| 00:00 | 00:00The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. 00:15Success and luck. Also private school attitudes towards cosmopolitanism.(R) 00:45Church bells from Sheffield Cathedral.(R) 00:48The latest shipping forecast.
| 00:00The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. 00:301/5A meditation on the art of biography from one of the masters of the genre, Richard Holmes.(R) 00:48The latest shipping forecast.
| 00:00The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. 00:302/5Richard Holmes examines the often ignored lives of women in the early history of science.(R) 00:48The latest shipping forecast.
| 00:00The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. 00:303/5Richard Holmes contemplates the ways in which the art of biography can be taught.(R) 00:48The latest shipping forecast.
| 00:00The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. 00:304/5How an account of somebody's death can be used to recast the whole of their preceding life(R) 00:48The latest shipping forecast.
| 00:00The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. 00:305/5When William Blake died in 1827 he was 'already a forgotten man'. How was he resurrected?(R) 00:48The latest shipping forecast.
| 00:00The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. 00:301/3A man reflects on his life behind closed doors, in Allan Radcliffe's moving story.(R) 00:48The latest shipping forecast.
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| 01:00 | 01:00BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
| 01:00BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
| 01:00BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
| 01:00BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
| 01:00BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
| 01:00BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
| 01:00BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
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| 03:00 | 03:45Commentary on the fifth day of the fourth Test between India and England, from Mumbai.
| | | | 03:45Commentary on the first day of the fifth Test between India and England, from Chennai.
| 03:45Commentary on the second day of the fifth Test between India and England, from Chennai.
| 03:45Commentary on the third day of the fifth Test between India and England, from Chennai.
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| 05:00 | 05:20The latest shipping forecast. 05:43A short reflection and prayer with Andrea Rea. 05:45Farming Today tackles one of the countryside's most divisive issues - hunting. 05:56The latest weather forecast for farmers. 05:58Sir David Attenborough presents the superb lyrebird of eastern Australia.(R)
| 05:20The latest shipping forecast. 05:43A short reflection and prayer with Andrea Rea. 05:45Why do bees buzz? A new study looks at how neonicotinoids affect the behaviour of bees. 05:58Miranda Krestovnikoff presents the mysterious shoebill of Uganda.(R)
| 05:20The latest shipping forecast. 05:43A short reflection and prayer with Andrea Rea. 05:45Schmallenberg virus has been reported in Wales and the west of England. 05:58Miranda Krestovnikoff presents the New Zealand brown kiwi.(R)
| 05:20The latest shipping forecast. 05:43A short reflection and prayer with Andrea Rea. 05:45Fishing quotas have been set for the year ahead but what does the future hold post Brexit? 05:58Miranda Krestovnikoff presents the Andean cock-of-the-rock from Peru.(R)
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| 06:00 | 06:00News and current affairs. Includes Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
| 06:00Including Yesterday in Parliament, Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
| 06:00Including Yesterday in Parliament, Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
| 06:00Including Yesterday in Parliament, Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
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| 07:00 | | | | | | | | |
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| 08:00 | | 08:31Sean Curran reports from Westminster.
| 08:31MPs call an emergency debate on the crisis in the Syrian city of Aleppo.
| 08:31Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn trade blows over the funding for social care.
| 08:30Susan Hulme reports from Westminster.
| 08:51Mark D'Arcy reports from Westminster.
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| 09:00 | 09:00Tom Sutcliffe with Simon Morrison, Ismene Brown, Edith Devaney and Nigel Cliff. 09:44Christian worship with a Bible reading, prayer and music, led by Michael Wakelin.
| 09:00Harvard's Michael Sandel asks tough questions of 60 people from around the world. 09:30Moving can bring peace or regret, but friendship and support always helps.(R) 09:45Christian worship with a Bible reading, prayer and music.
| 09:00Novelist Ken Follett joins Libby Purves. 09:45Christian worship with a Bible reading, prayer and music, led by the Rev Clair Jaquiss.
| 09:00Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the cause and impact of the gin craze in the 18th century. 09:45Christian worship with a Bible reading, prayer and music, led by Elizabeth Alker.
| 09:00Commentary on the first day of the fifth Test between India and England, from Chennai. 09:45Spiritual reflection and prayers on a topical subject, led by the Rev Roy Jenkins.
| 09:00Commentary on the second day of the fifth Test between India and England, from Chennai.
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| 10:00 | 10:00BBC2 series Muslims Like Us and Italian women and the Calabrian Mafia. 10:451/5By Lizzie Nunnery, from the letters of writers James and Timmie Hanley to their son Liam.
| 10:00The business of caring for someone at home. Danielle de Niese, 'opera's coolest soprano'. 10:452/5Timmie draws on her experience as she tries to guide Liam into a lucrative career choice.
| 10:00The seven women who have made the biggest impact on women's lives in seven decades.
| 10:00Rethinking masculinity. What's in it for men? 10:454/5James and Timmie receive shocking news and urgently have to counsel their son Liam.
| 10:00Commentary on the first day of the fifth Test between India and England, from Chennai.
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| 11:00 | 11:00Deep in an industrial estate in Bridgwater, a space machine is under construction 11:303/4Trisha is persuaded to cater for a double date.
| 11:003/3A WWII transatlantic telephone line censor reveals what happens when you really listen. 11:303/3The series celebrating original manuscripts ends with Antonio Vivaldi's joyous Gloria.
| 11:00Susan Calman finds out why our feline overlords rule cyberspace.(R) 11:301/2On a Glasgow rooftop, a former high wire act and a sad young man are connected by chance.
| 11:00Jill McGivering reports on the rising tide of Hindu extremism in India. 11:303/3The impact of the Australian landscape on the country's popular culture.
| 11:15The university dropouts using social media to influence youngsters on a huge scale. 11:303/4Is whoever shot Cinderella the same person who is sending Charles threatening texts?
| 11:15Steve Richards and guests look back over a momentous political year. 11:30Kate Adie with correspondents' stories: Uganda, Venezuela, Portugal, Uzbekistan and India.
| 11:45Bruce Springsteen is interviewed by Kirsty Young for Desert Island Discs.
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| 12:00 | 12:00National and international news and the shipping forecast. 12:04Geoffrey Marshall builds a new alliance with a New York steel magnate. 12:15How many people have taken up a new basic bank account? Plus a landmark for U3A. 12:57The latest weather forecast.
| 12:00National and international news and the shipping forecast. 12:04In Tynemouth, Marion rekindles an old friendship, and builds a new one. 12:15What encourages you to give to charity, and what turns you off? 12:57The latest weather forecast.
| 12:00National and international news and the shipping forecast. 12:04Epic drama series set in Great War Britain on this day a hundred years ago. 12:15An investigation finds alleged mistreatment of workers at a JD Sports warehouse. 12:57The latest weather forecast.
| 12:00National and international news and the shipping forecast. 12:04At Marshall's, Martha Lamb is determined that the women's voices are heard. 12:15Consumer affairs programme. Hepatitis C treatments; online grooming. 12:57The latest weather forecast.
| 12:00National and international news and the shipping forecast. 12:04At the Examiner, Edgar Bates's new reporter is not what he had been expecting. 12:15The team look at how the unregulated will writing market is open to abuse.
| 12:00National and international news and the shipping forecast. 12:04Could we lose the £50 note?; Scots pay more income tax; credit union instant loans. 12:307/7Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis present the week via topical stand-up and sketches.(R) 12:57The latest weather forecast.
| 12:00National and international news and the shipping forecast. 12:045/6Barry Cryer, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Jeremy Hardy and Miles Jupp join Jack Dee.(R) 12:32Sheila Dillon takes an irreverent look at baking and the history of cake. 12:57The latest weather forecast.
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| 13:00 | 13:00Analysis of news and current affairs. 13:451/5In a new series challenging thinking about sport, Simon Barnes discusses feminism.
| 13:00News with Martha Kearney and Shaun Ley including Aleppo latest and Brexit negotiations. 13:452/5Simon Barnes continues his challenge to how we think about sport, discussing beauty.
| 13:00Analysis of news and current affairs. 13:453/5Simon Barnes continues his series about sport, arguing that sport is for intellectuals.
| 13:00Analysis of news and current affairs with Martha Kearney. 13:454/5Simon Barnes argues that sport produces narratives worthy of a novel.
| 13:00The evacuation of Aleppo has been halted. We talk to one man waiting for the buses. 13:455/5Simon Barnes concludes his series about sport by arguing that it is not about nationalism.
| 13:00The latest news from BBC Radio 4. 13:10Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate from Askew Road Church in West London.(R)
| 13:00Global news and analysis. 13:302/3A celebration of the autographed manuscript of Puccini's masterpiece, Madame Butterfly.(R)
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| 14:00 | 14:00Peggy voices her concerns.(R) 14:154/4Detective series Stone created by Danny Brocklehurst. Damage written by Vivienne Harvey.
| 14:00Susan dresses to impress.(R) 14:15The war on terror makes a sudden, terrifying appearance in smalltown Norway.
| 14:00Jennifer has an unexpected call.(R) 14:15Post Brexit, Hugh Costello's drama asks, can or should anything be done to save Europe?
| 14:00Pat gives Susan a warning.(R) 14:15Magical family comedy about dementia.(R)
| 14:00Johnny prepares to strike a pose.(R) 14:15The Swedish archipelago has 30,000 islands and many mysteries. By Sebastian Baczkiewicz.
| 14:00Is Theresa May heading for a Christmas of discontent? 14:30Tristran Thorn travels to the mysterious land of Faerie in pursuit of a fallen star.
| 14:00Eric Robson and the horticultural panel are in South Yorkshire.(R) 14:45Dealing with bereavement, kidney disease and ageing - as a couple.
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| 15:00 | 15:00Tom Sutcliffe chairs the game of cryptic clues and convoluted connections. 15:30Dan Saladino finds out what the future holds for cheese, including the role of raw milk.(R)
| 15:003/3Three more students raise the curtain on their final year at performing arts school. 15:30Three people who stand up to bullies and trolls speak out.
| 15:00Louise Cooper and a panel of guests look at donating money wisely to charity this Xmas. 15:30The Boomerang generation, parents may moan but are there any health benefits?(R)
| 15:00Helen Mark visits the Lake District to hear how 'Wordsworth's County' is being remade. 15:27Bill Turnbull makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of Bees for Development.(R) 15:30Writer Henrietta Rose-Innes talks to Mariella Frostrup about her novel Nineveh.(R)
| 15:00Eric Robson and the horticultural panel are in South Yorkshire. 15:45Tamsin Greig reads Laura Barnett's story of Christmas diplomacy amid blended families
| 15:303/3The series celebrating original manuscripts ends with Antonio Vivaldi's joyous Gloria.(R)
| 15:00Tristran must find and rescue the star before she is captured by dark forces in Faerie.
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| 16:00 | 16:00Poet Kamal Kaan explores the impact of flooding on lives in Bangladesh and the UK. 16:30From Gilgamesh to Cryonics - Ernie Rea and guests discuss the quest for immortality.
| 16:00If psychoanalysis is only for the wealthy few, can we all still benefit from Freud? 16:30Sir Ben Kingsley champions the life of holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel as his great life.
| 16:00Men, masculinities and violence. Also, stag parties, deviance and consumerism. 16:30Steve Hewlett discusses what next for Rupert Murdoch, 20th Century Fox and Sky.
| 16:00Francine Stock talks to Gareth Edwards, director of Star Wars spin-off Rogue One. 16:30A windy weather report from 1,000 light years away.
| 16:00Matthew Bannister on a glazier, a journalist, a carer, a palaeobotanist, a weatherman. 16:30Notable deaths, Rule Britannia and creating your own Christmas speech 16:55About to turn 60, a couple reflect on what changes and what remains the same.
| 16:00The 2016 Powerlist; Grayson Perry on what it means to be a man; Glenda Jackson.
| 16:00Mariella Frostrup and guests look at the life and work of Shirley Jackson. 16:30Roger McGough presents a selection of winter poems read by some celebrated actors.
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| 17:00 | 17:00Coverage and analysis of the day's news. 17:54The latest shipping forecast.
| 17:00Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis. 17:54The latest shipping forecast.
| 17:00Coverage and analysis of the day's news. 17:54The latest shipping forecast.
| 17:00Eddie Mair with interviews, context and analysis. 17:54The latest shipping forecast.
| 17:00The evacuation of the Syrian city of Aleppo stalls. Prisoners take over a Birmingham jail. 17:54The latest shipping forecast.
| 17:00Full coverage of the day's news. 17:30A listener's investigation into a lonely life, and reflections from the original Poldark.(R) 17:54The latest shipping forecast. 17:57The latest weather forecast.
| 17:00John McCarthy looks at how handling a hostage crisis has changed 30 years since his kidnap(R) 17:40Mark Coles profiles rescue workers in Syria said to have saved thousands of lives.(R) 17:54The latest shipping forecast. 17:57The latest weather forecast.
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| 18:00 | 18:00The Chancellor says a longer transition would mean less risk of disruption for UK and EU 18:305/6Barry Cryer, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Jeremy Hardy and Miles Jupp join Jack Dee.
| 18:00The UN says more than 80 civilians have been killed in the Syrian City of Aleppo. 18:27A Yemen Crisis Appeal on behalf of the Disasters Emergency Committee. 18:305/6It is Joan's birthday, but Clare will not be guilt-tripped into attending the party.
| 18:00Fighting has resumed in Aleppo in Syria, ending a ceasefire agreed yesterday 18:303/4Victoria Coren Mitchell interviews Sarah Millican about cars.
| 18:00Hundreds have been taken out of eastern Aleppo in a convoy of ambulances and buses. 18:301/2Aditi Mittal looks at the options open to women in modern India.
| 18:00There are fears hundreds of children will die if the evacuation does not resume. 18:307/7Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis present the week via topical stand-up and sketches.
| 18:00Up to 240 prisoners are being moved out of HMP Birmingham after a 12-hour riot. 18:15Clive Anderson and guests with an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy.
| 18:00The latest deal to evacuate rebels and civilians from Aleppo has run into trouble. 18:15Jim Al-Khalili chooses his BBC Radio highlights.
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| 19:00 | 19:00Susan dresses to impress. 19:15The Eagle Huntress, Luke Jerram's hidden treasures of Scunthorpe, John Montague remembered 19:451/5By Lizzie Nunnery, from the letters of writers James and Timmie Hanley to their son Liam.(R)
| 19:00Jennifer has an unexpected call. 19:15Darcey Bussell; Pevsner architectural guides; Daniel Craig and David Oyelowo on Broadway. 19:452/5Timmie draws on her experience as she tries to guide Liam into a lucrative career choice.(R)
| 19:00Pat gives Susan a warning. 19:15Peter Capaldi on Dr Who, Rogue One - A Star Wars Story, poet Ben Lerner & E R Braithwaite. 19:453/5Writers James and Timmie advise their son Liam on creative endeavours, life and love.
| 19:00Johnny prepares to strike a pose. 19:15Moomins creator Tove Jansson, and the challenges of performing Der Rosenkavalier. 19:454/5James and Timmie receive shocking news and urgently have to counsel their son Liam.(R)
| 19:00Helen puts on a brave face. 19:15Matthew Bourne discusses his stage version of the classic British film The Red Shoes. 19:455/5Writers James and Timmie Hanley make a move at last, but come to regret their decision.(R)
| 19:00Mark Coles profiles rescue workers in Syria said to have saved thousands of lives. 19:15A review of the week's cultural highlights, including Hedda Gabler and Son of Joseph.
| 19:151/2Arthur bumps into an old friend with an investment opportunity. 19:45Story by Susanna Clarke set in the world of Neil Gaiman's Stardust. Read by Sophie Rundle.
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| 20:00 | 20:00Sushma Puri asks if the supply teacher system is failing teachers, schools and children.(R) 20:30Black sporting talent is still struggling to break through into South Africa's top teams.(R)
| 20:00John McCarthy looks at how handling a hostage crisis has changed 30 years since his kidnap 20:40News, views and information for people who are blind or partially sighted.
| 20:00Joan Bakewell explores what happens in the days and hours that surround death itself. 20:45Sarah Thomas de Benitez says it's time to listen to street children.
| 20:00What are the causes of Yemen's civil war and who is fighting? 20:30Jonty Bloom looks at the future of farming in the UK.
| 20:00Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate from Askew Road Church in West London. 20:50Adam Gopnik on the controversy surrounding the Christmas song Baby It's Cold Outside.
| 20:00University of Hertfordshire students create an oral history archive - in a weekend.(R)
| 20:00Notable deaths, Rule Britannia and creating your own Christmas speech(R) 20:30Matthew Bannister on a glazier, a journalist, a carer, a palaeobotanist, a weatherman.(R)
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| 21:00 | 21:002/3A profoundly deaf woman reveals how there is more to listening than hearing.(R) 21:30Tom Sutcliffe with Simon Morrison, Ismene Brown, Edith Devaney and Nigel Cliff.(R)
| 21:00The Boomerang generation, parents may moan but are there any health benefits? 21:30Harvard's Michael Sandel asks tough questions of 60 people from around the world.(R)
| 21:00The man who predicted deforestation and harmful human-induced climate change 200 years ago 21:30Novelist Ken Follett joins Libby Purves.(R)
| 21:00A windy weather report from 1,000 light years away.(R) 21:30Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the cause and impact of the gin craze in the 18th century.(R)
| 21:00Germany offers peace terms, and there are new and rekindled alliances in Tynemouth.
| 21:002/2Starring David Tennant. Three destitute men steal a schooner and try to steal pearls.(R)
| 21:00Could we lose the £50 note?; Scots pay more income tax; credit union instant loans.(R) 21:26Cecily, whose child has benefited from the Amber Trust, appeals on the charity's behalf.(R) 21:30Jonty Bloom looks at the future of farming in the UK.(R)
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| 22:00 | 22:00The World Tonight discusses the future of the Syrian conflict after the fall of Aleppo. 22:451/5When maid Babette comes into money she decides to cook a meal for her pious employers.
| 22:00The battle in Syria's second city ends after fierce bombardment of rebel strongholds. 22:452/5The sisters are astonished when a woman arrives bearing a letter from an old friend.
| 22:00A report from the city and an exploration of Iran's involvement in the Syrian conflict. 22:453/5As Babette plans her special meal, the sisters dread the day that she returns to France.
| 22:00Assad hails the 'liberation' of Aleppo, US dubs it 'a massacre'. 22:454/5The members of Martine and Phillipa’s church gather for the meal in memory of the Dean.
| 22:00A riot involving hundreds of inmates has raged for about 12 hours at a city prison. 22:455/5As the exquisite food and wine are consumed, past wounds heal and old friends reconnect.
| 22:00The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. 22:15Joan Bakewell explores what happens in the days and hours that surround death itself.(R)
| 22:00Carolyn Quinn and guests review an eventful year in politics and look ahead to 2017.
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| 23:00 | 23:00Olly Mann and guests explore anger - repressed and explicit. 23:30Susan Hulme reports from Westminster.
| 23:001/4David Jason stars in David Renwick’s dark and quirky post-apocalyptic sketch show. 23:30The foreign secretary says aid drops over Syria are too risky.
| 23:003/4More delightful comedy nonsense from the mind of Terry Alderton. 23:152/4Merriment, melancholy and witty wordplay. Quirky sketches and poems.(R) 23:30Jeremy Corbyn says social care in England is a crisis made in Downing Street.
| 23:001/4Matt Harvey's musically-enhanced, interactive poetry cabaret comes from Bristol.(R) 23:30Sean Curran reports from Westminster.
| 23:00Sir Ben Kingsley champions the life of holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel as his great life.(R) 23:30Mark D'Arcy reports from Westminster. 23:55A couple come to terms with the loss of their son - in different ways but still united.
| 23:00Tom Sutcliffe chairs the game of cryptic clues and convoluted connections.(R) 23:302/4A mix-tape of new poems from two American poets: Daisy Fried and Brenda Shaughnessy.(R)
| 23:00Francine Stock talks to Gareth Edwards, director of Star Wars spin-off Rogue One.(R) 23:30The poet Michael Symmons Roberts asks whether the arts are good for us.(R)
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