Programme Information

Trevor Nelson continues to celebrate the best in soulful music tonight and his featured album is Roy Ayers's Everybody Loves The Sunshine (1976).

Ayers is often regarded as one of the greatest vibraphone players of all time. He began his career as a jazz player, releasing several albums with Arista Records before his tenure at Polydor Records – during which time he progressed a new R&B style, slowly moulding the new disco genre.

In 1970, Ayers formed the Roy Ayers Ubiquity, which recorded several albums for Polydor and featured such players as Sonny Fortune, Billy Cobham, Omar Hakim and Alphonse Mouzon. An R&B-jazz-rock band influenced by electric, Miles Davis and the Herbie Hancock Sextet at first, the Ubiquity gradually shed its jazz component in favour of R&B/funk and disco.

Other music featured on tonight's show includes Marvin Gaye's My Love Is Waiting and Games by Chuckii Booker.

Presenter/Trevor Nelson, Producer/Dan Cocker

BBC Radio 2 Publicity

Donald Macleod continues his exploration of the early life and compositions of Joseph Haydn, who died 200 years ago this year, using contemporary accounts and Haydn's own letters and notebooks to reveal the life and times of a hugely prolific composer.

In today's midweek offering, Donald looks at Haydn's life and work as opera impresario at the Esterhazy summer residence – a glorious palace set in a Hungarian swamp – and tells the story of an ingeniously tactful musical message to Haydn's employer, the Farewell Symphony.

Music includes Lo Speziale (extract); Armida (extract); L'infedeltà delusa (extract); and Symphony No.45 in F sharp minor, Farewell.

Haydn is one of BBC Radio 3's Composers of the Year, alongside Handel, Purcell and Mendelssohn, and there is a dedicated website, including detailed information about Haydn, at www.bbc.co.uk/composers.

Presenter/Donald Macleod, Producer/Kerry Clark

BBC Radio 3 Publicity

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Mark Minkowski and his acclaimed period-instrument ensemble, Les Musiciens du Louvre-Grenoble, perform three works dedicated to music's patron saint: Purcell's Ode for St Cecilia's Day; Handel's Ode for St Cecilia's Day and Haydn's St Cecilia Mass. The composers, all being extensively celebrated on BBC Radio 3 this year, have significant anniversaries in 2009 – it's 350 years since Purcell's birth, 250 years since Handel's death and 200 since Haydn's – and St Cecilia inspired some of their finest music.

Purcell, Handel and Haydn each have a city in common: London. Purcell was born and worked there; Handel made it his home for the greater part of his life, becoming a superstar celebrity; and Haydn was a visitor whose last 12 symphonies, the summit of his achievement in that genre, bear the capital's name.

This concert was recorded last weekend at London's Barbican centre with an all-star cast headed by soprano Lucy Crowe and mezzo Nathalie Stutzmann.

Listeners can find out more information about these composers at www.bbc.co.uk/composers.

Presenter/Petroc Trelawny, Producer/David Papp

BBC Radio 3 Publicity

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In this week's Essay, Scottish poets describe their attitudes to the metaphorical presence of Robert Burns (the 250th anniversary of whose birth is on 25 January 2009) at the back of the room as they read or write their own poetry.

In this midweek edition, Robert Crawford, a biographer of Burns as well as a poet himself, finds himself using the bard as a touchstone for the humanity of his own poetry.

Reader/Robert Crawford, Producer/Dave Batchelor

BBC Radio 3 Publicity

Travel writer Ian Marchant uncovers the secret rites and rituals of life on the top of London's buses.

Bus travel in London is now free for all under-18s in education. As a result, there has been a big increase in the numbers of teenagers using buses and a feeling among some older passengers that things have got out of control. The fact that youngsters can hop on and off buses means that, according to some bus drivers, the top deck has been turned into a mobile youth club.

Marchant travels the London buses and talks to drivers and passengers, young and old. Teenagers tell him about unwritten rules, those who may sit where, what they can get away with and the risks of being jacked, shanked, taxed or peeled. The programme also speaks to Transport for London's Director of Community Safety Enforcement and Policing about managing public space where there are no agreed standards of behaviour.

Presenter/Ian Marchant, Producer/Jolyon Jenkins

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

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Nick Mohammed In Quarters Ep 1/4

Wednesday 21 January

11.00-11.15pm BBC RADIO 4

Nick Mohammed and friends bring sketches and monologues of characters to life, in this new series of vibrant late-night audience comedy.

Nick is a comedian and writer, who took the lead role in the BBC Three comedy Placebo, and was a lead in the BBC One comedy-drama Billy Goat. He is joined by Anna Crilly and Colin Hoult.

Producer/Victoria Lloyd

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

5 Live Sport

Wednesday 21 January

7.00-10.00pm BBC RADIO 5 LIVE

Mark Saggers presents all the day's sports news, with reports from day three of the Australian Open tennis with Jonathan Overend in Melbourne. From 7.45pm, listeners can hear commentary of Burnley versus Tottenham in the Carling Cup semi-final second leg, live from Turf Moor.

Presenter/Mark Saggers, Producer/TBC

BBC Radio 5 Live Publicity

Tennis

Wednesday 21 January

8.30am-2.00pm BBC 5 LIVE SPORTS EXTRA

Listeners can enjoy uninterrupted tennis commentary from the night session of the Australian Open, live from Melbourne Park.

Producer/Jen McAllister

BBC 5 Live Sports Extra Publicity

Rozena isn't happy about a phone call she receives from Kenny, in this midweek offering of the Asian drama. Sameer tells her not to get so stressed about work and to concentrate on the baby.

Mushtaq and Zenab, meanwhile, are shocked to find Imran has returned from his travels. Mushtaq is delighted, but suspicious at the same time, and wonders why Imran didn't give them any warning.

Later, Rozena and Sameer announce the pregnancy and Zenab and Mushtaq insist Rozena should stop working immediately – but can they convince her?

Rozena is played by Pooja Ghai, Kenny by Brian Croucher, Sameer by Alex Caan, Mushtaq by Paul Bhattacharjee, Zenab by Sudha Buchar and Imran by Narinder Samra.

BBC Asian Network Publicity