Today’s radio

In 1970, an album kick-started a revolution. It wasn’t a collection of protest songs, but recordings by American biologist Roger Payne of the ‘rivers of sound’ created by male humpback whales during breeding season. The album’s sorrowful songs would become anthems for the save the whales movement, leading to calls to ban commercial whaling. Payne shares his memories of this remarkable discovery, and he’s joined by folk singer Judy Collins, musician and marine biologist Sara Niksic and Greenpeace’s Willie Mackenzie.

RAMBLINGS

3PM, RADIO 4 HHHH

The Mendips in Somerset is the destination for Clare Balding this

BBC RADIO 4

FM 92.4 - 96.1 LW 198 Freeview 704 Sky 0104 Virgin 904

5.30am News Briefing

5.43 Prayer for the Day

5.45 Farming Today

5.58 Tweet of the Day

6.00 Today

8.30 (LW) Yesterday in

Parliament

9.00 In Our Time

9.45 (LW) Daily Service

9.45 (FM) Book of the Week: Eat the Buddha

By Barbara Demick.

10.00 Woman’s Hour Including at 10.45 Drama: Part four of Life Lines by Al Smith.

11.00 Crossing Continents 11.30 PICK Songs of the

Humpback Whale 12noon News

12.01 (LW) Shipping Forecast 12.04 No Longer at Ease

By Chinua Achebe.

12.18 You and Yours

1.00 The World at One

1.45 Blood Lands

BBC RADIO 1

FM 97.6 - 99.8 Freeview 700 Sky 0101 Virgin 901

7am Breakfast Show. 10.30 Clara Amfo. 12noon Radio 1’s Live

Lounge. 12.45 Newsbeat. 1.00

Scott Mills. 3.30 Nick Grimshaw. 5.45 Newsbeat. 6.00 Future Sounds. 8.00 Rickie, Melvin and Charlie. 10.00 Indie Show. 12midnight Radio 1’s Soundsystem.

BBC RADIO 3

FM 90.2 - 92.4 Freeview 703 Sky 0103 Virgin 903

6.30am Breakfast. 9.00 Essential Classics. 12noon Composer of the Week: Pachelbel. 1.00 Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert. Violinist Tai Murray and pianist Martin Roscoe in Bartók, Mozart and Brahms. 2.00 Afternoon Concert. 5.00 In Tune. A selection of music, arts news and guests. 7.00 In Tune Mixtape. An eclectic non-stop mix of music.

7.30 Radio 3 in Concert. Ives and Bruckner. 10.00 Free Thinking. A discussion on family ties, power networks and history. 10.45 The Essay: Mayflower Portraits. 11.00 The Night Tracks Mix. A soundtrack for late-night listening. 11.30 Unclassified. Music by an exciting new generation of composers.

12.30am Through the Night.

(S)

(HD)

Humpback whale (11.30am, R4) week. She’s joined for a sunny walk by biological anthropologist Alice Roberts. As they set off from the village of Draycott and go through the Draycott Sleights nature reserve, across the Somerset Levels and on to Glastonbury Tor, Alice finds this a landscape that has much to say about the people who lived there many moons ago.

2.00 2.15

3.00 3.27 3.30 4.00 4.30

5.00 5.54 6.00 6.30 7.00 7.15 7.45

The Archers

Drama: Keeping the Wolf Out By Philip Palmer.

Last in series.

PICK Ramblings

Radio 4 Appeal

BBC National Short Story Award 2020 The fourth of five stories on the shortlist for the annual award.

Read by Anne-marie Duff.

The Film Programme Cinema magazine.

BBC Inside Science The latest scientific research.

PM News and analysis.

(LW) Shipping Forecast Six O’clock News

John Finnemore’s Souvenir Programme The first episode of the comedy sketch show from 2016.

The Archers

Front Row Arts programme.

Life Lines

BBC RADIO 2

FM 88.1 - 90.2 Freeview 702 Sky 0102 Virgin 902

5am Vanessa Feltz. 6.30 Zoe Ball. 9.30 Gary Davies. 12noon Jeremy Vine. 2.00 Steve Wright. 5.00 Sara Cox. 6.30 Sara Cox’s Half Wower. 7.00 Jo Whiley. 9.00 PICK The Country Show with Bob Harris. 10.00 Trevor Nelson’s Rhythm Nation. 12midnight Gethin Jones.

BBC RADIO 5 LIVE

5am Wake Up to Money. 6.00

5 Live Breakfast. 9.00 Your Call. 10.00 The Emma Barnett Show. 1pm Nihal Arthanayake. 4.00 5 Live Drive. With Tony Livesey and Anna Foster. 7.00 5 Live Sport. 10.00 Question Time Extra Time. Additional coverage of Question Time. 1am Dotun Adebayo.

CLASSIC FM

FM 99.9-101.9 Sky 0106 Virgin 922

6am More Music Breakfast.

9.00 Alexander Armstrong. 12noon Aled Jones. 4.00 John Brunning.

7.00 Smooth Classics at Seven.

8.00 The Classic FM Concert with John Suchet. Composers who had talents beyond music.

10.00 Smooth Classics. 8.00

The Briefing Room David Aaronovitch discusses big issues in the news.

In Business Developments in the worlds of business and industry.

BBC Inside Science The latest scientific research.

In Our Time Melvyn Bragg and guests investigate the history of ideas.

10.00 The World Tonight

Presented by Razia Iqbal.

10.45 Book at Bedtime: No Longer at Ease

By Chinua Achebe.

11.00 PICK The Skewer

11.30 Today in Parliament

Political round-up.

12midnight News; Weather 12.30 Book of the Week:

Eat the Buddha

12.48 Shipping Forecast

1.00 As BBC World Service 5.20 Shipping Forecast 8.30 9.00 9.30

BBC RADIO 4 EXTRA

DAB Freeview 708 Sky 0131 Virgin 910

6am Condition Purple. 6.30 Peril at End House. 7.00 The Missing Hancocks. 7.30 Between Ourselves with Marian Keyes. 8.00 Beyond Our Ken. 8.30 Yes Minister. 9.00 Booked. 9.30 Rent. 10.00 Elena Ferrante: The Story of a New Name.

11.00 Desert Island Discs Revisited.

11.45 David Attenborough’s Life Stories. 12noon Beyond Our Ken. 12.30 Yes Minister. 1.00 Condition Purple. 1.30 Peril at End House. 2.00 Booked. 2.30 Rent. 3.00 Elena Ferrante: The Story of a New Name. 4.00 Desert Island Discs Revisited. 4.45 David Attenborough’s Life Stories. 5.00 The Missing Hancocks. 5.30 Between Ourselves with Marian Keyes. 6.00 JCW Brook – Blop. 6.30 Great Lives. 7.00 Beyond Our Ken. 7.30 Yes Minister. 8.00 Condition Purple. 8.30 Peril at End House. 9.00 Desert Island Discs Revisited. 9.45 David Attenborough’s Life Stories. 10.00 Comedy Club: Between Ourselves with Marian Keyes. 10.30 Jake Yapp Saves Humanity in 28 Minutes.

11.00 Knowing Me, Knowing

You. 11.30 Desolation Jests.

12midnight JCW Brook – Blop.

THE LONE RANGER 10.45PM

Johnny Depp is warrior Tonto, with Armie Hammer as the masked hero

BBC1

6am Breakfast (HD)

9.15 Crimewatch Roadshow (HD)

10.00 Homes Under the Hammer Properties about to be auctioned in Kent, Wales and Warwickshire. (R)(HD)(AD)

Police in Yorkshire look for drug dealers in Harrogate. (HD)

Matt Allwright investigates a property in Surrey overwhelmed with rubbish. Last in series. (R)(HD) Teams search for antiques in Leominster, Herefordshire. (HD)(AD)

(HD)

Joyce forces Tucker into an admission of guilt.

Last in series. (R)(HD)(AD)

Recipes from the chefs’ favourite cookery books. (R)(HD)

Alistair Appleton helps a couple from Worcestershire to find a home in Cornwall. (R)(HD)(AD)

A woman seeks the feel of her old Spanish garden in her Bedfordshire home. (HD)

The team restores a military chess set, a Syrian chair and a wartime mascot doll. (HD)

(R)(HD)

Live chat and topical reports. (HD)

Charlie Dimmock and Harry and David Rich design an Ibiza-themed party garden. (R)(HD)(AD)

With Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora, world champion swimmer Keri-anne Payne, former England defender Stuart Pearce and ex-world Superbike champion Neil Hodgson. (HD)

Gray and Chantelle arrive back in Walford, where the silent horror Chantelle has lived with for many years is about to get even worse. (HD)(AD)

The stand-up comedian relives his finest career moments. Last in series. (HD)

Agnes falls under a hypnotist’s spell at the triplets’ baptism. (R)(HD)(AD) (HD)

FILM (2013)12 Western, starring Armie Hammer. See Movie Choice. (HD)

(HD) 106 (HD)

ATLANTIC: A YEAR IN THE WILD 9PM As spring arrives, Arctic fox cubs go foraging for food for the first time

CHANNEL 5

6am

Peppa Pig (R) 6.05 Peppa Pig (R) 6.10 Peppa Pig (R) 6.15 Peppa Pig (R) 6.20 Mya Go (R)(HD) 6.25 Noddy: Toyland Detective (R)(HD) 6.40 Fireman Sam (R)(HD) 6.50 Thomas & Friends (HD) 7.00 Abby Hatcher (R)(HD) 7.15 Paw Patrol (R) 7.25 Peppa Pig (R) 7.30 Peppa Pig (R)(HD) 7.40 Ricky Zoom (R)(HD) 8.00 Pirata & Capitano (R)(HD) 8.15 Paw Patrol (HD)

8.30 Floogals (R)(HD)

8.45 Daisy & Ollie (R)(HD)

8.50 Shane the Chef (HD)

Peppa Pig (R)(HD)

Sunny Bunnies (R)(HD)

Jeremy Vine (HD)

Can’t Pay? We’ll Take It Away! (R)(HD)

5 News at Lunchtime (HD)

Traffic Cops (R)(HD)

Access Showbiz news. (HD)

Home and Away (R)(HD)(AD)

Neighbours (HD)(AD)

FILM Mean Queen (2018) PG Premiere. Thriller, starring Zoe Mclellan. See Movie Choice. (HD)

Friends Chandler and Monica’s relationship becomes public knowledge. (R)(HD)

Friends (R)(HD)

5Newsat5 (HD)

Neighbours Nicolette and

Chloe are on a high from their secret fun. (R)(HD)(AD)

Home and Away Tane, Ari and Mackenzie are in a race against time to find Bella. (R)(HD)(AD)

5 News Tonight (HD)

M&S: The Food Factor For more than a century, Marks & Spencer was one of the leading high-street stores, but now faces greater competition. Fiona Phillips finds out whether it can restore its fortunes. (R)(HD); 5 News Update

PICK Secret Scotland with Susan Calman New series.

The comedian’s latest tour covers Falkirk and the Lothians. See Pick of the Day. (HD); 5 News Update

PICK Atlantic: A Year in the Wild Part 2/4. Spring in the north is short and creatures do not have long to start a family.

See Pick of the Day. (HD)(AD)

Unforgettable moments caught on camera. (HD)

The 21.co.uk Live Casino Show Interactive gaming. (HD)

Access (HD)

GPS: Behind Closed Doors (R)(HD)

Channel 5+1

155 Channel 5 HD 5Select 54 44

STAR RATINGS (R)(HD) (R)(HD)(BSL) (R)(BSL) (R)(BSL) 128 205

105 105

133 153 105 152

SECRET SCOTLAND WITH SUSAN CALMAN

8PM, CH5 ★★★★

The excitable and wholly lovely Susan Calman is back with an endearing third series exploring her home country. In this first part, Susan heads to Falkirk for the fascinating rotating boat lift – she treks inside and likens it to a Bond baddie’s lair. She also learns the story behind the Kelpies, two giant sculptures that make up the largest equine statue in the world. In Midlothian, Susan visits the little-known Borthwick Castle, then heads to the coastal town of Dunbar to try the art of stone-stacking (right).

GARDENERS’ WORLD

8PM, BBC2 ★★★★

The Newt in Somerset is unlike anything you may have seen before, displaying garden designs and plants from different eras – marvel as Toby Buckland shows us round and talks about its chequered history. We also meet a savvy Northamptonshire gardener who extracts dyes from her garden plants for fabrics.

THE ROMANTICS AND US WITH SIMON SCHAMA

9PM, BBC2 ★★★★

David Attenborough reads William Wordsworth’s work to explore this week’s theme, The Chambers Of The Mind. Simon, with the help of actor Tobias Menzies and pianist Piotr Anderszewski, sees how the Romantics looked internally long before modern psychology was invented.

ATLANTIC: A YEAR IN THE WILD

9PM, CH5 ★★★★ The world’s second-largest ocean is so vast, it generates weather – and it starts to warm up as winter turns into spring for a few short weeks in part two. Life sparks again as we see the mother otter starting anew in the Shetland Islands, and cuttlefish mating face to face off the coast of southwest England. TJ

TOP OF THE POPS 1978: BIG HITS

8PM, BBC4 ★★★

Kate Bush (left) singing Wuthering Heights, Electric Light Orchestra’s soaring Mr Blue Sky and Boney M’s ultimate disco track Rasputin – just three of the classics to feature in this round-up of hits from 1978. And, if this leaves you with a hankering for the music of 1979, then see right.

GUY GARVEY: FROM THE VAULTS

9PM, SKY ARTS ★★★

The Elbow front man’s new series is a mix of old interviews and gigs, starting in the year 1979. Guy (left) has songs from a previously unseen Kate Bush concert, and there’s music from Dire Straits and The Police, too. And remember, Sky Arts is now available free on Freeview and Freesat.

HIGH MAINTENANCE

9PM, SKY COMEDY ★★★

A series about a marijuana dealer on his bicycle doesn’t sound great, but HBO’S New York-set comedy isn’t about what he’s carrying – it’s about the ridiculous people he meets. The fourth season opens with courier ‘The Guy’ (co-creator Ben Sinclair, left) dressing up for Halloween.

WHY WOMEN KILL

9PM, ALIBI ★★★★

The love triangles take intriguing twists in the second double bill of the bubbly drama that hops between 1963, 1984 and 2019. The 1980s relationship between gay Karl (Jack Davenport) and high-maintenance Simone (Lucy Liu, left) is particularly nicely drawn, and is stronger than it initially looks.

ROB RIGGLE: GLOBAL INVESTIGATOR

9PM, DISCOVERY ★★★

As both a comedian and an ex-us Marine, Rob Riggle (left) brings a very specific, gung-ho sensibility to this half-serious history series. In this new episode, he’s in Scotland, on the trail of the Holy Grail, and he’s happy to take a sledgehammer to ancient monuments if that’s what it takes to find his prize.

SOUL AMERICA

9.30PM, BBC4 ★★★★

The final part focuses on the 1970s and 1980s, the style of cities (Philadelphia is ‘funk with a bow tie’), the sex appeal of singers such as Barry White (left) and the rise of disco. Listen for Candi Staton’s story about the recording of Young Hearts Run Free in the disco section – it’s quite something. RW

SKY COMEDY

Sky 309 Virgin 408

8.45am Nobody’s Fool (2018) 15 u

See 3pm. (S)

10.45 Eighth Grade (2018) 15

Introverted 13-year-old Elsie Fisher tries to make it through the last week of a disastrous year in eighth grade. (S)

12.35pm As Good as It Gets (1997)

15 See 12.40am. (S)

3.00 Nobody’s Fool (2018) 15

Ex-prisoner Tiffany Haddish suspects her sister is being conned be her boyfriend. (S)

5.00 Friends with Benefits (2011) 15 Recruiter Mila Kunis sleeps with one of her client’s staff, but keeping their feelings in check proves tricky. (S)

American Pie 2 (2001) 15

The friends get together again and set out to broaden their sexual horizons. (S)

Pineapple Express (2008) 15 Pot-smoking slacker

Seth Rogen and dealer James Franco are implicated in a gangland murder. (S)

Ready or Not (2019) 18

Samara Weaving’s wedding night takes a sinister turn.

12.40am-3.00 As Good as It Gets

(1997) 15 Misanthropic writer Jack Nicholson is drawn out of his self-imposed isolation. (S)

uusCAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER

(2011) 12 u 8PM, SUPERHEROES HHHH Marvel’s origin story for Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), who went from patriotic weed to supersoldier. Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter makes her mark.

SKY SUPERHEROES

Sky 302 Virgin 402

u8.45am Fantastic Four (2005) PG ●

Five astronauts develop superhuman powers during an energy storm, but one puts his abilities to evil use. (S)

10.35 Captain America:

The First Avenger (2011) 12 u

See 8pm. (S)

12.45pm Batman Begins (2005) 12 See 10.10pm. (S) Superman (1978) PG ●

Alien Christopher Reeve is evacuated from his planet and crash-lands on Earth. (S) Thor (2011) 12 Norse god of thunder Chris Hemsworth is banished to present-day Earth, which he must defend from his evil brother. (S)

PICK Captain America: The First Avenger

(2011) 12 (S)

Batman Begins (2005) 12 u

Billionaire Christian Bale hones his fighting skills and becomes a masked vigilante to rid his city of crime and corruption. (S)

12.35am-2.35 Kick-ass (2010) 15

Teenager Aaron TaylorJohnson tries to become a superhero, but finds real-life crime-fighting much more dangerous than in comics. (S) 3.30 8.00

uuuuuuuu

u1pm 2.35 4.35 6.15 8.00 9.40 11.40

MR POPPER’S PENGUINS

(2011) PG ● 4.35PM,

SKY FAMILY HHH Self-absorbed Tom Popper (Jim Carrey) becomes the owner of six plucky penguins. Gooey family fare, with Carrey trying to upstage his co-stars.

SKY DISNEY

Sky 307 Virgin 405

7.45am Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 (2011) U ● See 10.10pm. (S)

Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva La Fiesta! (2012) U ●

See 11.45pm. (S)

10.50 Toy Story 4 (2019) U n

See 7pm. (S)

12.35pm Tarzan II (2005) PG ●

See 8.50pm. (S)

1.50 Finding Nemo (2003) U

3.35 Frozen 2 (2019) U ● (S)

5.30 The Fox and the Hound

(1981) U (S)

7.00 Toy Story 4 (2019) U A toy joins Woody and the gang, leading a road trip alongside old and new friends. (S)

8.50 Tarzan II (2005) PG ● Growing up in the jungle, the ape boy realises he is not the same as his siblings and runs away. (S)

10.10 Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 (2011) U ● A canine couple and their five puppies try to help their owner’s parents. (S)

11.45 Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva La Fiesta! (2012) U ●

The leader of a group of pampered Chihuahuas helps the pack’s smallest member gain some self-esteem. (S)

1.25am-3.15 Finding Nemo (2003)

(S) 9.15

U nnnn(S)

listeners with eclectic tastes, featuring the improvisational style of pioneering jazz musician Charles Mingus, mixed with the emerging talent of American singer Angelica Garcia, plus tracks from Neil Young, Ty Segall, Col3trane and Dream Wife.

THE CLASSIC FM CONCERT

8PM, CLASSIC FM HHH Schubert’s Piano Quintet In A Major is better-known as The Trout, after the fourth movement and its variations on his earlier song of the same name. Tonight, John Suchet introduces this piece, along with some others that are known by their nicknames, including Prokofiev’s neoclassical Classical Symphony, Chopin’s delightful Raindrop Prelude and Mozart’s famous A Little Night Music. MM