Today’s radio

THE MICHAEL BALL SHOW

11AM, RADIO 2 HHHH

Ben Fogle will be spending the coming months hacking his way through challenging conditions on the road for his UK tour, Ben Fogle: Tales From The Wilderness. He will be sharing some stories from the wild with Michael this morning, while the recently reunited Shakespears Sister will be giving us live music.

INSPECTOR CHEN: WHEN RED IS BLACK

3PM, RADIO 4 HHHH

Inside Inspector Chen, a detective with the Shanghai Police, is the soul of a poet. The Inspector goes about his duties diligently in 1990s China, but it is his love of Chinese poetry and literature – as well as the English language – that keeps Ben Fogle (11am, Radio 2) him going. When he is offered a lucrative job doing a translation for a property developer, he feels that good fortune has come his way, but the fact is that Chen is being lured into a deadly business. First broadcast in 2015, this drama about killing and corruption in Communist China seems only too relevant right now.

BARRY MANILOW: THEY WRITE THE SONGS

9PM, RADIO 2 HHHH

In this latest episode of his ten-part series, Barry looks at the inspiring effect that the Moog synthesiser – introduced in the 1960s – and other inventions have had on modern music.

JOOLS HOLLAND

11PM, RADIO 2 HHHH

Allan Clarke, one of the founding members of The Hollies, had in his prime a fantastic vocal range, and his high notes added to the emotional power of some of the band’s finest songs. He gave his vocal cords a bit of a rest for a few years, but now has a new album out called Resurgence. He joins Jools tonight for tracks from this recent release. SJ