Programme Information

BBC Radio 2 presenter Bob Harris

Bob Harris is joined by Canadian duo Madison Violet, who perform a live session. Recently named vocal group of the year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards, Madison Violet are Brenley MacEachern and Lisa MacIsaac. Their music draws comparisons with Gillian Welch and Alison Krauss.

The pair formed 10 years ago and have recorded three albums, the first two in London. In 2009 they released their most recent album, No Fool For Trying, recorded in their native Canada. They are well known for their relentless touring, spending nine months a year on the road, supporting artists such as Ron Sexsmith, Indigo Girls and The Temptations in Australia, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland, Italy and of course, Canada.

Presenter/Bob Harris, Producer/Al Booth

BBC Radio 2 Publicity

To top

Andrew embarks on some training in preparation for his missionary work in Africa, with little idea of the horrors in store for him, as the third series of the BBC Radio 2 sitcom continues.

On The Blog stars Caroline Quentin (Men Behaving Badly), Simon Greenall (I'm Alan Partridge) and Andy Taylor (My Family), with scripts by Kris Dyer, Dave Marks and Andy Taylor.

Producer/Adam Bromley

BBC Radio 2 Publicity

To top

Suzi Quatro plays music from 1984 in this week's show with tracks by Huey Lewis And The News, Tina Turner, Madonna, Prince and Van Halen.

Presenter/Suzi Quatro, Producer/Mark Simpson

BBC Radio 2 Publicity

Philip Dodd talks to novelist Martin Amis about his latest novel The Pregnant Widow; his political opinions; and a back catalogue that includes some of the most talked-about English novels of recent decades.

In the galaxy of British literary fiction Martin Amis is still a name to conjure with – his era-defining Eighties novels, such as London Fields and Money, front a collected works that includes 12 novels, two autobiographies, serious journalism, essays and two volumes of short stories on subjects ranging from video games to paedophilia. After 9/11 Amis became notorious for his controversial opinions on Islamism and the supposed "backwardness" of Arab societies.

He has returned to fiction with a new work, The Pregnant Widow. Set in a country house in Italy, the novel tackles the sexual fallout of the feminist revolution – one that Amis supports but sees as a work in progress. No stranger to giving offence, Amis, by his own admission, has said it will get him in trouble with feminists, but others talk of a return to the comic form that made him famous.

In an extended conversation, Philip asks Martin about the full gamut of his opinions.

Presenter/Philip Dodd, Producer/James Cook

BBC Radio 3 Publicity

The penultimate edition of A History Of The World In 100 Objects this week looks at the growing sophistication of humans around the globe between 5000 and 2000 BC.

In today's programme, Neil MacGregor introduces Britain for the first time, telling the story of a beautiful piece of jade, shaped into an axe head. About 6,000 years old, it was was discovered near Canterbury in Kent, but was made in the high Alps. Neil explains how this object may have been used and traded and how its source was cunningly traced to the heart of Europe.

Presenter/Neil MacGregor, Producer/Anthony Denselow

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

To top

On the occasion of an important exhibition of Henry Moore's early sculpture at Tate Britain this month, Moore's daughter Mary describes the life and work of Britain's foremost 20th-century sculptor.

Mary takes listeners on a tour of the Moore home at Hoglands in Hertfordshire, a small house crammed with extraordinary carvings and paintings from all over the world.

Being the only child of Henry Moore, arguably the country's most celebrated sculptor, life for Mary was never going to be totally straightforward. Hoglands was besieged by people wanting to talk to her father or take photographs of the family having tea in the garden. Sometimes art students would wander in from the village of Much Hadham and tap on the windows wanting to meet the great man. He would always oblige, unless he was watching tennis.

Moore, his wife Irina and Mary were a close-knit family, working together to make art part and parcel of life in Britain.

Moore established The Henry Moore Foundation in 1977, which stands as the most important grant body for sculpture in Britain. Until recently Mary kept a distance from the workings, partly as a result of a rancorous and protracted legal battle with the foundation in the mid-Nineties. The dispute has since been amicably settled but, until now, she has always declined to comment on what happened.

Contributors to the programme include Antony Gormley; Richard Wentworth; Penelope Curtis, the newly appointed Director of Tate Britain; and Andrew Causey.

Presenter/Mary Moore, Producer/Kate Bland

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

To top

The smash of a bottle, a window shattering, shouting, bricks thrown, voices hurling abuse; it's Belfast on a June night in marching season, but this is no typical Belfast riot.

Inspired by real events which took place in the city, this new play from Eoin McNamee tells the story of a community fractured by a shocking racist attack.

The cast stars Adrian Dunbar as Cyril; Brid Brennan as Valerie; Frances Tomelty as Helen; Gerard Jordan as Davy; and Cristina Catalina as Natasha.

Producer/Heather Larmour

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

To top

Mark Thomas – The Manifesto Ep 1/4

Thursday 4 February

6.30-7.00pm BBC RADIO 4

Comedian-activist Mark Thomas

Comedian-activist Mark Thomas returns with four more editions of The Manifesto – the show where the audience suggest policies that will make the world a better place, and Mark finds out if they'd help or not.

Following on from the two successful shows last summer, where policies included "MPs should be bound by law to tell the truth" and "Children's playgrounds should be less safe" – Mark Thomas returns to investigate suggestions such as "4x4s should be transparent"; "manifesto policies should be legally binding"; and "there should be a maximum wage".

Featuring interviews with experts, original research and audience discussion, Mark Thomas – The Manifesto attempts to re-engage the audience with the idea of democracy.

Presenter/Mark Thomas, Producer/Ed Morrish

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

To top

Are we alone in the solar system? Astronomer Paul Murdin explores the idea proposed by Arthur C Clarke in his novel 2010 – A Second Space Odyssey that Jupiter's moon Europa might offer suitable conditions for living organisms. Four hundred years after Galileo first discovered Europa, scientists believe that data from the Galileo probe might just prove Clarke right.

Jupiter, the king of the planets, presides over a little group of worlds that has long dazzled astronomers. Galileo first discovered Jupiter's moons in January 1610. His findings were to revolutionise astronomy, backing up Copernican cosmology, which displaced the Earth from the centre of the universe.

Since the Galileo findings, whether a mission should go to Europa became the subject of impassioned debate in the space world. Many scientists believe that the very real possibility of finding biological life there means that a mission is a top scientific priority.

Just last year, Nasa and the European Space Agency announced a ground-breaking joint mission – the Europa Jupiter System Mission. This unmanned mission is slated to launch around 2020 in order to make a detailed exploration of Jupiter's moons with particular focus on Europa and its potential for life.

Paul talks to fellow astronomers, astro-biologists and to scientists at Nasa and the European Space Agency about the possibility of finding extra-terrestrial life on Europa and about the significance of the planned Europa Jupiter System Mission.

Presenter/Paul Murdin, Producer/Emma Harding

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

Eleanor Oldroyd is joined by some top sports correspondents for The Headline Hour, discussing some of the week's major sporting stories.

From 8pm, Eleanor is joined by a panel of expert guests, including former Wales and Lions captain Gareth Thomas, to preview rugby union's 2010 Six Nations Championship which kicks off at the weekend.

From 10pm, two of 5 Live's pundits go head-to-head in a topical sports debate in And Another Thing...

Presenter/Eleanor Oldroyd, Producer/Patrick Whiteside

BBC Radio 5 Live Publicity

Gideon Coe presents an archive concert from Weezer in 1996. Archive sessions from "new folk" songstress Mary Hampton; a new session from Birmingham indie band Seeland, a recent combination featuring former members of Broadcast; 4AD artist and emergent song writing talent M Ward performing for BBC 6 Music in 2009; and reggae from Gregory Isaacs And The Roots Radics from 1982.

Presenter/Gideon Coe, Producer/Frank Wilson

BBC 6 Music Publicity

Simran is behaving suspiciously in today's visit to Silver Street. She makes a covert phone call and then tells Jaggy she will be home late.

Darren wants to try again with Deepika and invites her for a drink. He talks about his past and insists he has changed, but will Deepika give him another chance?

Meanwhile Brian tells Sandra about Isabel, adding that it's great that they have both moved on. But then Sandra drops a bombshell...

Simran is played by Balvinder Sopal, Darren by Samuel Kindred, Deepika by Babita Pohoomull, Brian by Gerard McDermott and Sandra by Anita Dobson

BBC Asian Network Publicity