SUSAN JEFFREYS’ Radio Week

NASHVILLE SONGWRITERS

SATURDAY, 9PM, RADIO 2 ★★★★

Ed Sheeran, a keen country music fan, plays music by various country stars – including Dolly Parton and Taylor Swift – and hears from other Nashville heroes about how you go about writing a country classic.

BBC RADIO 2 YOUNG CHORISTER OF THE YEAR

SUNDAY, 7PM, RADIO 2 ★★★★★

The six finalists, three girls and three boys, take their turns to sing Christmas music in the glorious surroundings of Salisbury Cathedral as they compete to be named the Young Chorister Of The Year 2021.

CRAIG CHARLES

MONDAY, 1PM, BBC 6 MUSIC ★★★★ The Welsh singing legend Tom Jones joins Craig Charles for a music-filled afternoon party, where he’ll give us some tracks from his recent album, Surrounded By Time.

WIRELESS NIGHTS

MONDAY, 11PM, RADIO 4 ★★★★★ Jarvis Cocker asks you to join him on another of his mysterious night-time walks. This time, he’ll be attending a ritual for the rising full moon, then taking a good look at it from Greenwich Observatory.

RADIO 2 IN CONCERT TUESDAY, 7PM, RADIO 2

★★★★★ Coldplay will be in the BBC Radio Theatre for what promises to be a fabulous live concert. The band will play classics from their back catalogue, plus tracks from their recent album, Music Of The Spheres.

THE REITH LECTURES WEDNESDAY, 9AM, RADIO 4

★★★★ Weapons – controlled entirely by artificial intelligence – that can locate and select human targets already exist. Stuart Russell continues his lecture series on the dangers and benefits of AI, and argues for global control of these weapon systems.

CROSSING CONTINENTS THURSDAY, 11AM, RADIO 4

★★★★ Along the Poland-belarus border, migrant families huddle against the cold as winter takes hold. Lucy Ash speaks to them and to locals caught up in a stand-off between the governments of the two countries.

ARCHERS UPDATE

Revenge, old sores and past grudges occupy Ambridgers this week. Poisonous Hazel rarely returns to the village, unless she’s after something, so the sight of Jack Woolley’s adopted daughter snooping around Memory Lane has everyone on full alert. Pat, a warrior queen in her time, makes an attempt to bury the hatchet, but finds old wounds run deep. Eddie is plotting revenge, Tom and Natasha have the rug pulled from under their feet, and Fallon finds herself drawn back into ill-willed company. Meanwhile, one of Ambridge’s many cats is let out of the bag, giving another villager all that’s needed to wreak havoc. Yes indeedy, the season of peace and goodwill draws nigh unto Ambridge.