...AND THE BEST RADIO
SUNDAY THE DOCUMENTARY BBC WORLD SERVICE, 2.05PM
Some parts of the world still rely on small radio stations for education, entertainment and information. On World Radio Day, the Weekend Documentary looks at stations such as Cameroon’s off-grid Radio Taboo, which relies on solar power and wind-up radios, and Kadal Osai FM in Tamil Nadu, on the southernmost tip of India, which broadcasts to the local fishing community.
RACHEL PARRIS: AUSTENSIBLY FEMINIST RADIO 4, 7.15PM
Stand-up comedy from Jane Austen fan Rachel Parris, who reassesses the writer from an unusual perspective. Does her work pass the Bechdel test (having two women who talk to each other about something other than a man), and what about her views on marriage, men and money? What might she have made of Colin Firth’s dripping Mr Darcy?
MONDAY BILL GATES: HOW TO AVOID A CLIMATE DISASTER RADIO 4, 9.45AM & 12.30AM, MON-FRI
A reading of the billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist’s book, in which he lays out a plan for saving the planet from global climate disaster, from new ways of making steel and cement, to creating cell- and plant-based meats and growing vital crops on a warmer planet. Plus a road map for governments and policy-makers.
Mary Nighy and Diana Quick star in Rosamond
Lehmann’s tender 1932 classic about a 17-year-old’s introduction to society at her first big dance. This Tina Pepler dramatisation follows an evening of brief encounters and sibling rivalry in the shadow of the First World War.
WEDNESDAY OPERA ON 3 RADIO 3, 7PM, WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY
Over four nights, the Royal Opera House’s acclaimed 2018 production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, directed by Keith Warner, conducted by Antonio Pappano and starring Nina Stemme as Brünnhilde; John Lundgren as Wotan, Sarah Connolly as Fricka and Stefan Vinke as Siegfried.
THURSDAY DRAMA: THE ELDER SON RADIO 4, 2.15PM, THURSDAY & FRIDAY
Popular 1967 comedy by Soviet playwright Alexander Vampilov (often compared to Chekhov but who died at 34), in which two tricksters stranded after missing the last train home find shelter for the night by claiming one of them is the long-lost son of a local family. But then they have problems leaving...
SATURDAY MARC ALMOND’S TORCH SONG TRILOGY, RADIO 2, 9PM
The second of three parts in the former Soft Cell frontman’s look at the torch song as performed, unusually, by men. He explains why women dominated the genre, and includes tracks by Frank Sinatra (left) and Johnny Mathis, plus his own version of The Shadow Of Your Smile and more upbeat anthems of survival from The Supremes and Gloria Gaynor.