BBC Radio 4 FM Schedule Wednesday 5 August 2026

Schedule

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Early
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Late

Early
1. 00:00
  
  Midnight News—05/08/2026
  
  National and international news from BBC Radio 4
2. 00:30
  
  Tony Hawks Is Giving Nothing Away—2. Receiving
  
  Tony Hawks hears about the impact of receiving an inheritance.
3. 00:48
  
  Shipping Forecast—05/08/2026
  
  The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
4. 01:00
  
  Selection of BBC World Service Programmes—05/08/2026
  
  BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
5. 05:00
  
  News Summary—05/08/2026
  
  National and international news from BBC Radio 4
6. 05:04
  
  BBC Inside Science—Are we alone in the universe?
  
  What if the Goldilocks zone is for idiots?
7. 05:34
  
  Shipping Forecast—05/08/2026
  
  The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
8. 05:43
  
  Prayer for the Day—Often it’s the everyday things that prepare us for the hard thing
  
  A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Rev Carolyn Skinner.
9. 05:45
  
  Farming Today—05/08/26 Scottish first minister on farming resilience; the cost of drought; harvest in Cumbria
  
  Scotland's first minister on farming policy and how to deal with wildfires in future.
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Morning
1. 06:00
  
  Today—05/08/2026
  
  News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
2. 09:00
  
  Sideways—Good Vibes Only
  
  When tragedy strikes, why do we so often respond with positivity?
3. 09:30
  
  Shadow World—Breakin' the Cycle, 2. A Hood Story
  
  2/6 Colin and D begin production, but remain tempted by their lucrative drug dealing business.
4. 10:00
  
  Woman's Hour—Listener Week: Lipoedema, Third Culture Kids, Sprinting, and the noises men make
  
  As Listener Week continues, we ask why more treatments aren’t available for lipoedema.
5. 11:00
  
  File on 4 Investigates—A Romanian Ransom
  
  Uncovering a secret Cold War trade of animals in exchange for Jewish lives.
6. 11:40
  
  This Week in History—August 3rd - August 9th
  
  Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
7. 11:45
  
  Tony Hawks Is Giving Nothing Away—3. Inheritance Disputes
  
  Lawyers tell Tony Hawks about the huge rise in inheritance disputes.
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Afternoon
1. 12:00
  
  News Summary—05/08/2026
  
  The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
2. 12:04
  
  You and Yours—Pet Flea Treatments and Superfake Watches
  
  Peers say toxic pet flea treatments are being used much more than necessary.
3. 12:57
  
  Weather—05/08/2026
  
  The latest weather forecast
4. 13:00
  
  World at One—Police investigating explosive device at Leipzig Airport
  
  Flights diverted after police confirm finding a drone carrying an explosive device.
5. 13:45
  
  The Bare Necessities—3. Shelter
  
  3/5 Dan Richards looks to the past to gather knowledge and skills for an uncertain future.
6. 14:00
  
  The Archers—04/08/2026
  
  Bert comes a cropper.
7. 14:15
  
  United Kingdoms—Hoping
  
  A bold series of short dramas reflecting life across the UK.
8. 15:00
  
  Illuminated—Precious Stones
  
  A journey through stone, memory, and the traces we leave behind.
9. 15:30
  
  Illuminated—Unreliable Narrator
  
  After a violent assault left him with no memory, Stephen McAll pieces together his story.
10. 16:00
  
  The Power of Guilt—The First Week
  
  3/5 The deeply personal story of an accident, extreme guilt, and its power to transform us.
11. 16:15
  
  The Media Show—Alternative Hollywood films, oral archive of local newspapers, prison radio
  
  The movie studios that are making waves outside the mainstream.
12. 17:00
  
  PM—Former neo-Nazi withdraws as Tory council candidate
  
  Joshua Bonehill-Paine no longer running as Tory council candidate after extremism row.
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Evening
1. 18:00
  
  Six O'Clock News—Former neo-Nazi withdraws as a Tory election candidate
  
  Joshua Bonehill-Paine had been selected to contest a local council election
2. 18:30
  
  Best Medicine—Series 3, 2 - Reformer Pilates, Persistence, Free Flaps
  
  2/6 Jamie MacDonald’s Reformer Pilates faces stiff competition from Free Flaps and Persistence
3. 19:00
  
  The Archers—05/08/2026
  
  There’s heartbreak in store for Chelsea.
4. 19:15
  
  Front Row—Live from the Edinburgh Festivals: Stockard Channing on directing Krapp's Last Tape
  
  Actress Stockard Channing on her directorial debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
5. 20:00
  
  AntiSocial—Foreign workers in the NHS
  
  Do we need more British-born doctors and nurses?
6. 20:45
  
  Café Hope—Garden therapy
  
  How a garden project is providing therapy for a GP and her patients.
7. 21:00
  
  The History Podcast—Invisible Hands: The American Century, 2. The Prophet
  
  2/7 The story of the man who started the cold war. With a telegram.
8. 21:30
  
  Inside Health—Where are we at with long Covid?
  
  Millions of people still have long Covid, yet a cure still isn't quite within reach.
9. 22:00
  
  The World Tonight—Former neo-Nazi resigns as Conservative council candidate
  
  We ask what the Jewish community makes of the decision.
10. 22:45
  
  The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith—Episode Three
  
  3/10 Mr Thornhill visits the family, who hope for upturned fortunes
11. 23:00
  
  Sunil Patel: An Idiot's Guide To—Living Forever, 5: How To Make A Baby
  
  5/6 Sunil attempts to make a baby.
12. 23:15
  
  Follow the Rabbit—2. The Ghost of Elizabeth Weaver
  
  Comedy series following amateur paranormal podcaster Chris Relish.
13. 23:30
  
  Artworks—Hollywood and The Adland Five, 3. A New Brand of Moviemaking
  
  3/4 Christopher Nolan and Christopher Frayling discuss music, market research and Flashdance.
Back to top
Late
1. 00:00
  
  Midnight News—06/08/2026
  
  National and international news from BBC Radio 4
2. 00:30
  
  Tony Hawks Is Giving Nothing Away—3. Inheritance Disputes
  
  Lawyers tell Tony Hawks about the huge rise in inheritance disputes.
3. 00:48
  
  Shipping Forecast—06/08/2026
  
  The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
4. 01:00
  
  Selection of BBC World Service Programmes—06/08/2026
  
  BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
5. 05:00
  
  News Summary—06/08/2026
  
  National and international news from BBC Radio 4
6. 05:04
  
  Sideways—Good Vibes Only
  
  When tragedy strikes, why do we so often respond with positivity?
7. 05:34
  
  Shipping Forecast—06/08/2026
  
  The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
8. 05:43
  
  Prayer for the Day—Count your blessings, name them one by one
  
  A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Rev Carolyn Skinner.
9. 05:45
  
  Farming Today—06/08/26 Bluetongue cases on the rise, vaccination and testing for the disease. Harvest in Perthshire.
  
  As bluetongue cases continue to rise, farmers are urged to vaccinate their livestock.

Thursday 6 August 2026