BBC Radio 4

Dame Jenni Murray, best known for presenting BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour from 1987 to 2020, has sadly died at the age of 75. Mohit Bakaya, Controller, BBC Radio 4 and Director of BBC Speech Audio has paid tribute tribute to Dame Jenni. “Jenni Murray was a formidable voice in British broadcasting who was warm, fearless and beloved by listeners,” he said. “During her decades at Woman’s Hour, she helped shape the national conversation with intelligence, rigour and a remarkable ability to connect with audiences. Jenni leaves an indelible legacy on generations of listeners. “We are profoundly grateful for her outstanding contribution to Radio 4, and she will be deeply missed.”

Having presented well over 1,000 episodes of the much-loved BBC Radio 4 series, Melvyn Bragg has made the decision to step down from In Our Time following the series which aired earlier this year Read more via @bbcpress ➡️ bbc.in/3K0J2RE

Remembering writer and producer, Bill Dare. Julia McKenzie, Comedy Commissioner for BBC Radio 4: “ I am so terribly sorry to hear this tragic news and my thoughts are with Bill's wife, family and friends. Bill has been a huge part of Radio 4 comedy for decades, as a writer and producer, and listeners will have heard his legendary name at the end of many of their favourite shows.   “Bill was a comedy obsessive, and very instinctive about making the funniest choices when it came to writing, directing and editing. He cared so much about his work that in the production booth during Dead Ringers you’d see him crouched over the script, utterly focused on the show. Dead Ringers was on air over many momentous political events, including several general elections and Brexit, which always necessitated writing overnight, and every time he nailed the comedy but also the emotional dimension which made a lot of his satire so powerful. He was funny and very dry in person, amusingly cynical when he needed to be and always pushed to keep the comedy he made, and particularly satire, spiky. I’ve known and worked with him for 18 years and like many I can’t believe he has gone, he will leave a big hole in the comedy world and in our hearts.”    Richard Morris, Creative Director of Comedy and Entertainment at BBC Studios Audio: “Bill was a legendary figure in the comedy world and we, his friends and colleagues in radio will miss him hugely. Not only did he create and develop so many of Radio 4’s most popular comedy shows from The Now Show to Dead Ringers, but he was also a great source of creative encouragement to so many new writers and performers who he supported taking their first steps in the industry. We’ll miss the sharp wit and wisdom he brought to every production he worked on.” Our thoughts are with Bill’s family and friends. Bill Dare 1960-2025

As we wrap up our Shipping Forecast day, have you ever taken a wind down with the Sleeping Forecast instead? Listen along to a soothing blend of classical and ambient music from BBC Introducing artists interspersed with excerpts of the iconic Shipping Forecast from Radio 4.

Have you ever wanted to know how we record the Shipping Forecast? Well, Viji Alles, one of the many famous voices in the Radio 4 Continuity team, takes us behind the scenes and even lifts the lid about some of the funny things you'll find in the studio!

As Radio 4 continues to celebrate the centenary of the Shipping Forecast, some of our Continuity team have travelled the length and breadth of the UK to some of the famous points on the forecast in a special programme called The Shipping Postcards.

Celebrating 100 years of the Shipping Forecast & we've a challenge for you! Remix this audio, reply to this audio or record yourself trying out this short version, you can also use the hashtag #ShippingForecastChallenge & we'll pick some of our favourites later in the week!

The hidden scandal of Power of Attorney - how one man controls the finances of scores of vulnerable people. The BBC's @SueM1tchell investigates a widespread business practice where some people are moved out of their homes and left with no idea what is happening to their money. Shadow World: The Willpower Detectives | Listen on BBC Sounds

"It's a mistake to think that people who kill are not human." Titled Four Questions about Violence, This year’s BBC Radio 4 Reith Lecturer Dr Gwen Adshead addresses the most pertinent questions that she has faced in her work as a forensic psychiatrist. The lectures were recorded in front of live audiences in London, Dundee, Bergen and HMP Grendon - the first time a Reith lecture has been recorded in a prison. The Reith Lectures | Listen on BBC Sounds

June Spencer, the last original cast member of The Archers, has died aged 105. Mohit Bakaya, Controller of Radio 4 said: “June Spencer has been a longstanding presence and companion for Radio 4 listeners during her exceptional run on The Archers. Many have grown up with June as Peggy and listened as she journeyed through life’s many chapters, with all of its ups and downs." “In her later years, her portrayal of a devoted wife caring for a husband with Dementia, including their very moving final goodbye, was deeply poignant and powerful radio. We send all our love and condolences to June’s family and the many people whose lives she touched.” Jeremy Howe, Editor of The Archers said: "Working with June was like working with a legend, and has been one of the great privileges of my time at the BBC. Here was this person, immaculately dressed and sitting bolt upright in the Green Room at BBC Birmingham, script at the ready, all meticulously marked up with little pencil squiggles and dashes like musical notation, who had been in the first ever episode of the Archers back in 1951. June Spencer wasn’t just a brilliant Peggy Woolley, the ultimate matriarch of Ambridge, but a brilliant actress. I only ever worked with her in radio, but her technique, her precision, her delivery were flawless." “One of the cast once remarked that in all her time in the show he had only ever heard her fluff her lines the once. She was an actress who revelled in her craft, someone who could score a bullseye with a gently insulting cough as if it were a bon mot from Oscar Wilde. She was also a great company member – funny, sharp, warm, never gossipy, but with wonderful stories of the early days of radio drama, self deprecating and a great companion. The two things I would never commit to with June were being driven by her at the age of one hundred and one or taking her on at Scrabble. She was a Scrabble demon. June’s Peggy Woolley was and always will be the Queen of Ambridge, and with her death The Archers has lost its link with the birth of the show over seventy years ago. It is a humbling moment for us all.”

🇺🇸🗳️ With polls closing later, follow all the US election latest live at 10pm, as America Decides on Radio 4, @bbc5live and @BBCSounds America Decides | Listen on BBC Sounds

Janey was a brilliant storyteller who embodied the stoic nature of Glasgow, offering audiences a very honest window into how she processed sometimes traumatic and sometimes hilarious stories from her life. Her stories were raw and truthful, both devastating and uplifting, very often in the same sentence; and all shot through with her sharp wit and ability to bring characters to life. She has inspired many - not least all of us at BBC Radio 4 - with her instinct to always make people laugh in the face of darkness, bringing both dignity and empowerment to those different aspects of herself.  Janey was entering a new exciting phase of her career, and she has gone too soon. But what a life. It’s her daughter Ashley and Janey’s husband who we are thinking of at this time. The team at Radio 4 send them our love and we will raise a glass to Janey’s legacy which lives on in her work. Janey Godley, 1961-2024 - Julia McKenzie, Commissioning Editor

@michaelgove discusses the importance of forging alliances across parties with former Labour MP, @margarethodge . Surviving Politics with Michael Gove | Listen on @BBCSounds

Will abortion decide the election? @BBCsarahsmith shares her findings in Arizona on the latest #Americast 🇺🇸 Americast | Listen on BBC Sounds 📻 bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0023y…

19 years as a member of parliament, 6 cabinet positions, 5 general elections and serving under 4 prime ministers. During his political career, @michaelgove pretty much saw and did it all. In this five part series, Michael talks candidly with politicians from different parties about the strengths and skills needed to survive when things get tough. Surviving Politics with Michael Gove | Listen on @BBCSounds

Does America still have influence over Israel? CNN's Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour speaks to @BBCsarahsmith and @JustinOnWeb about the United States and conflict in the Middle East. Americast | Listen on BBC Sounds and tonight on Radio 4 bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0023g…

Medical experts and scientists have told #Fileon4 they have new concerns about how some of the evidence used in the trial of baby-killer Lucy Letby was presented in court and raise questions over the safety of her convictions. File on 4 | @BBCSounds bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0023v…