TODAY’S RADIO

Prime Ministers’ Props

9.30AM, RADIO 4

David Cannadine continues his exploration of various objects that British Prime Ministers have used as propaganda props. This morning, he considers how Margaret Thatcher used her handbag as a symbol of her power to command.

What Happened

Last Night In Sweden?

11AM, RADIO 4

Last February, Donald Trump made a speech about immigrants and crime, making a reference to ‘what’s happening last night in Sweden’. On that particular night, a man was arrested in Stockholm for drunk driving, and there was bad weather on the roads. Ruth Alexander reports from Sweden on the effects Trump’s words have had.

Jo Whiley & Simon Mayo

5PM, RADIO 2

Paul Simon has a studio album out, made up of new recordings of old songs. The rearranged tracks include One Man’s Ceiling Is Another Man’s Floor, Rene And Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War and Some Folks’ Lives Roll Easy. Simon gives us a taste of the album on this drivetime show.

BBC Proms 2018

6PM, RADIO 3

As the dark winter nights grew longer in 1903, Elgar and his wife headed to the Italian Riviera – and found the weather was as awful as it had been at home. Then, the skies cleared, the sun came out and Elgar’s brain lit up. The music for In The South came to him, almost in its entirety, in a flash. The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra open tonight’s concert with this sunlit, joyful overture.

Domestic Science

11.15PM, RADIO 4

The Shepard tone is the barber’s pole of music. It gives the illusion of rising in pitch, but the sound always stays within the same octave or octaves. The tone is named after the cognitive scientist Roger Shepard, and is used to create tension in theme music or when a cartoon character is climbing a seemingly endless flight of stairs. Presenter Steve Mould, mathematician Matt Parker and musician Helen Arney, who make up the Spoken Nerd comedy trio, explain what’s going on in this clever musical illusion. SJ

Mrs Thatcher (9.30am, Radio 4)