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5/8. Hancock is looking forward to Christmas, but then his call-up papers arrive. And as if that wasn't bad enough, his commanding officer turns out to be one Sidney James...

Take pity on the nervous motorway driver. Marian and Tara set out to help as best they can with their listeners' problems. Contact the show: [email protected].

National and international news from BBC Radio 4.

4/6. Bunk Bed goes on tour - after a fashion. Peter Curran's old caravan is dragged to a field at this summer's Black Deer Americana festival. Patrick Marber hates every moment.

1/5. Sarah Clegg explores ancient year-end traditions. Today, a custom where servants became masters for a day allowed a release of societal tensions that might otherwise have exploded.

The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.

The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Canon Ann Easter.

A rural community in Northumberland which has no mains electricity is getting ready to be connected to the national grid.

News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.

Expect gifts, special pyjamas, drinking games and cross-dressing. Natalie celebrates the mid-winter festival of Ancient Rome, Saturnalia, with André Vincent and Llewelyn Morgan.

Claudia Hammond and her expert panel of psychologists take a look at the psychology of nostalgia. How it shapes our feelings and behaviour, and how we can harness it for wellbeing.

Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.

Amy Harman, Francesca Ter-Berg and Roderick Williams get in the festive mood with Anna Phoebe and Jeffrey Boakye as they create a playlist of five seasonal classics.

2/5. Beyond our modern Christmas, Sarah Clegg embraces a more complex understanding of the season, describing monstrous creatures that have haunted our winters for centuries.

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

Exploring ABBA's songwriting and musical craft across their studio albums - from Ring Ring in 1973 to The Visitors in 1981 - on the 50th anniversary of their Eurovision win.

The latest weather forecast.

Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.

The poet laureate, Simon Armitage, meets a tiger - to help inspire a new animal poem.

Plans are coming together for Kate, and Alan's negotiation skills are tested.

Simon Armitage's new translation of the medieval slanging match of a poem The Owl and the Nightingale, with Maxine Peake as the owl and Rachael Stirling as the nightingale.

A service of carols, hymns and readings live from the candlelit Chapel of King's College, Cambridge.

Mona Siddiqui hears from Denzil Larbi who reflects on the loss of his cousin, Elianne Andam, to explore if religions do enough for those grieving at times of collective merriment.

Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.

National and international news from BBC Radio 4.

2/7. Exactly which Womble will accompany Great Uncle Bulgaria on his overseas trip? And who's going to run the burrow while he's away? Richard E Grant reads, directed by Johnny Vegas.

Desiree Burch discovers ways to cope with pain, Dr Abdullah Khan explores tiny beating hearts in a dish, and Mark Williams tells Kiri how losing his leg led to finding his purpose.

There's a Christmas Eve surprise in Ambridge, and Brian is not amused.

Violinist Nigel Kennedy talks to John Wilson about his formative cultural influences and experiences.

Rachel Burden opens up Café Hope at Christmas to some special guests who are making the festive season better for their community.

Strictly Come Dancing's 2024 winner Chris McCausland joins 11-year-old author Betsy Griffin and the In Touch team to celebrate Christmas Eve.

Tens of thousands of ghosts haunt Ukraine's relations with its neighbour, Poland. Can a contested history be overcome, and victims of a 1940s massacre be buried properly at last.

Short festive documentaries and merry sonic adventures. Presented by Josie Long.

In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective.

2/5. Alban Torel thinks his posting in Sondurah is secure until there is a sudden uprising in a nearby plantation which he seems oddly reluctant to quell.

A composition for voices and harp, written on a cargo ship on the Atlantic in 1942.

The traditional Christmas Eve celebration of Midnight Mass comes live from Leeds Cathedral.

The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.

The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Canon Ann Easter.

Cranborne Chase National Landscape isn't only an area of outstanding national beauty, it's also an international dark sky reserve. We find out what this means and why it matters.

From Susan Cooper to Dylan Thomas and Raymond Briggs to Judith Kerr, Cerys Matthews explores the ways writers have been inspired to write Christmas through the eyes of a child.

A service of Christmas carols, readings and reflections recorded at the Royal Albert Hall led by The Salvation Army's Major Jo Moir.

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

Series which reunites a group of people intimately involved in a moment of modern history.

Kirsty Young asks food writer Nigel Slater what advice he would give his younger self and hears his memories of Christmases past, in a special festive edition of Young Again.

Manchester Camerata invite us into their rehearsal rooms as they prepare for a performance of Prokofiev's beloved 'symphonic tale for children'.

Fiona Murden on the psychology of comfort zones, palliative care nurse, Molly Case, Revd. Bryony Taylor, Grace Dent & Dipna Anand on comfort food and music from The Unthanks.

Rachel Burden opens up Café Hope at Christmas to some special guests who are making the festive season better for their community.

3/5. Sarah Clegg explains how some ancient midwinter festivals became Christmas traditions. Today wassails, hoodenings and a ghostly horse skull that goes door-to-door in Wales.

Garry Richardson chooses the audio highlights across the BBC over the last twelve months.

The latest weather forecast.

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

It's spontaneous, it's silly and therefore entirely worthy of serious analysis and discussion - Ian Sansom goes into training for the 2024 World Paper and Comb Championships.

The poet laureate, Simon Armitage, meets some molluscs, to help inspire a new animal poem.

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

There's a Christmas Eve surprise in Ambridge, and Brian is not amused.

Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis are on a festive mission to get from flying reindeer to eternity, in the most entertaining way possible, with the help of Zoe Lyons.

The King's Christmas message to the Commonwealth and the nation, followed by the national anthem.

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

Adrian Scarborough reads a new, specially-commissioned short story for Christmas written by John Finnemore, in which someone discovers that it's never too late to change.

Penelope Keith heads a star-studded cast in Noel Coward's vibrant, poignant and witty play about a group of retired actresses who find challenging ways of facing old age together.

Comedian Jo Brand reflects on her life through favourite pieces of writing in this festive special, with readers Alan Davies and Isy Suttie.

National and international news from BBC Radio 4.

3/7. A strange van appears on the Common, Wellington goes missing and Shansi hears the sound of a terrifying wolf. Richard E Grant reads, directed by Johnny Vegas.

4 Extra Debut. Frank Skinner hosts a Christmas special of the show based on online reviews as he and his all-star panel unwrap the good, the bad, the baffling and the tinselly.

Joy has a big question to ask, and the Aldridge family face an alternative Christmas.

Dame Judi Dench talks to John Wilson about her pivotal moments performing Shakespeare on stage and screen.

Victoria Wood biographer Jasper Rees introduces never-before-broadcast songs and stand-up linked by Victoria's personal audio diaries, recorded during the making of dinnerladies.

Count Binface achieves a lifetime ambition, resurrecting the mighty Ceefax in a hilarious reboot of an unlikely national treasure. Granted it's on the radio, but it's a start.

Claudia Hammond and her expert panel of psychologists take a look at the psychology of nostalgia. How it shapes our feelings and behaviour, and how we can harness it for wellbeing.

Amy Harman, Francesca Ter-Berg and Roderick Williams get in the festive mood with Anna Phoebe and Jeffrey Boakye as they create a playlist of five seasonal classics.

3/5. Guy and Doris are happily married in Sembulu, where Guy is an officer. A local woman starts hanging around their residence. Doris can't understand why Guy treats her so brusquely.

Christmas 1973, and two climbers have a terrifying paranomal encounter in a Scottish bothy. Five decades on and Danny returns to where it happened. Will he survive the night.

National and international news from BBC Radio 4.

A reflection on the meaning of Christmas with poet, priest and writer Malcolm Guite.

3/5. Sarah Clegg explains how some ancient midwinter festivals became Christmas traditions. Today wassails, hoodenings and a ghostly horse skull that goes door-to-door in Wales.

The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.

The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Canon Ann Easter.

Solomon the shorthorn, who's known as The Department Bull and loaned by the Scottish government to crofters for livestock breeding.

Normally, we only hear them in the short gaps between the programmes, but, as it's Christmas, the Radio 4 continuity announcers have been given a whole hour to play with.

Nick Robinson and Justin Webb hear from the UK's Chief Scout, Dwayne Fields, in this guest edited episode of Today.

Jenny Uglow, Rosemary Sweet and Caroline McCaffrey-Howarth join Melvyn Bragg to explore why eighteenth-century collectors and consumers became so enthusiastic about ancient vases.

Helen Lewis and Armando Iannucci present a journalist and a comedy writer's take on words and phrases that defined politics in 2024.

In a Boxing Day special, Anita Rani celebrates a favourite Christmas activity: puzzles and games, from Jenga to World of Warcraft via Agatha Christie.

Brian Cox and Robin Ince delve into the Royal Society archives unearthing the unexpected history of the body with Sir Mark Walport, Prof Helen King, Ed Byrne and Keith Moore.

4/5. Lurking in the night's shadows of Sarah Clegg's whirlwind tour of Europe's weirdest winter traditions, we meet Krampus, the horned devil who punishes naughty children in Austria.

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

Series which reunites a group of people intimately involved in a moment of modern history.

The latest weather forecast.

Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.

The poet laureate, Simon Armitage, meets horses, to help inspire a new animal poem.

Joy has a big question to ask, and the Aldridge family face an alternative Christmas.

John Finnemore and the Souvenir Programme team return to Radio 4 with a one-off, 45-minute episode packed with sketches and song.

Martha Kearney visits Martin Clunes at his farm in Dorset, to hear what the natural world means to him. He talks about his love of animals as they take his five dogs for a walk.

Model and former health worker Mollie Pearce makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of ERIC, The Children's Bowel and Bladder Charity.

Andrea Catherwood announces the results of Feedback's Interview of the Year.

What threats and opportunities does the Arctic face.

This festive season, we look at the science of games, from why we play them to the randomness of dice rolls. Who will win the Inside Science games special.

Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.

National and international news from BBC Radio 4.

4/7. Great Uncle Bulgaria reports back on his and Bungo's travels and Wellington is inspired by his recent encounter with Humans. Performed by Richard E Grant, directed by Johnny Vegas.

3/4. When train station names attack. Not a documentary. Almost.

There's a Boxing Day challenge for Paul and the events of the year catch up on Will.

Artist Frank Auerbach talks to John Wilson about his life and some of the influences on his work.

Comedian Jo Brand reflects on her life through favourite pieces of writing in this festive special, with readers Alan Davies and Isy Suttie.

Toyah Willcox, Grace Dent, Adam Riches and John Kearns join Clive Anderson with festive music by Georgia Cecile and Tony Mortimer with Edele Lynch.

Rhianna Pratchett seeks out shape-shifting selkies as she continues her quest to meet mythical creatures and discover what they reveal about us.

In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective.

4/5. Warburton, a government official in Borneo, behaves immaculately. But his precise world is upended by the arrival of an uncouth assistant who ignores the niceties of colonial life.

Who hasn't waited 30 years to get revenge on the girl who stole their role in the nativity? With special guests Ian Smith and Natalie Cassidy.

Expect gifts, special pyjamas, drinking games and cross-dressing. Natalie celebrates the mid-winter festival of Ancient Rome, Saturnalia, with André Vincent and Llewelyn Morgan.

National and international news from BBC Radio 4.

5/6. Squeamish chuckles about finding death in the countryside, and Patrick winning a Tony Award in New York.

4/5. Lurking in the night's shadows of Sarah Clegg's whirlwind tour of Europe's weirdest winter traditions, we meet Krampus, the horned devil who punishes naughty children in Austria.

The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.

The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.

The latest news from BBC Radio 4.

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Canon Ann Easter.

Twenty historic barns across the Lake District are enjoying some long overdue TLC thanks to £3.2 million pounds worth of funding.

Nick Robinson and Simon Jack hear from the former Conservative Chancellor, Sir Sajid Javid, in this guest edited Today.

Gareth Southgate OBE, football manager, shares the eight tracks, book and luxury item he would take with him if cast away to a desert island. With Lauren Laverne.

Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.

Dan Saladino explores the impact a Christmas Carol and other Charles Dickens novels have had on festive eating, with food historian Ivan Day and food writer Penelope Vogler.

5/5. Sarah Clegg joins the December crowds in Finland when a girl is crowned with candles as St Lucy, a Christian martyr who also appears as a witch leading a procession of the dead.

The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.

Could 2025 be a year of progress on climate change and the nature crisis? Tom Heap and Helen Czerski search for some tentative green shoots.

The latest weather forecast.

Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.

The poet laureate, Simon Armitage, meets some spiders, to help inspire a new animal poem.

There's a Boxing Day challenge for Paul and the events of the year catch up on Will.

2/5. An esports psychologist investigates the mysterious death of a former client. Psychological thriller by Anthony Del Col. Contains some strong language.

Jack Boswell explores Sweden's Fika - a ritual of coffee, treats and connection, revealing its power to nurture creativity, combat loneliness, and enrich daily life.

What can I do with my amaryllis bulb now that I've dipped it in wax? Are misshapen vegetables safe to eat? Are there any deer proof plants? Find out in this archive edition of GQT.

In the hopes of boosting Christmas cheer, or maybe Christmas revenue, the boss of the Merry Little Christmas Shop has promised a bonus to the staff member who makes the most sales.

Weekly obituary programme telling the life stories of those who have died recently.

Poet Emily Berry dreams about songwriter Connie Converse in the company of biographer Howard Fishman, musician Emma-Lee Moss (aka Emmy the Great) and poet Jack Underwood.

Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines.

National and international news from BBC Radio 4.

5/7. Wellington and Tomsk are not the only ones who've been digging in Queen's Mere, as they are soon to discover. Performed by Richard E Grant, directed by Johnny Vegas.

5/5. Landing slap-bang in the no-man's land between Christmas and New Year, the Naked Week team will be heading out of the trenches to challenge the news to a game of football.

Jolene puts her foot in it, and Alice makes a decision.

Composer Tess Tyler and kora player and composer Seckou Keita join Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe as they choose the next five tracks, with special guest Nick Patrick.

Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson look back at a bumper year of elections and sporting moments with Today presenters past and present.

Megan Nolan on New Year's Resolutions, and why 'the leopard can, does and will change its spots.'.

New poetry from Kat Francois , Livia Kojo Alour, Yomi Sode, Keith Jarrett, Christian Foley and Hannah Silva performed with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Hackney Empire.

In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective.

5/5. On the eve of George Moon's departure from Timbang Belud, a local planter, Saffery, a man whom Moon has never liked, asks for his advice concerning a highly personal matter.

In the first of two special programmes, Stuart Maconie presents some of the best music performances from this year's Loose Ends, including English Teacher and Richard Thompson.