Another chance to hear Pulitzer Prize winning writer Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple, interviewed by Kirsty Young on Desert Island Discs. Quite an unusual luxury item... Listen to the programme: Browse the Castaway Archive: Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs, Alice Walkerwww.bbc.co.ukAlice Walker, author of The Color Purple, is interviewed by Kirsty Young.

Catch up with Front Row's Cultural Exchange - lastnight saw violinist Nigel Kennedy discuss his choice of the song 'Black and Blue', composed by Fats Waller and performed by Louis Armstrong. Listen to Nigel Kennedy's Cultural Exchange: Browse and listen to all the Cultural Exchange interviews so far: Download the podcast:

Jarvis Cocker takes to the sea, contemplating night crossings mythic and modern in the award winning Wireless Nights. As he moves across dark waters he hears the miraculous story of Jeni, a castaway lost and found in the North Sea... Listen to Wirless Nights:Radio 4 - Wireless Nights, Series 2, Nights of Passagewww.bbc.co.ukJarvis takes to the sea, contemplating night crossings mythic and modern.

"Two hours later you’d wake up partially a chimp" Actor David Watson discusses being turned into Dr Cornelius in Beneath The Planet of The Apes. Listen to the Midweek clip here:Radio 4 - Midweek, Hugh Dennis, David Watson, Carol Highton, Liz Trenow, "Two hours later...Actor David Watson on being turned into Dr Cornelius in Beneath The Planet of The Apes.

BBC Radio New Comedy Award 2013 is open for entry! If you think you're the next big stand-up star enter now... More info here:- BBC Radio New Comedy Award - How to enter the BBC Radio New Comedy Awardwww.bbc.co.ukA nationwide search to find the best new stand-up talent in the UK

Espionage, treachery and double agents... Radio 4 Extra's season of programmes relating to The Cambridge Spies starts Saturday 25th May. For more information read our blog: For brilliant archive explore here:- Blogs - Radio 4 and 4 Extra Blog - Cambridge Spieswww.bbc.co.ukA season of prgrammes relating to The Cambridge Spies. A mix of comedy, dramas and features which relive the espionage scandal that rocked the nation.

Janet and Martin try to hide their illness from Nathan's Grandma in tonight's episode of Can't Tell Nathan Caton at 23:00. However, their spontaneous excuses could probably use a little work: Feeling ill? Grandma shares her tips for dragging yourself away from the sickbed here:Radio 4 - Can't Tell Nathan Caton Nothing, Series 2, About Poorly Relatives, Birdwatchingwww.bbc.co.ukJanet and Martin aren't very good at lying to Grandma.

What makes a great Foreign Minister? Radio 4 - The Art of the Foreign Ministerwww.bbc.co.ukJonathan Powell, Tony Blair's chief of staff, asks what makes a great foreign minister.

How does Radio 1 shed the 'festival dads'? Listen to the Media Show on nowRadio 4 - The Media Show, Radio 1; Police and the Media; Yahoo buys Tumblrwww.bbc.co.ukRadio 1 chief Ben Cooper - does drive for a younger audience mean losing loyal listeners?

David Walliams picks the plays of Harold Pinter as his favourite work of culture in Front Row's Cultural Exchange. He talks to Mark Lawson about his life-long fascination with the plays of Pinter, from seeing The Collection at school to acting in No Man's Land with Michael Gambon on the West End stage. Explore more items about Harold Pinter from Front Row and listen to a clip from Pinter's 'Betrayal' featuring Olivia Colman and Andrew Scott. Radio 4 - Front Row's Cultural Exchange - David Walliamswww.bbc.co.ukSeventy-five leading creative minds choose their favourite cultural work

Edmund de Waal, author of 'The Hare with Amber Eyes', nominates writer and chemist Primo Levi in 'Great Lives'. Primo Levi's account of his time in Auschwitz, 'If This Is a Man', made him one of the first writers to document the Holocaust and it established his name around the world. Catch up with the programme online or download it Radio 4 - Great Lives, Series 30, Primo Leviwww.bbc.co.ukEdmund de Waal, author of The Hare with Amber Eyes, chooses Holocaust writer Primo Levi.

Catch up with today's Tweet of the Day Radio 4 - Tweet of the Day, Tawny Owl, Tawny OwlDavid Attenborough presents the sound and story of the tawny owl.

Isy Suttie's Love Letters concludes at 18:30 tonight with the tale of Isy's driving instructor Bob and a lady named Marie. Listen to Isy revealing one of her own romantic disasters in this clip from the show:Radio 4 - Isy Suttie's Love Letters, Bob and Marie, The cat courierIsy and her Slovenian friend Anya try and send a message to a cute boy using his own cat.

At 8pm: Can the NHS protect patients from new antibiotic-resistant superbugs? In the first of a new series, File on 4 asks whether recent stark warnings about the threat posed by growing resistance to antibiotics have come too late.Infectious diseases consultant: 'We don't know what to do next'Dr Susan Hopkins speaks to File on 4 about the myriad unknowns in infection control.

John Wilson returns next week with a new series of Mastertapes. His first guest is Wilko Johnson: The guitarist and founding member of Dr. Feelgood has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and has chosen not to undergo chemotherapy. At the beginning of 2013, Wilko announced a series of farewell UK concerts. See photos from the recording at Maida Vale: Wilko Johnson soundchecks for Mastertapes in this clip: You can listen to all the interviews from the first series, including Paul Weller and Ray Davies, on the Mastertapes website:

Robert Lindsay leads a cast which includes Alison Steadman, Jonathan Coy, Andrew Scott, Paul Ready and Karl Johnson in our dramatisation of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. In episode two at 2.15pm, Lucie Manette is a witness at Charles Darnay's trial for treason at the Old Bailey. Meanwhile, an incident in a Paris street stirs revolutionary fervour: Before then, you can catch up with the first episode here:

At 11am today, Dr Geoff Bunn discovers that Dick Tracy and Wonder Woman have starring roles in the history of lie detection. He also investigates the latest lie detecting technology: In this clip, Geoff Bunn hears how the psychologist who developed the lie detector and created Wonder Woman, "had an interesting relationship with women":Woman creator believed in "loving submission"How William Marston’s mistress was the inspiration for his comic book heroine.

Why not have a listen to some great conversations from The Listening Project, such as this gem where Janice talks to her grandson, Jonathan, about him buying his first house; and how his 'Mohican' haircut might be cramping his style, in the search for his perfect partner... More conversations: Find out how to get involved:- Radio 4 The Listening Project - Grandma knows best: Janice and Jonathanwww.bbc.co.ukJanice talks to her grandson, Jonathan, about life and love.

Stories of the first balloon aeronauts form this week's Book of the Week in 'Falling Upwards' by Richard Holmes. In this heart-lifting book, the Romantic biographer Richard Holmes floats across the world following the pioneer generation of balloon aeronauts, from the first heroic experiments of the 1780s to the tragic attempt to fly a balloon to the North Pole in the 1890s. Listen to Episode 1:

Reporter Penny Marshall considers just how easy it is for a 16-year-old to truly grasp the realities of war in 'Signing Up at 16':Radio 4 - Signing Up at 16, The Realities of Warwww.bbc.co.ukPenny considers just how easy it is for a 16-year-old to truly grasp the realities of war.

Picasso's Girl with a Ponytail Lydia Corbett discusses what it was like sitting for Picasso in this clip from Midweek: Listen to the whole programme:Radio 4 - Midweek, Levi Roots, Edwin Apps, Lydia Corbett, Don Ward, Picasso’s Girl with a PonytaLydia Corbett on what it was like sitting for Picasso.

"I've never been a page three girl before or since!" Betty Boothroyd describes her time as the first lady Speaker in this clip from Archive on 4: Lives and Politics >> What makes a politician tick? How has the business of politics changed over time? Two remarkable archives, eighty years apart, offer some revealing answers. Listen to the whole programme:Radio 4 - Archive on 4, Lives and Politics, "I've never been a page three girl before or since!"Betty Boothroyd describing her time as the first lady Speaker.

Can you believe in the vocal performances you hear today? Pitch correction technology allows the weakest of singers to hit the right note - every time, but does the technology sacrifice soul and feel in a misguided pursuit of vocal perfection? Dance producers meanwhile are using pitch correction as an instrument in itself. You may remember it from Cher's impressive vocal wobble in the single "Believe". Radio 3 broadcaster and classical singer Catherine Bott investigates a new frontier of music production, and undergoes the pitch correction treatment herself - with a dubstep reworking of Purcell's Music for a While. On BBC Radio 4 from 4pmRadio 4 - Creating Pitch-Perfectwww.bbc.co.ukCatherine Bott on software that corrects out of tune singing but is also a creative tool.

Today's Tweet of the Day is the Shag, who hiss & belch instead of sing! Listen here >> See a gallery of the birds featured in the series in May 2013: Listen to clips from the series so far:

Punk music's poet laureate John Cooper Clarke nominates Salvador Dali for great life status - melting clocks, lobster telephones, trademark sharply pointed waxed moustache and all. But was Dali a genius artist or just a gifted marketeer of his own brand image? Listen to Great Lives:

Earlier this week Yoko Ono spoke to Woman's Hour about curating the Meltdown Festival at the Southbank Centre, living and working with John Lennon, the legacy of being a Beatle wife and still being cool at 80. Listen to Woman's Hour:

Will and Matt share an ancient history and enjoy spending their time flint-knapping - making iron age tools. Listen to their Listening Project conversation: Listen to more conversations: Got some spare time this weekend? Find out how to get involved in The Listening Project:Radio 4 - The Listening Project, Will and Matt - Stone Age Menwww.bbc.co.ukFi Glover presents a conversation between friends about the joys of flint-knapping.

On today's 'More or Less', why the UK jobs market is defying the economic gloom: Listen to the whole programme:Radio 4 - More or Less, 17/05/2013, Why the UK jobs market is defying the economic gloomwww.bbc.co.ukTim Harford asks why UK employment has been surprisingly resilient despite a recession.

The Now Show returns at 18:30 - here's a clip featuring Jon Holmes to get you warmed up: Radio 4 - The Now Show, Series 40, Episode 1, Now Show Uncut: 3D Printer Heistwww.bbc.co.ukJon Holmes imagines a 3D-printed gun bank robbery.

Our 10 part series 'In a Prince's Footsteps' concluded today when John McCarthy travelled to Athens and the Greek island of Kefalonia. Listen to the final programme: See images from Albert, Prince of Wales's 1862 tour, together with the same scene today: Listen to a collection of clips from the series:Radio 4 - In a Prince's Footsteps, Greecewww.bbc.co.ukJohn travels to Athens and the Greek island of Kefalonia.

The countdown to Eurovision begins! Dust off your scoreboards, get out your Union Jacks and turn up the volume for some wonderful treats in store (no doubt) this Saturday (BBC1 or Radio 2, from 8pm). Surely it's our time this year... surely... or will it be nil points?! In this clip from Front Row, Rosie Swash and David Hepworth look at this year's Eurovision Song Contest contenders... (Good luck Bonnie Tyler!)

In 'Fried Chicken Feels the Heat', Yasmeen Khan checks out chicken shops - tasty and cheap, but are they healthy? In this clip, Yasmeen Khan feels the heat of Mr Masood's sauce at his fried chicken shop in east London, and finds a surprising dietary message amongst the chicken, chips and fizzy drinks: Listen to the whole programme:

Manchester based? Come and see our new sketch comedy, The Show What You Wrote, being recorded. Apply here for your free tickets:- Be in the audience - The Show What You Wrotewww.bbc.co.ukBook free BBC studio audience tickets to The Show What You Wrote

Damien Hirst: "I got an E in my A-level art" Artist Damien Hirst talks to Kirsty Young on Desert Island Discs about his less than promising beginnings in art... Listen to the clip: Hear the whole programme: Explore the Castaway archive:Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs, Damien Hirst, Damien Hirst: “I got an E in my A-level art”Artist Damien Hirst talks to Kirsty Young about his less than promising beginnings in art.

Let Jarvis guard your evening slumbers... Listen as he takes on the role of watchman in tonight's Wireless Nights. He hears late night vigils from the parents of a young girl with a rare condition which causes her to stop breathing when she falls asleep; a night guard of the Indian Ocean in search of Somali pirates and a former spy recalling a dangerous meeting with a Middle Eastern agent. Not to be missed! Listen here from 11pm -Radio 4 - Wireless Nights, Series 2, Nightwatchwww.bbc.co.ukJarvis becomes a night watchman, and a nurse and a spy also share stories of keeping watch

Heresy is back! (The programme that is...) Victoria Coren Mitchell, Lee Mack, David Schneider, and Germaine Greer argue about foxes, maths, media studies and Andy Murray. Here's a sneaky preview for you - media studies graduates might want to cover their ears... Listen to the full programme from 6.30pmBBC Radio 4 - Heresy, Series 9, Episode 1, Lee Mack on Media Studieswww.bbc.co.ukThe panel discuss the importance of Media Studies.

Retro chic or just a gooey mess? Woman's Hour looks at how to cook the perfect trifle. So, what are your secret ingredients for making a truly scrumptious trifle? Find our recipe here: Plus, listen to Lindsey Bareham cooking her perfect trifle:

Roses are red, violets are blue but Jo Shapcott makes hers argue with poet Rainer Maria Rilke's... Hear why her roses are talking back:Radio 4 - Poetry in Translation, Jo Shapcott talks back to RilkeJo Shapcott describes how she started to disagree with Rilke’s poems and so wrote her own.

Nathan's family mistakenly think he's made a mint at 23:00 tonight in the latest episode of Can't Tell Nathan Caton Nothing. Listen to a clip here: Meet the family, watch our video interview with Nathan and learn some West Indies slang on the Radio 4 website:Radio 4 - Can't Tell Nathan Caton Nothing, Series 2, About Money, Grandma digs for goldNathan is suspicious when his nan makes a fuss of him.

As students up and down the land prepare for exams, today's 'All in the Mind' discovered which revision techniques are most effective. It might not be good news for those who've left it until the last minute... Listen now Radio 4 - All in the Mind, Exam revision; Therapists who cry; NHS acute bed shortages; Skin disowww.bbc.co.ukWhich methods work best for exam revision? Not the highlighter pen, apparently.

Radio 4 announces a new series telling the untold history of disability. 'Disability: A New History' starts on 27th May. In the ten-part series, journalist Peter White uncovers new historical sources revealing what life was like for those with physical disabilities in the 18th and 19th centuries. Find out more4 discovers the untold history of disabilitywww.bbc.co.ukIn a new ten-part radio series, journalist Peter White uncovers new historical sources revealing what life was like for those with physical disabilities in the 18th and 19th centuries.

In a Prince's Footsteps, coming up next on Radio 4. Today John McCarthy retraces Albert Prince of Wales's 1862 journey through Syria and considers how the region has changed since the days of the Ottoman Empire - particularly in the light of the current situation in Syria. See photos, then and now Listen to a clip Radio 4 - In a Prince's Footsteps, Syria , In a Prince's Footsteps - Syriawww.bbc.co.ukJohn considers two images taken in Damascus, and the current situation in Syria today.

Tweet of the Day - the Blackcap - a bird which has increasingly been spending the winter in the UK rather than migrating to sub-saharan Africa. Radio 4 - Tweet of the Day, Blackcapwww.bbc.co.ukDavid Attenborough presents the sounds and story of the blackcap.

Can a musical key evoke a particular mood or emotion? Professor Robert Winston investigates in The Science of Music. Listen to a clip Radio 4 - The Science of Music, Episode 1, The moods of musical keysProfessor Robert Winston looks at how the key of a musical piece influences the listener.

Wordaholics host Gyles Brandreth welcomes Natalie Haynes, Lloyd Langford, Susie Dent, and Dave Gorman for another round of the wordy panel game. Here's what happened when the panellists attempted their own cockney rhyming slang couplets: Radio 4 - Wordaholics, Series 2, Episode 6, Can the panellists come up with their own Cockney rhwww.bbc.co.ukGyles Brandreth, Natalie Haynes, Lloyd Langford, Susie Dent, Dave Gorman

In tonight's Cultural Exchange on Front Row, writer Anne Tyler shares her passion for a self-portrait by photography pioneer Charles R Savage. John Goudie, Editor of Front Row, discusses Front Row's Cultural Exchange on the Radio 4 Blog: Cultural Exchange: Interviews from the Cultural Exchange so far: View galleries: Download the Cultural Exchange:- Blogs - Radio 4 and 4 Extra Blog - Front Row's Cultural Exchangewww.bbc.co.ukJohn Goudie, Editor of Front Row, discusses the Radio 4 project - Cultural Exchange - in which 75 creative minds share their passion for an art-work of any kind.

They don't look like much, but they sound like a babbling brook! Judge for yourself by listening to today's Tweet of the Day - the Garden Warbler. (You are actually quite unlikely to find one in your garden as they prefer woodland clearings.) Radio 4 - Tweet of the Day, Garden Warblerwww.bbc.co.ukDavid Attenborough presents the sounds and story of the garden warbler.

This week's Book at Bedtime is John le Carré's 'A Delicate Truth', and is read by Damian Lewis. In this clip, Damian talks about the challenges he faced and why he admires John le Carré's work > Here's a clip of Damian reading John le Carré's 'A Delicate Truth' > And here's the author, John le Carré demonstrating some of the accents he uses when reading through his own work >Radio 4 - Book at Bedtime, A Delicate Truth, Damian Lewis on reading A Delicate Truthwww.bbc.co.ukActor Damian Lewis talks about the challenges in reading John le Carré's A Delicate Truth.

On call You and Yours at 12 - what has membership of the EU done for people in the UK? Have your working conditions changed - for good or ill - as a result of EU policy? Are you a doctor whose working hours have been limited to 48 a week? Have you benefited from passport-free travel between member countries, or has freedom of movement around the EU had a negative impact? What about the things we buy? You might miss those traditional lightbulbs - our mailbox would suggest you do - but have products become better and safer as a result of EU directives - or would that have happened anyway? Whether it's the workplace or the marketplace, what has EU membership done for you? 03700 100 400 or you can e-mail via the Radio 4 website or text us on 84844. Radio 4 - You and Yours, What has the EU done for people living in the UK?www.bbc.co.ukThe impact the EU has had on the UK.

Listen to the latest conversations from the Listening Project: Gilly is the singing front, Jane is the dancing back. Together they are the camel in the village panto! Hear ...their story here >> Find out how to get involved: Upload your conversation: