Programme Information

BBC Radio 1 DJ Pete Tong

Fresh from BBC Radio 1's Ibiza weekend, DJ Pete Tong takes a look at the world's most prestigious mix programme, the Essential Mix. From humble beginnings to global acclaim and file-shared phenomenon, BBC Radio 1 documents the programme's extraordinary life.

BBC Radio 1 Stories explore the musical back-stories of listeners' favourite artists, eras, genres and scenes. Previous episodes of the series have included The Art Of Noise, Africa Makes Some Noise and The A-Z Of David Guetta.

Producer/Huw Owen for Somethin' Else Productions

BBC Radio 1 Publicity

Zoe Ball sits in for Ken Bruce for the second week and invites Bananarama to share their Tracks Of My Years.

Each day, Monday to Friday, Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward play two of their favourite tracks and reveal the reasons behind their choices.

Originally forming as a trio in 1980, Bananarama are one of the most successful all-female English pop bands to date with over 40 million records sold worldwide.

Among their picks throughout the week are Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights, Barbra Streisand's Evergreen, Dolly Parton's Jolene and Stevie Wonder's Superstition.

Plus, there's the Love Song, the Record and Album Of The Week and a round of Popmaster, which listeners can also play online by going to bbc.co.uk/radio2.

Presenter/Zoe Ball, Producer/Gary Bones for the BBC

BBC Radio 2 Publicity

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Former Monkee Mickey Dolenz concludes this two-part series about a Los Angeles neighbourhood which became home to a diverse mix of musical stars – including himself. Tonight, more great musicians fill the Canyon – The Mamas And The Papas; Crosby, Stills and Nash; Neil Young; Joni Mitchell; Carole King – and they also fill the charts. But, for some, the drugs get heavy and the earth begins to move.

This is a story of great music and stellar collaborations but it is tempered with the exploitation of young women, reckless drug use and the day when they all locked their doors as a result of the Sharon Tate killing.

Presenter/Mickey Dolenz, Producer/Nick Barraclough for Smooth Operations

BBC Radio 2 Publicity

BBC PROMS 2010
Prom 33 – World Routes Academy

Monday 9 August

10.00-11.30pm BBC RADIO 3

• www.bbc.co.uk/proms
• Press pack

Lucy Duran introduces two generations interpreting Iraqi music for a contemporary audience at the BBC Proms. Pioneering Iraqi singer and guitarist Ilham Al Madfai and his group play his own songs and traditional Iraqi favourites, and are joined by Ilham's student, oud player Khyam Allami. Damascus-born and London-raised, Khyam is the first recipient of BBC Radio 3's World Routes Academy scholarship.

The music promises to be rhythmically powerful, as the band includes not only a Western-style bass guitar and drum kit rhythm section, but also two additional percussionists. Traditional Iraqi instruments the joza (spike fiddle) and qanun (zither) are also included in the line-up.

Musicians include Ilham Al Madfai (guitar/vocalist), Khyam Allami (oud), Saro Kevorkian (drum kit), Anwar Abo Daoud (joza), Faisal Ghazi and Andrea Piccioni (percussion), Suhad Najm Abdullah (qanun), Nicola Barakat (electric bass), Robert Michel (guitar) and Omar Ahmed Majeed (percussion).

Presenter/Lucy Duran, Producer/Philip Tagney

BBC Radio 3 Publicity

Book Of The Week – We Are A Muslim, Please Ep 1/5

Monday 9 to Friday 13 August

9.45-10.00am BBC RADIO 4

We Are A Muslim, Please, is Zaiba Malik's memoir of growing up in the Seventies and Eighties, and being torn between two identities – British and Muslim – and is read by Nisha Nayar.

For Zaiba, growing up in Bradford certainly has its moments – staying up all night during Ramadan with her father; watching mad Mr Aziz searching for his goat during Eid; dancing along to Top Of The Pops – as long as no-one's watching. And, of course, there's her mother, either writing an ingratiating letter to the Queen or referring to Tom Jones as Thumb Jone.

Zaiba's story is also one of anxiety and seemingly irreconcilable opposites. Growing up she is constantly torn between her two identities: British and Muslim. Alienated at school and confused at home, the racism she encounters as a child mirrors the horrors she experiences at the hands of Bangladeshi interrogators as a journalist years later.

This memoir portrays the poignancy of growing up in a world whose prejudices, contradictions and ambiguities are both distressing and yet utterly captivating.

Zaiba Malik is an award-winning investigative journalist who has worked on BBC and Channel 4's radio and TV documentaries, including Sleepers – Undercover With The Racists, Dispatches – Trouble At The Mosque and Killing For Honour.

We Are A Muslim, Please is abridged by Libby Spurrier.

Reader/Nisha Nayar, Producer/Joanna Green for Pier Productions Limited

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

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Woman's Hour Drama – Mrs Tolstoy Ep 1/5

Monday 9 to Friday 13 August

10.45-11.00am BBC RADIO 4

Written by Stephen Wakelam, Ian McDiarmid and Haydn Gwynne star in this Woman's Hour Drama offering, a portrait of the Tolstoy's tempestuous marriage.

In his fifties the great writer Leo Tolstoy has a spiritual crisis and converts to Christianity. He has given up writing fiction and cut himself off from his children. Sofya, however, wants to move the family to Moscow.

Taking the vows of poverty and chastity literally Tolstoy wants to give everything away, but Sofya has a large family to feed.

Mrs Tolstoy tells the story of the woman who transcribed War And Peace six times and fought off rivals on a daily basis for a place at Leo's side. For 48 years, the Tolstoys tormented each other with love and hate.

The cast features Haydn Gwynne as Sofya Tolstoy, Ian McDiarmid as Leo Tolstoy, Paul Ritter as Chertkov, Vineeta Rishi as Tanya Tolstoy, Sam Dale as Grigory/Taneev, Michael Shelford as Musician and James Warner as Vanya Tolstoy.

Producer/Claire Grove for the BBC

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

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Bobby Friction looks at the Desi pub's place in the Sikh community in West Bromwich.

Taking a tour of the many Desi (South Asian) pubs in West Bromwich, Bobby looks at what part the pub plays in the Sikh community.

The pub is a great British tradition, but as the Asian population established itself in Britain, the first Desi pub was opened in Southall. Now the Desi pub has become a regular fixture in areas like West Bromwich, which is highly populated by Asians, and, in particular, Sikhs.

Originally the pubs had a working man's club atmosphere to them and were populated by the older generation but, as entertainment and food increased in the pubs, landlords argue that they are trying to attract a more family based clientele.

But many older Asian women are still reluctant to go into a pub.

However, the next generation of young Asians, men and women, are far more likely to be found in mixed pubs catering for all communities, than in purely Desi pubs.

Right next door to one of the pubs Bobby Friction visits is a Sikh Gurdwara, a temple, and he talks to religious leaders who are concerned that the pubs are encouraging drinking, which is against the Sikh religion, and enticing people to waste their money and time.

Others argue that the pubs are a great thing, as they say the Bhangra music scene emerged from the Desi pub. They add that the Desi pubs support this music industry by having live bands and DJs as well as juke boxes playing purely Desi music.

Producer/Laura Parfitt for White Pebble Media

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

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Written by the late John Mortimer, this two-part drama stars Timothy West and Benedict Cumberbatch, as older Rumpole/Mr Cursitor and young Rumpole, respectively.

When a body is found in the grounds of a castle, Rumpole finds himself representing a Lord in the coroner's court and mingling with a branch of Yorkshire aristocracy remotely connected to his wife fo two years, Hilda.

Hilda's first cousin, once removed, Rosemary, lives with her husband, Richard, the 17th Baron Sackbut, in Sackbut Castle. But when a body is found in the grounds of the castle, Hilda and Rumpole are invited to Yorkshire.

In the second programme, broadcast on Tuesday, Rumpole attends a concert by The Casterini Trio and is surprised to be approached by Elizabeth Casterini, the trio's beautiful violinist. Rumpole falls for her charms. But then, the Trio's cellist, Tom Randall is murdered.

Other cast members include Cathy Sara as Hilda, Elaine Claxton as Liz Probert/Helen Yarrowby, Julian Wadham as Lord Richard Sackbut and Sophie Thompson as Rosemary Sackbut/Pippa Bastion. All other characters are played by Joshua McGuire, Stephen Critchlow, Susan Wooldridge, Geoffrey Whitehead and Adrian Scarborough.

The sax quartet version of Gershwin's They Can't Take That Away From Me was arranged by Julie Hodge and performed by Sax who are Luiza Beddoes, Kate Mylnar, Janine Ng and Julie Hodge.

Producer/Marilyn Imrie for Catherine Bailey Productions Limited

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

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Generation Gap continues and, in this week's first programme, 83-year-old June and her great granddaughter, Simone, discuss attitudes towards money, ranging from pocket money to pensions. June was given half a penny a week pocket money, which she spent on sweets to share with less fortunate friends. It is a contrast to Simone who gets £6 a week. Simone and her friends go shopping regularly and get extra handouts on top of their pocket money.

In Tuesday's programme Andrew McCormack, the first pupil at his school to get into Oxford, compares his financial struggle as a student with the student life of his Peter McCormack who was at Strathclyde University in the Seventies.

Debt is the focus of Wednesday's programme when Joy and her grandson Phillip discuss their attitudes to debt, in particular mortgages. Joy has never bought anything on credit in her life and the only debt she had was a very small mortgage. Phillip, on the other hand, is happy to have a large mortgage and take gambles with money.

Thursday's programme features benefits and in Friday's programme John Luff and his mother, Rose, discuss retirement.

Producer/Laura Parfitt for Juniper Productions

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

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Book At Bedtime – The Story Of A Marriage Ep 1/10

Monday 9 to Friday 13 August

10.45-11.00pm BBC RADIO 4

Written by Andrew Sean Greer and abridged by Fiona McAlpine, The Story Of A Marriage is read by Adjoa Andoh, and forms this week's Book At Bedtime.

A stranger turns up on the doorstep of Pearlie's house with news that will alter her life for ever.

It is 1953 and Pearlie, a dutiful housewife, finds herself living in the Sunset district of San Francisco, caring not only for her husband's fragile health but also for her son who is afflicted with polio. Then, one Saturday morning, a stranger appears on her doorstep and everything changes. All the certainties by which Pearlie has lived are thrown into doubt and Pearlie wonders if anyone can ever truly know another person.

Reader/Adjoa Andoh, Producer/Clive Brill for Pacificus Productions

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

Mark Chapman has all the day's sports news and reaction and is joined by special guests for The Monday Night Club to take a look ahead to the start of the Premier League season at the weekend.

At 9pm Mark is joined by Mark Clemmit for 5 live Football League, taking a look back at the major talking points of the opening games of the season.

From 9.30pm, Football Express with Mark Chapman and Dave Vitty takes a quick-fire look at all the latest football news and gossip.

Presenter/Mark Chapman, Producer/Ed King

BBC Radio 5 Live Publicity

Test Match Special

Monday 9 August

10.45am-6.30pm BBC RADIO 5 LIVE SPORTS EXTRA

Uninterrupted commentary on the fourth day of the second Test between England and Pakistan comes live from Edgbaston with the Test Match Special commentary team.

Producer/Jen McAllister

BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra Publicity

Shaun Keaveny kicks off Science Week with an update on the crucial "earworm" (music that gets stuck on repeat in your head) research being done at Goldsmiths University. And Professor Brian Cox makes the first of his daily appearances to explain the universe and all its wonders.

This week BBC 6 Music looks through its musical microscope at various aspects of science. From the science behind the "earworm" to an attempt to communicate with extraterrestrial life forms via the medium of music, plus the universal musings of friend of the station, Professor Brian Cox, 6 Music attempts to take its understanding of its reason for being to a higher plain.

Presenter/Shaun Keaveny, Producer/Lisa Kenlock

BBC 6 Music Publicity

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BBC 6 Music presenter Nemone

Nemone's Video Of The Week comes courtesy of French disco groover Breakbot. The beautiful new video for single Baby I'm Yours was created by Irina Dakeva, Breakbot's girlfriend, and is comprised of a mind-boggling 2,000 watercolour images that she painted by hand.

Nemone chats to Irina about her remarkable achievement and to Breakbot about the making of such a creative video.

Presenter/Nemone, Producer/Jax Coombes

BBC 6 Music Publicity