BBC Radio 4 FM Schedule Thursday 27 August 2026

Schedule

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Early
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Late

Early
1. 00:00
  
  Midnight News—27/08/2026
  
  National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
2. 00:30
  
  All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley—Episode 3
  
  3/5 A guard is entranced by an African Nkisi figure at the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
3. 00:48
  
  Shipping Forecast—27/08/2026
  
  The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
4. 01:00
  
  Selection of BBC World Service Programmes—27/08/2026
  
  BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
5. 05:00
  
  News Summary—27/08/2026
  
  National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
6. 05:04
  
  Sideways—Never Again Landfill
  
  A woman in leather battles against the erasure of her community.
7. 05:34
  
  Shipping Forecast—27/08/2026
  
  The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
8. 05:43
  
  Prayer for the Day—Shake It Off
  
  A spiritual comment and prayer with the Rev Mariama Ifode -Blease.
9. 05:45
  
  Farming Today—27/08/2026: Beef imports, Miscanthus
  
  Beef import concerns in US and UK, Miscanthus as future crop.
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Morning
1. 06:00
  
  Today—27/08/2026
  
  News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
2. 09:00
  
  Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics—Series 12, The Argonautica
  
  5/7 Natalie narrates Jason and the Argonauts' epic quest to find the Golden Fleece.
3. 09:30
  
  Artworks—The Guitar Story, 4. Not Fade Away
  
  4/4 John Wilson explores the story of the guitar as a driver of social and cultural change.
4. 10:00
  
  Woman's Hour—Parent Strike, Bella Mackie, non-recent child sexual abuse
  
  Call for government to improve parenting policies like flexible working & paternity leave
5. 11:00
  
  This Cultural Life—Mitsuko Uchida
  
  Pianist Mitsuko Uchida discusses her cultural influences and her career in music.
6. 11:45
  
  All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley—Episode 4
  
  4/5 A museum guard identifies with the figure of an ancient Greek Kouros.
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Afternoon
1. 12:00
  
  News Summary—27/08/2026
  
  The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.
2. 12:04
  
  Scam Secrets—How to Help Someone Who's Being Scammed
  
  What do you do if a loved one is under the spell?
3. 12:32
  
  Sliced Bread—Dough - Series 5, Money
  
  1/5 Could cash be checking out and digital dollars be on the rise? Greg Foot investigates.
4. 12:57
  
  Weather—27/08/2026
  
  The latest weather forecast.
5. 13:00
  
  World at One—Hundreds dead and over a thousand missing across Nepal and Tibet after yesterday's devastating flash flood
  
  The deputy mayor of one of the worst affected areas pleads for help.
6. 13:45
  
  Human Intelligence—Conversationalists, Fatema Mernissi
  
  Inside the mind of the revolutionary feminist thinker, sociologist and intellectual.
7. 14:00
  
  The Archers—26/08/2026
  
  There’s a surprise for David
8. 14:15
  
  Drama on 4—You and Me, Us and Them
  
  Tasha is losing her child Marie/Max to another world, another class, another gender.
9. 15:00
  
  Open Country—River Pilgrimage
  
  Martha Kearney joins a group of pilgrims following the route of the River Medway in Kent
10. 15:27
  
  Radio 4 Appeal—International Animal Rescue
  
  Actor Peter Egan makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of International Animal Rescue.
11. 15:30
  
  Word of Mouth—Gaelic
  
  Gaelic in Scotland with writer and broadcaster Roddy Maclean talking to Michael Rosen.
12. 16:00
  
  The Briefing Room—Are Gen Z movements reshaping politics?
  
  Young people are protesting around the world but about what and are they winning?
13. 16:30
  
  BBC Inside Science—The day of the datacentres
  
  The datacentres are coming, potentially in the hundreds.
14. 17:00
  
  PM—More than 350 killed in Nepal following glacial collapse
  
  Rising lake raises fear of new flooding.
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Evening
1. 18:00
  
  Six O'Clock News—Hundreds are dead after flash floods in Nepal
  
  More than a thousand people are still missing
2. 18:30
  
  Icklewick FM—Series 1, 5. The Leak
  
  5/6 A town in crisis. Bin men on strike, rubbish piled high, and the Mayor is missing…
3. 19:00
  
  The Archers—27/08/2026
  
  Keira tries to make amends
4. 19:15
  
  Front Row—Review: Pedro Almodóvar's new film Bitter Christmas
  
  Plus Ridley Scott's film The Dog Stars and Chloe Benjamin's novel Under Story.
5. 20:00
  
  Naturebang—Giant Anteaters and Power Posing
  
  What shape does an anteater make when threatened? And is there real power in a power pose?
6. 20:15
  
  The Media Show—YouTube and the battle for television’s future
  
  YouTube's growing influence and its impact on UK television.
7. 21:00
  
  Loose Ends—Rosie Jones, One Man Musical, Damien Warren-Smith, Kirsty Mann, Legendary, Clive Anderson
  
  Join Clive Anderson for a party at the heart of the Edinburgh Festivals.
8. 21:45
  
  The Cows Are Mad—8. Reaction
  
  Campaigners claim cows have been unfairly blamed for BSE.
9. 22:00
  
  The World Tonight—UK salmonella cases nearing 500 as egg investigations continue
  
  Close to 500 people have become ill with salmonella linked to imported eggs
10. 22:45
  
  Mr Sidhu's Post Office by Amman Brar—Episode Nine
  
  9/10 Set in 2007, this is a heartwarming tale of community and change.
11. 23:00
  
  Radical—Redefining Retirement: Is Our Ageing Population an Untapped Asset? (Professor Sarah Harper)
  
  A leading gerontologist argues we should embrace the opportunities of our ageing society.
12. 23:30
  
  Everything Is Fake—Everything Is Fake and Nobody Cares, 4. The Lance Armstrong Defence
  
  If everyone is faking it and getting away with it, why wouldn't you?
Back to top
Late
1. 00:00
  
  Midnight News—28/08/2026
  
  National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
2. 00:30
  
  All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley—Episode 4
  
  4/5 A museum guard identifies with the figure of an ancient Greek Kouros.
3. 00:48
  
  Shipping Forecast—28/08/2026
  
  The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
4. 01:00
  
  Selection of BBC World Service Programmes—28/08/2026
  
  BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.
5. 05:00
  
  News Summary—28/08/2026
  
  National and international news from BBC Radio 4.
6. 05:04
  
  The Briefing Room—Are Gen Z movements reshaping politics?
  
  Young people are protesting around the world but about what and are they winning?
7. 05:34
  
  Shipping Forecast—28/08/2026
  
  The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.
8. 05:43
  
  Prayer for the Day—Carnival Vibes
  
  A spiritual comment and prayer with the Rev Mariama Ifode -Blease.
9. 05:45
  
  Farming Today—28/08/26 Licensing firearms and shotguns, lavender in the Lakes, gene-edited salad crops
  
  Not fit for purpose - the verdict on the firearms licensing system.

Friday 28 August 2026