TODAY’S RADIO

SEVEN FIVE ZERO ZERO 2.15PM, RADIO 4 HHHH

Adrian Penketh has written a couple of cracking dramas for Radio 4, set in the world of flying and air-traffic control. He’s good on technical detail, delivering dialogue that sounds authentic and clever plot twists. In this thriller, Don Gilet plays a desperate pilot who, for reasons that slowly unfold, is forced to hijack his own plane.

THE CLASSIC FM CONCERT 8PM, CLASSIC FM HHH

The Irish composer and pianist John Field led a rackety life, travelling through Europe and performing as he went along, then arriving in Russia, where he found fame – and was even mentioned in War And Peace. John was given to burning the candle at both ends, so he didn’t make old bones, but he did compose some very nice pieces. John Suchet includes Field’s Piano Concerto No 6 in this St Patrick’s Day programme.

THE FOLK SHOW HHHH

9PM, RADIO 2

Mark Radcliffe is spoilt for choice as he puts together folk and acoustic music from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland for his St Patrick’s Day special. Brian and Diarmuid Mac Gloinn, the two brothers who make up the duo Ye Vagabonds, are on Mark’s list, along with the fourpiece band Lankum, who give an eerie spin to pub sing-along songs such as The Wild Rover.

COSTING THE EARTH 9PM, RADIO 4 HHH

‘Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.’ Dr Seuss’s book The Lorax is about a mossy brownish creature who tries to protect the trees. Here, Michael Rosen looks at The Lorax and other books – some of which have been censored – that have influenced eco-activism. SJ

Don Gilet (2.15pm, Radio 4)