TODAY’S RADIO

THE FORUM

10.06AM, 12.06AM, BBC WORLD SERVICE HHHH Sarah Bernhardt was born in Paris in 1844 and was the illegitimate daughter of a courtesan. She became an actress, and her exotic looks caught the public’s attention. Sarah played both male and female roles, led an eccentric and scandalous life, and became an international megastar. Bridget Kendall and a panel of guests discuss the racy life and the strange allure of Miss Bernhardt.

LAURA BARTON’S NOTES ON MUSIC 11.30AM, RADIO 4

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The journalist Laura Barton became enraptured by the song For Emma, Forever Ago. She loved the mysterious melancholy of

the lyrics and the high harmonies that the indie folk band Bon Iver brought to this song of lost love. She played it over and over again, and went to every show on the American band’s 2008 UK tour; one gig seemed to stand out from all the others. Now, still obsessed by the band and the song, Laura finds a way to re-create that night.

39 WAYS TO SAVE THE PLANET 1.45PM, RADIO 4 HHHH

Should we abandon measuring Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a way of assessing how well a country is doing, and replace it with a Happiness Index? Sophie Howe, the Welsh Future Generations Commissioner, talks to Tom Heap about alternative measures of national success.

OPEN COUNTRY 3PM, RADIO 4

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Canoeing and paddle-boarding on England’s green rivers can be a tranquil pursuit – until someone challenges your right to be on the water. In Scotland, you can roam the rivers but, according to Nick Hayes in this programme, you can only legally access around four per cent of England’s waterways. So, is it time for a change?

Bon Iver (11.30am, Radio 4)