RADIO CHOICE

THE flu pandemic of 1918 was sometimes known as the ‘Spanish lady’, whose dance of death swept across the world, its progress accelerated by the return of soldiers from World War I. In the first of the three-part series PANDEMIC 1918 (RADIO 4, 11AM), John Oxford, a professor of virology, looks at the origins of the pandemic and its parallels with our own virus woes.

THE LIFE CYCLE OF OSPREYS (RADIO 4, 2.15PM) takes us to the wide-open spaces of the Peak District, where David (played by Henry Goodman), a volunteer, guards a clutch of precious osprey eggs. It’s the first time that these raptors have bred in 400 years, but David fears that Louise (Sally Messham), his dozy assistant, is a threat to the species.

ANGELA BARNES (pictured) sits in her home, hosting the lockdown version of THE NEWS QUIZ (RADIO 4, 6.30PM).

Her years of experience compering unruly comedy gigs — plus her previous career in health and social care — make her particularly well-qualified, as things stand, for the job. With warmth and wit, she steers this week’s panellists — comedians Andy Zaltzman and Andrew Maxwell and journalist Helen Lewis — through a round-up of the week’s news, and gives us all a chance to laugh.