TODAY’S RADIO

THE FORUM 10.06AM, 12.06AM, BBC WORLD SERVICE ★★★

Did the Emperor Nero really play the fiddle while Rome burnt? He’s gone down through the centuries as a depraved ruler, loathed by Romans of all classes. Rajan

Datar talks to a group of scholars who challenge this view of Nero, claiming that this version of events has been created by drawing on three highly biased sources.

SCALA RADIO BOOK CLUB 10.30AM, SCALA RADIO ★★★

Karen Joy Fowler’s 2013 novel We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves was short-listed for the Booker Prize. It’s a strange tale about a dysfunctional family whose problems have been made all the worse for being involved in a bizarre experiment. Karen’s novels, many of which are

science fiction, are wildly inventive and deservedly popular. This morning, she joins Mark Forrest to talk about her new novel, Booth.

RAMBLINGS 3PM, RADIO 4 ★★★

Ethel Haythornthwaite was devastated by grief when her husband was killed in the First

World War, but found consolation in the countryside around her.

She devoted her life to preserving the beauty of the Peak District, including Stanage Edge. Clare Balding takes in the views from this gritstone escarpment and hears how, in 2021, 95 hills were officially designated Ethels in memory of all she did to preserve this extraordinary landscape.

THE CLASSIC FM CONCERT 8PM, CLASSIC FM

★★★★ Reynaldo Hahn served in the

First World War, then wrote stacks of music. He produced operas, concertos, ballet scores and other works. This evening, John Suchet includes Hahn’s calm and lovely A Chloris in his selection. The cello soloist is Sol Gabetta, who will be joined by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Peak District (3pm, Radio 4)