BBC Radio 4 FM Schedule Wednesday 19 August 2026

Schedule

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Early
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Late

Early
1. 00:00
  
  Midnight News—19/08/2026
  
  National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
2. 00:30
  
  The Fire in the Mountain: Sicily, Etna and her People by Helena Attlee—Episode Two - Fighting an Eruption
  
  2/5 Life in the shadow of Mount Etna, Sicily’s most dangerous and alluring landmark.
3. 00:48
  
  Shipping Forecast—19/08/2026
  
  The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
4. 01:00
  
  Selection of BBC World Service Programmes—19/08/2026
  
  BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
5. 05:00
  
  News Summary—19/08/2026
  
  National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
6. 05:04
  
  BBC Inside Science—Should we be scared of AI viruses?
  
  Researchers have announced synthetic viruses designed by artificial intelligence.
7. 05:34
  
  Shipping Forecast—19/08/2026
  
  The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
8. 05:43
  
  Prayer for the Day—Blood connection
  
  Spiritual reflection with Prof Alison Jack of Edinburgh University's School of Divinity.
9. 05:45
  
  Farming Today—19/08/2026 Village agricultural show
  
  Village agricultural show in the Lake District.
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Morning
1. 06:00
  
  Today—19/08/2026
  
  News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
2. 09:00
  
  Sideways—The Stranger
  
  The remarkable power in all of us to help complete strangers.
3. 09:30
  
  Shadow World—Breakin' the Cycle, 4. A New Direction
  
  4/6 Colin takes over directing, but the lines between gangland fact and fiction begin to blur.
4. 10:00
  
  Woman's Hour—France's mass drugging case, Olympian Jade Jones, Air pollution research
  
  Why has a French civil servant charged with drugging hundreds of women not faced trial?
5. 11:00
  
  File on 4 Investigates—Saving Young Men from Murder: The Homeboy Story
  
  Psychiatrist Gwen Adshead visits the largest gang rehabilitation charity in the world.
6. 11:40
  
  This Week in History—August 17th - August 23rd
  
  Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.
7. 11:45
  
  The Fire in the Mountain: Sicily, Etna and her People by Helena Attlee—Episode Three - The Breasts of Saint Agatha
  
  3/5 Life in the shadow of Mount Etna, Sicily’s most dangerous and alluring landmark.
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Afternoon
1. 12:00
  
  News Summary—19/08/2026
  
  The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
2. 12:04
  
  You and Yours—Drip Pricing Investigation, Fake Holiday Listings, House Prices
  
  The CMA investigates Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and RED Driving School for drip pricing.
3. 12:57
  
  Weather—19/08/2026
  
  The latest weather forecast.
4. 13:00
  
  World at One—Lewes derailment: investigation finds fault in track
  
  Rail investigators find track defect on approach to site of Lewes derailment.
5. 13:45
  
  Human Intelligence—Provocateurs, Sigmund Freud
  
  Inside the mind of the man who pioneered the discipline of psychoanalysis.
6. 14:00
  
  The Archers—18/08/2026
  
  Susan puts her foot in it.
7. 14:15
  
  United Kingdoms—Reflecting
  
  A bold series of short dramas reflecting life across the UK.
8. 15:00
  
  Illuminated—The Grand North Atlantic Home Video Archive
  
  Séamas O'Reilly unravels the mystery of his father's unusual film archive.
9. 15:30
  
  Illuminated—All Under One Magnetosphere
  
  Discover the magic of ‘natural radio’ - a hidden electromagnetic soundscape.
10. 16:00
  
  The Power of Guilt—The First Year
  
  5/5 A deeply personal story of guilt – how to live with it, and its power to transform us.
11. 16:15
  
  The Media Show—Jason Arday: examining the media coverage after his death
  
  Questions over journalism, proportionality and the coverage of Jason Arday.
12. 17:00
  
  PM—Track defect found at site of train derailment
  
  Investigation into Thursday's train derailment near Lewes finds track defect at the site.
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Evening
1. 18:00
  
  Six O'Clock News—Track defect found at site of East Sussex derailment
  
  Investigators share initial findings of last week's incident near Lewes
2. 18:30
  
  Best Medicine—Series 3, 4 - Fighting, Gene Therapy for Huntington’s Disease, Plants
  
  4/6 Stephen Bailey takes a swing with Fighting vs Gene Therapy for Huntington’s and Plants.
3. 19:00
  
  The Archers—19/08/2026
  
  The Malik family have a bone to pick.
4. 19:15
  
  Front Row—From the Edinburgh Festivals: Ann Droid and Motherland star Paul Ready; founder of Wikipedia Jimmy Wales; comedian Rosie Holt
  
  Paul Ready, star of Motherland and Ann Droid, on his one-man show Little Animals.
5. 20:00
  
  Moral Maze—Is empathy ever a weakness?
  
  Live debate examining the moral issues behind one of the week's news stories.
6. 21:00
  
  The History Podcast—Invisible Hands: The American Century, 4. Rolling Thunder
  
  4/6 The story of the nerdy academic who led America to disaster in Vietnam.
7. 21:30
  
  Michael Sheen Gets Into Character—1. Inner Truth
  
  Michael Sheen explores the art of acting.
8. 22:00
  
  The World Tonight—Hopes for new cancer vaccine
  
  The melanoma vaccine is the first to have positive late stage trial results
9. 22:45
  
  Mr Sidhu's Post Office by Amman Brar—Episode Three
  
  3/10 Set in 2007, this is a heartwarming tale of community and change.
10. 23:00
  
  Nora Meadows' Week of Wellness—1. Deep Inside Brian
  
  Nora Meadows - a wellness guru and therapist - helps others, and herself, find wellness.
11. 23:15
  
  Follow the Rabbit—4. The Biscuit Tin Demon
  
  Comedy series following amateur paranormal podcaster, Chris Relish.
12. 23:30
  
  Poetry Please—Pascale Petit
  
  Roger McGough talks to French British poet Pascale Petit.
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Late
1. 00:00
  
  Midnight News—20/08/2026
  
  National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
2. 00:30
  
  The Fire in the Mountain: Sicily, Etna and her People by Helena Attlee—Episode Three - The Breasts of Saint Agatha
  
  3/5 Life in the shadow of Mount Etna, Sicily’s most dangerous and alluring landmark.
3. 00:48
  
  Shipping Forecast—20/08/2026
  
  The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
4. 01:00
  
  Selection of BBC World Service Programmes—20/08/2026
  
  BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
5. 05:00
  
  News Summary—20/08/2026
  
  National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
6. 05:04
  
  Sideways—The Stranger
  
  The remarkable power in all of us to help complete strangers.
7. 05:34
  
  Shipping Forecast—20/08/2026
  
  The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
8. 05:43
  
  Prayer for the Day—The in-betweens
  
  Spiritual reflection with Prof Alison Jack of Edinburgh University's School of Divinity.
9. 05:45
  
  Farming Today—20/08/26 Salmonella in eggs, bees in drought, roof-top solar
  
  Investigating an outbreak of salmonella - believed to come from imported eggs.

Thursday 20 August 2026