Presenter/Gabby Logan, Producer/Heidi Dawson

BBC Radio 5 Live Publicity

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Richard Bacon presents a new daily afternoon programme (Monday to Thursday) as part of the new look to BBC Radio 5 Live's weekdays.

Richard will be joined by special guests, alongside the latest news, sport, entertainment and television stories.

Presenter/Richard Bacon, Producer/Robin Bulloch

BBC Radio 5 Live Publicity

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5 Live Sport

Monday 11 January

7.00-10.30pm BBC RADIO 5 LIVE

Arlo White presents all the day's sports news and is joined by special guests for the Monday Night Club, discussing the latest big issues in football.

At 8pm there's live Premier League commentary on Manchester City versus Blackburn from the City of Manchester Stadium.

Presenter/Arlo White, Producer/Francesca Bent

BBC Radio 5 Live Publicity

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Tony Livesey

Monday 11 January

10.30pm-1.00am BBC RADIO 5 LIVE

Part of BBC Radio 5 Live's new schedule, Tony Livesey takes over the reigns of the late-night topical discussion and phone-in on the day's major talking points. Tony taps into the views and experiences of listeners from across the UK, hearing their thoughts on the day's news.

Presenter/Tony Livesey, Producer/Jonathan Aspinwall

BBC Radio 5 Live Publicity

Andrew Collins chats to British creative-team Hammer And Tongs who have collaborated with Vampire Weekend for the video to their new single Cousins.

Hammer And Tongs is the pseudonym of promo and film director Garth Jennings and producer Nick Goldsmith. Best known for their work on music videos for Blur's Coffee And TV and Supergrass's Pumping On Your Stereo, Hammer And Tongs also directed Vampire Weekend video for A Punk which won Q's video of the year award in 2008.

Garth Jennings directed feature film Son Of Rambow and has also previously sat in for Joe Cornish on the Adam And Joe Show.

Presenter/Andrew Collins, Producer/Jax Coombes

BBC 6 Music Publicity

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Marc Riley has a live set from Lawrence Arabia. All the way from Christchurch New Zealand, Lawrence is known to his parents as James Milne and has previously been part of the Brunettes and the Ruby Suns. He also toured with Okkervil River. His UK debut, Chat Darling, is out in January.

Presenter/Marc Riley, Producer/Michelle Choudhry

BBC 6 Music Publicity

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Gideon Coe presents LCD Soundsystem live from Electric Picnic and archive Aztec Camera concert tracks. Plus, there's another chance for listeners to hear session tracks from recent live guest Jah Wobble, Broken Family Band, new progressive indie sextet Sian Alice Group and panoramic Nineties freeform vibes from Quickspace Supersport.

Presenter/Gideon Coe, Producer/Frank Wilson

BBC 6 Music Publicity

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Marc Riley is transported back into a different era... the start of the pop revolution when Beatlemania was about to take over the world. It's March 1964 and Bill Grundy interviews the fifth Beatle, manager Brian Epstein, for his regional radio programme Frankly Speaking.

Marc revisits the BBC's archives and hears Epstein speak candidly about how and when he discovered The Beatles and what it was like seeing them perform for the first time. He reveals his role in their image change, just exactly what it is a manager does and his theories on why they'd go on to be a success in America. Plus Brian tells listeners how he reacted when Paul turned up late for their first meeting.

This programme was first broadcast in 2009.

Presenter/Marc Riley, Producer/Frank Wilson

BBC 6 Music Publicity

Darren is looking for Deepika, in the week's first visit to Silver Street. He claims he wants to collect his phone from her place but is that the only reason?

Meanwhile, Jungli Cabs get a fare and it turns out to be someone who has been away for a while...

Elsewhere, Jaggy is in a bad mood and takes it out on the Rangers players. Later Jaggy receives a phone call from Cyrus, who wants what he is owed.

Darren is played by Samuel Kindred, Deepika by Babita Pohoomull, Jungli by Adil Ray, Jaggy by Jay Kiyani and Cyrus by Nigel Hastings.

BBC Asian Network Publicity