Listen to selected highlights from the Today programme.

The latest news about food, farming and the countryside

Brand new stories, from today’s best writers written exclusively for Radio 4 – the home of the Short Story Radio 4 is the world’s leading commissioner of new short stories. Expect excellent writing from the hottest names offering compelling snapshots of the way we live now, produced by the experts behind the BBC National Short Story Award and other in-house readings teams.

News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament

If you've ever yelled at someone on social media about, say, cancel culture or mask-wearing, then you are a soldier in the culture wars - those everyday battles for dominance between conflicting values. The acclaimed writer and podcaster Jon Ronson has seen friends swallowed up in them to the extent that it's ruined their lives. Jon was curious to learn how things fell apart, and so he went back into the history of the culture wars to find some of the origin stories: the pebbles thrown in th ...

Inside the world of crisis managers and spin doctors as David Yelland and Simon Lewis watch the week's biggest PR disasters unfold. In each episode our hosts go behind the scenes of the latest news stories and find out how, where and when it all began to hit the fan. When It Hits The Fan is hosted by two of the most influential and experienced people in the game; David Yelland is the former editor of the Sun and alongside him is Simon Lewis, former trouble-shooter for the Queen and Gordon Br ...

Radio 4's forum for comments, queries, criticisms and congratulations

Fantasy writer Rhianna Pratchett takes us across an enchanted British Isles to discover mythical creatures that lurk in all corners of the land. She uncovers what they can tell us about our history, our world and our lives today.

Hannah Fry looks back at 75 years of computing history to reveal the UK's lead role in developing the technologies we rely on today

Documentary series telling original stories about real lives in Britain today

Carrie Gracie presents a series exploring what ten great lives from Chinese history reveal about China today

Beyond Today is the daily podcast from Radio 4 that asks one big question about one big story in the news - and beyond. Tina Daheley, Matthew Price, and a team of curious producers search for answers that change the way we see the world. They speak to the BBC’s unrivalled global network of reporters, plus occasional special guests, to tell stories about identity, technology, and power - where it lies and how that is changing.

For news lovers everywhere. Join former BBC reporter and broadcast journalist Angela Walker as she engages in thought-provoking conversations with inspirational individuals about current affairs and under-reported issues. We examine stories mainstream media don’t cover: issues of social justice and campaigns that aim to improve society and the world we live in. We look at issues around government, climate change, the environment and world around us. In this podcast, we aim to shed light on i ...

Melvyn Bragg explores the history of the idea of culture, and its value today.

Paul McCartney talks about his life and song-writing through the prism of 10 key lyrics, including The Beatles’ classics All My Loving, Eleanor Rigby and Penny Lane. This is a unique insight into the life and art of Paul McCartney from his book The Lyrics, read in an entertaining and intimate way by the man himself. Produced by John Wilson.

Jamie Bartlett traces the story of how and why social media companies have become the new information gatekeepers, and what the decisions they make mean for all of us. It's 20 years since Facebook launched and the social media we know today - but it all started with a crazy idea to realise a hippie dream of building a "global consciousness". The plan was to build a connected world, where everyone could access everyone and everything all the time; to overthrow the old gatekeepers and set info ...

A regular podcast from Today on Radio 4, following Britain's swallows throughout the summer, and through their breeding season. Emily Knight, plus experts, listeners and swallow-lovers all over the country, get to know these iconic birds. Episodes are occasional – depending on the swallows Produced by Emily Knight and Eliza Lomas This podcast feed also includes episodes from the earlier series, Planet Puffin. All things puffin. Both the silly and the serious; the scientific and the cultural.

The dumbest genre in entertainment, or the one that tells us the most about ourselves? Since its conception, reality TV has divided its viewers. Unreal: A Critical History of Reality TV is a 10-part audio documentary written and presented by journalists Pandora Sykes and Sirin Kale. They've been fans of reality TV since they first watched Big Brother as pre-teens and they've spent a fair amount of time defending reality TV when people are snobby about it, or dismiss its importance in our wid ...

An insider’s guide to the stories and people shaping the USA today. Discussion and insight from some of the best known names and voices in America.

Award Winning Second Chance is a podcast series that explores the theme of second chance. It raises the questions who deserves a second chance, who decides who gets a second chance and what a second chance actually means. On this podcast we speak to people from all walks of life about their experiences, some who have been given a second chance in life, some who might be considered to be beyond deserving a second chance. The host of the podcast series is Raphael Rowe, host of the critically a ...

Podcast by rpharms

"Man is only 90% water, but On The Hour is 100% news". After a sixteen year wait, one of the most highly acclaimed radio programmes of the nineties, featuring a uniquely talented combination of acclaimed comedy writers and actors, will finally be released in 2008. Featuring Chris Morris, Armando Iannucci, Steve Coogan (aka Alan Partridge), Stewart Lee, Richard Herring, David Schneider, Doon Mackichan and Rebecca Front. This podcast should give you a taste of the show. Deluxe case-bound box s ...

The is the podcast for Steve Barclay MP for North East Cambridgeshire and Minister of State at Department of Health and Social Care

2020 Visions is a six part series presented by Rys Farthing and K. Biswas charting Britain's future. Episode 1: The Political Future. Guests: Labour’s Jon Cruddas MP; human rights activist Peter Tatchell; ConservativeHome editor Jonathan Isaby, psephologist Professor John Curtice; Dr Madsen Pirie, Director of the free-market Adam Smith Institute; LibDem Voice editor Stephen Tall; David Babbs of campaign organisation 38 Degrees, and the New Statesman’s Laurie Penny. Episode 2: Poverty, inequa ...

The New Pulse News Podcast Radio, is about you; The Pulse is a new 24 hour to the minute, independent, 1st Amendment, free form on demand news, information, opinion, commentary and editorial News network, news, podcast radio portal, providing real news stories without the hype. For more news reference links and to listen to the podcast go to radiotalknetwork.com and visit us also at WAFRN.com and at https://www.thenewsdesklive.com/

March 8th, 1971, Madison Square Garden, New York, USA. A small, illuminated square of canvas. Camera lenses point from every direction, the world is watching. In the surrounding seats an unlikely mix of spectators rub shoulders - the cream of Hollywood, music stars, gangsters, pimps and politicians. Outside touts are making a killing, asking astronomical prices for the hottest ticket in town. In order to gain the best view in the house, legendary singer Frank Sinatra has become an accredited ...