BBC Radio 4 FM Schedule Monday 4 May 2026

Schedule

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Early
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Late

Early
1. 00:00
  
  Midnight News—04/05/2026
  
  National and international news from BBC Radio 4
2. 00:15
  
  Crossing Continents—Driving Against Net Zero
  
  How populists are driving against the politics of Net Zero.
3. 00:45
  
  Bells on Sunday—St Swithin Clunbury, Shropshire
  
  Bells on Sunday comes from St Swithin Clunbury in Shropshire.
4. 00:48
  
  Shipping Forecast—04/05/2026
  
  The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
5. 01:00
  
  Selection of BBC World Service Programmes—04/05/2026
  
  BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
6. 05:00
  
  News Summary—04/05/2026
  
  National and international news from BBC Radio 4
7. 05:04
  
  Last Word—Xia De-hong, Lord Hunt of Chesterton, Joan Burstein, Bill Leader
  
  Matthew Bannister on a mother, a meteorologist, a retail pioneer and a recording engineer.
8. 05:34
  
  Shipping Forecast—04/05/2026
  
  The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
9. 05:43
  
  Prayer for the Day—All ye that are heavy-laden
  
  Spiritual reflection with Philip Blackledge of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Melrose.
10. 05:45
  
  Farming Today—04/05/26 Neolithic Farming and Feasting
  
  What Neolithic people on the Isle of Lewis foraged and ate.
11. 05:57
  
  Weather—04/05/2026
  
  The latest weather reports and forecasts for farmers
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Morning
1. 06:00
  
  Today—04/05/2026
  
  News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
2. 09:00
  
  Start the Week—Laurie Anderson: Strange and Disorientating Landscapes
  
  Naomi Alderman talks to Laurie Anderson, plus JG Ballard's writing and Nancy Holt's art.
3. 09:45
  
  Café Hope—Cleaning with compassion
  
  How one charity helps transform homes for families living in crisis.
4. 10:00
  
  Woman's Hour—How to have difficult conversations
  
  Vicky Pattison and psychotherapist Gabrielle Rifkind on difficult discussions.
5. 11:00
  
  Writing the Atom—The mystery of quantum mechanics
  
  Jim Al-Khalili on how writers and metaphors translate quantum mechanics into stories.
6. 11:45
  
  The Dark Frontier by Jeffrey Marlow—Episode 1: A Portal to Another Realm
  
  1/5 Marine microbiologist Professor Jeffrey Marlow explores the deep ocean.
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Afternoon
1. 12:00
  
  News Summary—04/05/2026
  
  The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
2. 12:04
  
  You and Yours—Rising Care Costs, World Cup Hospitality, Egg Demand
  
  New data shows that the cost of care is rising significantly.
3. 12:57
  
  Weather—04/05/2026
  
  The latest weather forecast
4. 13:00
  
  World at One—Confusion in the Strait of Hormuz
  
  US denies an Iranian claim that it hit an American warship trying to enter the waterway.
5. 13:45
  
  Naturebang—Giant Anteaters and Power Posing
  
  What shape does an anteater make when threatened? And is there real power in a power pose?
6. 14:00
  
  The Archers—03/05/2026
  
  Brad has something on his mind.
7. 14:15
  
  Conversations from a Long Marriage—Series 7, 1. Changing Places
  
  1/6 Starring Joanna Lumley & Roger Allam. They've moved to the seaside but no-one’s friendly.
8. 14:45
  
  Opening Lines—Don Quixote - Episode One
  
  John Yorke explores Miguel de Cervantes’ seminal epic, Don Quixote.
9. 15:00
  
  Great Lives—Peter Cook picked by Jon Harvey aka Count Binface
  
  Comedian Jon Harvey picks Peter Cook as his hero for Great Lives.
10. 15:30
  
  Illuminated—Strong Women
  
  World champion Strongwomen redefine power and what it really means to be strong.
11. 16:00
  
  The Documentary—How to Spend Billions – Fast: Carney’s Defence Deadline
  
  Inside Canada's sprint to hit NATO’s 2% by 31 March 2026
12. 16:30
  
  The Kitchen Cabinet—Series 52, Swindon
  
  4/7 Jay Rayner and the panel are in Swindon to talk roast pork and tuna.
13. 17:00
  
  PM—Can the US escort ships safely through the Strait of Hormuz?
  
  Confusion in the Gulf as the US and Iran release opposing reports on the Strait of Hormuz.
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Evening
1. 18:00
  
  Six O'Clock News—The US says military and cargo ships have gone through the Strait of Hormuz
  
  Iran denies any ships have made the passage
2. 18:30
  
  The Unbelievable Truth—Series 33, 2. Pets, The Brain, Breakfast and Shopping
  
  2/6 Alan Davies, Celya AB, Ian Smith and Angela Barnes play The Unbelievable Truth
3. 19:00
  
  The Archers—04/05/2026
  
  Leonard has a proposition for Carol.
4. 19:15
  
  Front Row—Celebrating the art of Illustration, with Sir Quentin Blake and Posy Simmonds
  
  We find out how illustration is adapting to a changing world.
5. 20:00
  
  The Briefing Room—Can Europe build digital sovereignty?
  
  Europe relies on US tech but can it find away to wean itself off it?
6. 20:30
  
  BBC Inside Science—Why is Europe the fastest-warming continent?
  
  We explore the mechanisms causing Europe's warming twice as fast as the global average.
7. 21:00
  
  Start the Week—Laurie Anderson: Strange and Disorientating Landscapes
  
  Naomi Alderman talks to Laurie Anderson, plus JG Ballard's writing and Nancy Holt's art.
8. 21:45
  
  Café Hope—Cleaning with compassion
  
  How one charity helps transform homes for families living in crisis.
9. 22:00
  
  The World Tonight—Trump pushes ahead with a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
  
  US President says US forces have destroyed several small Iranian boats,
10. 22:45
  
  The Prisoner by Sally Carson—Episode Six
  
  6/10 The sequel to Sally Carson’s rediscovered masterpiece Crooked Cross.
11. 23:00
  
  Drama on 4—Talawa Stories: NSA by Charles Entsie
  
  A clandestine encounter for two Black men sparks unexpected outcomes.
12. 23:30
  
  Hotel Room Art
  
  Ian McMillan gets close to the art in hotel rooms.
Back to top
Late
1. 00:00
  
  Midnight News—05/05/2026
  
  National and international news from BBC Radio 4
2. 00:30
  
  The Dark Frontier by Jeffrey Marlow—Episode 1: A Portal to Another Realm
  
  1/5 Marine microbiologist Professor Jeffrey Marlow explores the deep ocean.
3. 00:48
  
  Shipping Forecast—05/05/2026
  
  The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
4. 01:00
  
  Selection of BBC World Service Programmes—05/05/2026
  
  BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
5. 05:00
  
  News Summary—05/05/2026
  
  National and international news from BBC Radio 4
6. 05:04
  
  The Documentary—How to Spend Billions – Fast: Carney’s Defence Deadline
  
  Inside Canada's sprint to hit NATO’s 2% by 31 March 2026
7. 05:34
  
  Shipping Forecast—05/05/2026
  
  The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
8. 05:43
  
  Prayer for the Day—Gifts of the garden
  
  Spiritual reflection with Fr Philip Blackledge of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Melrose.
9. 05:45
  
  Farming Today—05/05/26 Ash tree propagation, clinical waste on beach, DIY bat monitoring
  
  A new growing technique which could help save the ash.

Tuesday 5 May 2026