TODAY’S RADIO

The Matter Of The North

9AM, 9.30PM, RADIO 4 The north of England during the 18th and 19th centuries was a hotbed of dynamic political thinking. In his ongoing series on northern England and the making of modern Britain, Melvyn Bragg looks at campaigns for women’s suffrage, anti-slavery protests, the rise of Chartism, and the birth of the Labour Party.

BBC Proms 2016

7.30PM, RADIO 3 Five years ago, the Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov won two of the world’s most prestigious piano competitions within weeks of each other. Since then, not surprisingly, he’s become an international star. Daniil, who loves the atmosphere of the Proms – ‘It can take you to another realm’ – will be playing a piece that’s very dear to him: Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 21. The concert ends with Bruckner’s Symphony No 3.

Johnnie Walker’s Long Players

10PM, RADIO 2 In this last of the current series on classic albums, Johnnie Walker and David Hepworth look at Queen’s A Kind Of Magic and Tears For Fears’ Songs From The Big Chair. Johnnie and David play tracks from both albums, and hear from Queen guitarist Brian May how A Kind Of Magic began as a soundtrack for Highlander, and then took on a life of its own.

The Essay

10.45PM, RADIO 3 In the fifth of his series on comic actors, Simon Heffer looks at the career of Carry On great Sid James. 11PM, RADIO 2 The song Y Viva Espana brings back memories of cheap package holidays, tasteless souvenirs and that suntan oil that made sunbathers smell like coconut biscuits. Stuart Maconie celebrates the Belgian pop song that was such a big hit right across Europe.

The Pin

11PM, RADIO 4 Alex Owen and Ben Ashenden, the comedy duo known as The Pin, return with a new, four-part series. In this opening show, Alex and Ben serve up quick sketches and gags about sheep misusing the Royal Mail, the correct way to say ‘Do you want fries with that?’ and comedy Oscars.

Sid James (10.45pm, Radio 3)