RADIO CHOICE

IN 1911, there was one solicitor for every 3,000 people in England; now, the ratio is one for every 400. In the first of his five REITH LECTURES (RADIO 4, 9AM), the judge, author and historian Jonathan Sumption considers the intrusion of the law into every aspect of our lives. He puts this down to a decline in politics and, as he explains here, he doesn’t think this is a good thing.

NELL BRYDEN was born in Brooklyn, New York, to an artist father and an operasinging mother. A career in the arts seemed inevitable, and Nell (pictured) started making albums at an early age. She lost her hair to stress-related alopecia, but toughs it out with bravery and beauty. She joins KEN BRUCE (RADIO 2, 9.30AM) to perform songs from her new EP, Soundtrack To Little Wing: Part 1, this morning.

ROBOT cars, according to motor manufacturers, will ferry passengers to their destinations and, by eliminating human error, make our roads safer. It’s not all been freewheeling thus far, however. In Arizona, where there are fewer regulations to impede the progress of autonomous vehicles, a driverless car has killed a pedestrian, and the high-tech sensors have proved worryingly fallible. In ROBOTS ON THE ROAD (1.30PM, 10.05PM, WORLD SERVICE), Rory CellanJones travels to Phoenix, Arizona, to experience a robot taxi service and hear from concerned locals.