TODAY’S RADIO

Inside The Ethics Committee

9AM, RADIO 4 A car accident leaves a man in a permanent vegetative state. All of his bodily functions work, but, as matters stand, there is no prospect of recovery. Joan Bakewell and a panel of experts look at arguments for and against withdrawing both the nutrition and hydration that have been keeping the patient alive.

Lauren Laverne

10AM, BBC 6 MUSIC The nominees for this year’s Mercury Prize Album of the Year will be announced at 11am. Lauren will be talking to some of the artistes on this year’s list, as well as showcasing their music.

The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency

2.15PM, RADIO 4 (FM) Claire Benedict is back as Mma Ramotswe, Africa’s answer to Miss Marple, in a new, two-part dramatisation of Alexander McCall Smith’s latest mystery, The Woman Who Walked In Sunshine.

Open Country

3PM, RADIO 4 (FM) Orkney is a favourite spot for harbour seals, but there has been a sharp decline in their numbers lately. There are a number of theories as to why this is happening, but hard evidence is needed if the decline is to be halted. Helen Mark visits Orkney, and hears how the harbour seals are being fitted with devices so that their movements can be tracked.

Annie Mac

7PM, RADIO 1 Annie takes her Radio 1 show to Ibiza for a one-off special broadcast from the legendary Cafe Mambo, kicking off the station’s annual pilgrimage to the party capital of the world.

The Essay

10.45PM, RADIO 3 The son of the wealthy Tichborne family disappeared in a shipwreck in 1854. His grief-stricken mother heard a rumour that her son somehow survived and made it to Australia, so she put advertisements in the Australian papers in the hopes of finding her lost boy. A butcher from Wagga Wagga put himself forward as the Tichborne claimant. Jennifer Tucker tells how a photograph of the opportunist butcher played a big part in the longest legal battle in 19th-century England.

A harbour seal (3pm, Radio 4)