today’s radio

THE EXTINCTION TAPES

9.30AM, RADIO 4 HHHH Steller’s sea cows were huge, measuring up to 30ft long, and were found near the Bering Sea. Their habitat brought them into contact with fur trappers from Russia and North America, who hunted these manatee-like creatures for their valuable subcutaneous fat. Rob Newman tells the story of a gentle giant that has been lost to the world.

THE GREY MAN AND OTHER LOST LEGENDS

2.15PM, RADIO 4 HHHH

In 1891, an experienced climber heard giant footsteps stalking him as he reached a summit in the Cairngorms. Other climbers and walkers had their own tales to tell about the ‘Grey Man’.

This drama, starring Laura

Steller’s sea cows (9.30am, R4) Elphinstone, weaves interviews, legends of the Scottish yeti and a UFO story into an intriguing yarn.

HOW TO MAKE THE WORLD A QUIETER PLACE

3PM, 8PM, WORLD SERVICE HHHH Lockdown brings a hush to the land. The noises of transport and work are diminished, and many of us are experiencing a quietness we have never known. In this programme, we hear how, across the globe, people have been working to make this quieter world a permanent reality. Reporter Anisa Subedar hears from a UK engineer who’s invented a sound barrier for building sites, and an Indian woman who’s found a way to stop drivers using their horns.

SNAKES & LADDERS

8PM, RADIO 4 HHH

Christine was worried that the neighbours would see when her electricity was cut off, and she would be reported and her children taken into care. Another interviewee in this programme about poverty and wealth in the UK recalls how the Christmas present of a gecko helped him to pay his way through university. SJ