Radio choice Charlotte Runcie

In The Studio: Conserving the Works of the Van Gogh Museum WORLD SERVICE, 11.30PM

How much work goes into preserving some of the world’s most loved and visited paintings? This is a fascinating look behind the scenes at the conservation work taking place at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, one of the busiest museums on the planet, and it reveals how many dangers valuable paintings face: from colour fading in sunlight to damage from clumsy storage and shoddy attempts at repair. Various techniques are employed to keep the precious works intact.

The Essay: Music of the Spheres RADIO 3, 10.45PM

This week, The Essay explores the history of the application of music theory as a means of understanding science and order in the natural world. Astronomer and science writer Dr Stuart Clark is the author of this series, and he compares the origins of the theory of “the music of the spheres” to other, possibly equally creative, theories on the universe, including – in tonight’s episode – the work being done on dark matter. Dr Clark also goes on to explore how evidence has confirmed and debunked various theories.