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COMMISSIONING ROUND, SPRING 2015

Proteus round: 2016-2017 - 1 Welcome to the Radio 4 commissioning round. This process is open to all BBC departments and registered independent companies with the necessary expertise, as indicated in each commissioning brief. Please only offer a proposal if you can demonstrate that you have this expertise.

1 THE COMMISSIONING PROCESS 2

TIMETABLE 2

HOW TO SUBMIT AN IDEA TO RADIO 4 2

HOW THE COMMISSIONING BRIEFS WORK 5

FAQ ON THE COMMISSIONING PROCESS 6

RESPONSES TO PROPOSALS 7

BBC EDITORIAL GUIDELINES & COMPLIANCE 8

2 SUPPORTING MATERIALS 9

3 FACTUAL COMMISSIONING BRIEFS 12

4 ARTS COMMISSIONING BRIEFS 36

5 SPECIAL EVENTS & SEASONS 55

6 WORKING WITH RADIO 4 57

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1 THE COMMISSIONING PROCESS

TIMETABLE

In this round we aim to commission most Factual and Arts slots for financial year

2016-2017.

We will commission comedy for 2016-17 in autumn 2015.

The commissioning round for drama is already in progress. For details of editorial

requirements and timetable, see:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/radio/what-we-want/radio-4.shtml

Guidelines published 19th February 2015

Commissioning Round Launch - Salford 20th February 2015

Commissioning Round Launch - London 25th February 2015

Pre Offers Deadline 26th March 2015

Pre-offers results 16th April 2015

Final Offers Deadline 21st May 2015

Final results End July 2015

HOW TO SUBMIT AN IDEA TO RADIO 4

Pre-offers submissions This first stage of the round invites you to submit brief outlines of your ideas. These will be sifted by the commissioning team who will shortlist those they think worth developing for the final offers stage. All ideas must be entered in the Proteus website by the stated deadline. We do not require hard copies of any proposal.

Enter factual and comedy proposals, selecting: 2016-2017 Round 1 (Drama proposals must be entered in: 2016-2017 Round 5)

In each commissioning brief there is an indication of the track record we require in suppliers to that slot. Please do not offer proposals unless you have the necessary expertise. For pre-offers we require only the minimum information to enable short-listing. The following must be entered for each proposal:

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title (of your proposal, not the slot)

commissioning brief number Enter each proposal in one schedule slot only. If we consider it suitable for another slot, we will transfer it.

delivery date Enter a nominal date e.g. 01/10/2016

number of episodes

duration

short synopsis: maximum 200 words Price per episode This information is managed by us. The guide prices quoted in these guidelines is – with only the rarest exceptions – the maximum we will pay. Long synopsis Do not enter anything in this field at this stage. It will not be read. When commissioning editors have read all pre-offers and selected those they consider worth further development, we release the results to you in Proteus. Proposals will show as either ‘rejected’ or ‘re-requested’. If your offer is ‘re-requested’, this means we want to consider it in the final submission stage. A re-requested proposal does not have to be set up from scratch when entered as a final offer. It will of course need to be edited to reflect the requirements for the final offers stage (see below). Owing to the large number of submissions at this stage (typically over 3,000) we are unable to provide feedback on rejected pre-offers.

Final submissions You are invited to discuss short-listed ideas with commissioning editors. Time pressures may require this to be by phone rather than face to face. After your conversation with commissioning editors, the ideas you develop for final submission should be entered in Proteus. Generally, final submissions will be those we “re-requested” at pre-offers stage. It is also possible to submit fresh offers which have not been discussed. All proposals must be submitted in Proteus by the deadline.

Enter factual and comedy proposals, selecting: 2016-2017 Round 1 (Drama proposals must be entered in: 2016-2017 Round 5) In each commissioning brief there is an indication of the kind of track record we require in suppliers to that slot. Do not offer proposals unless you can demonstrate the necessary expertise. Be realistic in the number of proposals you submit, in view of the number of programmes available, and observing the cap where this has been applied. If the cap says a maximum 10 proposals per supplier, we will only read your first 10. Fewer, stronger ideas are much more likely to get through. In slots where each

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commission is for multiple episodes, the number of commissions will be far fewer than the number of individual programmes available. The following must be submitted for each proposal:

title If your idea is commissioned you must not subsequently change this title without written agreement of the commissioning editor.

brief number Submit each proposal in one slot only. If we think it suitable for another slot, we will transfer it.

achievable delivery date (linked to anniversary / event dates where relevant)

price per episode Radio 4 has a set price it expects to pay for most programmes. This is entered automatically. If your idea needs a budget significantly above or below the guide, make it clear in the long synopsis and explain why. Only by rare exception will we agree to go above guide price.

producer

executive producer Include CV in long synopsis field, if the exec is new to R4.

number of episodes

duration

The short synopsis for the final proposal must be under 50 words. It should convey the essence of the programme.

The long synopsis must not exceed 2 x A4 pages of size 11 type.

key talent Any intended presenter/writer/abridger/performer etc should be shown in the long synopsis. You do not have to secure talent agreement before submitting an idea but you should let us know the degree to which named talent have expressed an interest in the project or have intellectual ownership of it.

Proteus style guide

Don’t use the Notes field.

Don’t insert a space or dots or asterisks before beginning the title.

Don’t put double spaces in the title.

Don’t put quotation marks around the title.

Don’t start the title with a slot name, e.g. The Wednesday Debate.

Do begin titles in Proteus with The or A as appropriate, e.g. A Short History of…

If you are preparing proposals offline to cut and paste into Proteus, keep the formatting simple: bold, underline and italics only. Proteus will remove other formatting, including bulleted and numbered points.

Supporting material (audio, books, scripts etc) must be delivered to the Radio 4 commissioning office by the closing date of the round. Complete the pro-forma in section 2 of this document to provide us an inventory of what is sent.

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HOW THE COMMISSIONING BRIEFS WORK Each brief provides the following information. Programme type The name of the commissioning brief

Reference number This 5-digit number appears alongside the name of the brief in a drop-down menu when you enter your proposal in Proteus. NB: Proteus gives each proposal a reference number unrelated to this one. Also, neither of these numbers is related to programme or tape numbers!

Slot Day/s and time of broadcast

Eligibility Radio 4 always requires producers and executive producers to have a considerable track-record in the relevant type of programme making. Independent companies must have registered on the BBC Radio & Music commissioning list. Duration Programme length, including opening and closing announcements Estimated number of programmes Remember this is the number of individual programmes, not of individual commissions. In the 1830 Comedy 16 programmes available might mean 3 or 4 commissions, each of between 1 and 6 episodes. Transmission period The period when your programme is likely to be broadcast. Please flag clearly if your idea needs to be transmitted outside this period.

Guide price Radio 4 expects to pay no more than the guide price for commissions so please budget at this level. If the cost is expected to be significantly above or below the guide price you must note this in the long synopsis of your proposal, explaining the reason. Only in very rare cases will we pay above the guide.

If you have queries about budgeting or prices, speak to your business manager or to Githa Weerasinghe, our Finance Partner. Independent producers should contact Lesley Eaton, Legal and Business Affairs. Editorial guide Details of the kind of programme needed for this slot Programmes commissioned in the last round This is to help you avoid offering ideas too close to what has already been commissioned. The list might not be complete. Often, if contract or budget negotiations are outstanding, commissions cannot be listed, so you may also wish to check with the relevant commissioning assistant. Proposal to include This cannot be a definitive list, as only you can fully know what your idea needs for it to be properly assessed. Make your own judgement but if in doubt put something in rather than leave it out. However, your long synopsis should not be longer than two A4 pages.

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FAQ ON THE COMMISSIONING PROCESS Q: What’s the role of the commissioning editor? The commissioning editor’s job is primarily to commission and review programmes, not to be the executive producer or series editor. Commissioning editors work as editorial deputies to the Controller, BBC Radio 4. In line with her strategy for the station, they support the development of proposals by commissioning and reviewing them. They will not normally intervene in a production unless this has been specified at the commissioning stage, or compliance matters arise, e.g. language referrals and editorial policy issues. However, they are available to provide guidance, if necessary. They may, at their discretion, feel it appropriate to be more closely involved in development, casting, scripting and editing. Q: Do I need to have an agreement from talent before I put forward names? If you name a presenter, please say whether you hope to be able to interest them, whether they have already expressed an interest, or whether they have any intellectual ownership of the proposal. Only in exceptional cases would we expect you to have agreement from actors, as they are often only booked within a few weeks of production. Citing possible casting is useful, though, as it helps explain how you “hear” a character. It would be unusual to quote a writer or abridger if you had not already spoken to them, but in some cases it will happen. If so, please make this clear. If you want to pitch for an open commission for a writer, speak to a commissioning editor before you approach the writer. It would also be unusual to have gained the agreement of contributors, guests or panellists ahead of an agreed commission. Again, it is useful for us to know the lines you are thinking along, so potential running orders and cast lists do help. Q: How do I know if an idea has already been commissioned? Each commissioning brief gives an indication of what was commissioned for that slot in the last round. In addition, the commissioning assistant can check specific titles. Q: Once I’ve received a conditional acceptance and all four conditions have been agreed, do I need to talk to a commissioning editor before starting work? Normally not, but sometimes the commissioning editor will want a pre-production meeting. This is most likely to apply to major new series and we will initiate the meeting. It will be designed to make sure everyone has the same understanding of how the programme or series is to be made and what it is trying to achieve. Q: How much should I contact the commissioning editor while making the programme?

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It is your responsibility to deliver the programme as agreed. The commissioning editor will not normally get involved. The exception would be if changes are made to what has been agreed, e.g. presenter, title, producer, executive producer. Independent companies are expected to initiate at least one work-in-progress conversation with the commissioning editor before recording their programme, and must ensure the station is informed of any editorial policy issues. Q: Does the commissioning editor need to hear it before broadcast? No, but independent productions must be heard and approved prior to broadcast by the Editor, Editorial Standards (sometimes referred to as the compliance editor). It is the responsibility of your executive producer or editor to deliver a programme which matches the editorial brief, complies with BBC Editorial Guidelines and is technically fit for broadcast. The Editorial Guidelines set out the referral procedures for issues of sensitive content or impartiality. Q: What’s my proposal reference number? You will find this to the left of the title in Proteus

RESPONSES TO PROPOSALS Results will be released in Proteus. We do not send out hard copies. Proteus will display one of four standard responses to each offer:

rejection

shortlist

pilot

conditional commission Rejection We will provide brief feedback on our reasons for not commissioning a proposal. Shortlist Shortlisting happens for 3 principal reasons:

We are seriously interested in the idea but feel more work is needed. In this case, the commissioning editor will explain what we are looking for.

Competing offers delay the commissioning decision. We need more information before deciding between them.

We do not have space to commission the idea but want to keep it in reserve in case gaps appear in the schedule later. We try to clear proposals from the shortlist quickly and we review it every 3 months or so to see whether we are in a position to move an idea forward or to reject it. If you ever need to know about the progress of a shortlisted idea, do get in touch. Should you ever wish to withdraw an idea from the shortlist, just let us know.

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Pilot We need to hear a pilot before committing ourselves. You should discuss this with the commissioning editor before doing further work. Conditional commission Final acceptance of all ideas is conditional on the following issues. Radio 4 is not responsible for any costs incurred prior to the full agreement. o Price and rights

Each conditional commission will be made with a fixed price offer that has been judged as value for money by the Commissioning and Finance and Business Affairs teams. It is intended that most will be at the published guide but we reserve the right to propose an alternative price if we believe it appropriate. If our price is accepted by you in writing there will be no need to submit a detailed budget. Contracts will be issued immediately to independent suppliers. If, however, you wish to challenge the offer made, a detailed budget in Proteus will be requested and scrutinised by our Finance and Business Affairs team with the aim of reaching agreement. Conditional acceptances may be withdrawn if agreement on price is not reached within a reasonable period. Radio 4 requires an appropriate set of rights dependent on the type of programme. This will vary only in exceptional circumstances. The price quoted on the commissioning brief is based on buying the standard set of rights for that programme. If fewer rights are bought, the price may be reduced.

o Internet use

Rights should be cleared for streaming, together with a 30-day “Listen again” window and podcast. Independent suppliers are not required to clear the rights for podcast for any of the drama briefs, unless otherwise agreed between the BBC and the Independent Producer.

o Schedule and delivery dates

Each proposal should include your ideal delivery date, though our conditional acceptance will not necessarily be able to reflect this date. We will not issue precise transmission dates for programmes not pegged to a particular anniversary or season but will give the calendar quarter in which we intend to place them. If you cannot deliver to meet the given transmission quarter, notify Tony Pilgrim, Head of Planning and Scheduling. Precise delivery dates will be confirmed well before the start of each calendar quarter.

o Editorial Conditional acceptance might have specific editorial conditions attached to it, e.g. that a particular presenter is available, and fulfilment of them must be confirmed before the commission is finalised and before you start work.

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BBC EDITORIAL GUIDELINES & COMPLIANCE BBC Editorial Guidelines http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/editorialguidelines/ All programmes, whether commissioned in-house or from an independent producer, are subject to the BBC Editorial Guidelines. These set out the BBC’s editorial standards, policy on sensitive content, legal and political issues, and the system for consultation and referrals during the production of programmes. Failure to comply with these guidelines may lead to the commission being withdrawn and/or a claim for breach of contract. Compliance We require that every recorded programme be heard by a production person of appropriate seniority and formally signed off by them. BBC programmes are signed off by their executive producer or editor. But independent productions must be heard and approved prior to broadcast by Radio 4’s Editor, Editorial Standards (sometimes referred to as the compliance editor). These decisions are logged in a compliance form, where editorially sensitive content must be flagged. The form is available to in-house producers on Proteus and to indies on the BBC commissioning site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/radio/compliance-and-policy/index.shtml

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2 SUPPORTING MATERIALS These must be delivered by 1700 on the day of the commissioning round deadline. A complete inventory of materials supplied must be included. See below.

o Submit audio and video via an online file-sharing service. Make clear which

proposal it is for. Audio must be in mp3. Always identify which offer it is for within the filename.

o All material should be sent to Tamsin Green: tamsin.green@bbc.co.uk

o Unpublished written material should not be put in Proteus. Send it by email to one of the addresses above. Make it clear which offer it is for.

o Physical supporting material (published books, DVDs etc) must be delivered to:

Tamsin Green Radio 4 Commissioning Co-ordinator Room 4028 Broadcasting House London W1A 1AA

o Label each item with your name, department or company, the title and the commissioning brief number of the proposal.

o The package should be accompanied by a complete list of supporting materials,

using the form below. o Indicate in the long synopsis that you are supplying supporting materials.

With the exception of published books and DVDs, we cannot return supporting materials to you.

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INVENTORY OF SUPPORTING MATERIALS FOR FINAL OFFERS TO RADIO 4

SUPPLIER

DEPARTMENT /

COMPANY

COMMISSIONING

BRIEF NUMBER

TITLE

SUPPORTING MATERIALS

SIGNATURE………………………………………………… CONTACT NAME ………………………………………….. EMAIL ……………………………………………………….. MOBILE............................................................................. TEL ………………………………………...………………… DATE………………………………………………………….

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3 FACTUAL COMMISSIONING BRIEFS

History, Politics, Current Affairs, Science, Religion, Natural History, Ideas & Contemporary Stories Commissioning Editor: Mohit Bakaya Commissioning Co-ordinator: Tamsin Green

General guidance on factual long form programmes (15’, 28’, 37’, 42’, 57’) For 2016/17 onwards, all Factual documentaries will be commissioned as part of the same portfolio. This will hopefully allow you to focus more on the quality of the offer and creativity of the idea and worry less about which slot you should be pitching in to. There are some objectives common to all long form factual programming that we would like to emphasise:

They need to complement and add value to the regular News sequence and strand business that make up 70% of the Radio 4 schedule.

They need to be programmes that will be robust in the face of events (we will be making decisions up to 21 months in advance of transmission in some cases).

They need to explore digital possibilities and adopt a “look, listen, share” strategy.

o Look – how will your programmes appear online? How will they

be described? What images will accompany them?

o Listen – how will your programmes sound as a podcast and not part of a linear schedule? Will the first 30 seconds compel?

o Share - will your programme or a section of your programme

encourage people to want to share its contents? Think hard about what drives sharing activity.

They should seek opportunities, where appropriate, to break down the wall that can exist between analytical, evidence based journalism on the one hand, and crafted story telling on the other. For too long an artificial divide has existed between different types of documentary/ feature making on Radio 4.

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All factual programmes should seek to tell compelling stories, to use sound innovatively and think hard about the sonic quality of the programme and listener experience.

Of the many things that we would like the long form factual documentary to achieve for the audience, five stand out

Explain – o provide history, context and analysis to help better understand

the world and events that fill their daily lives o anticipate where the world is heading and create stepping stones

for the audience to step more confidently into the future

Expose – o uncover wrong doing o hold those in power to account. o bring to the fore those voices often excluded from the airwaves –

those Radio 4 is good at talking about but often fails to hear directly from.

o get your microphone up close to those who are often in view, but rarely overheard.

Explode – o challenge received wisdom and established historical narratives, o force the audience to interrogate beliefs o pop the “filter bubbles” that can develop around us, protecting us

from uncomfortable truths o eschew simple narratives, explore complexity and uncertainty

Enchant – o speaks for itself…bring surprise and wonder to the airwaves. We

want to encourage programmes that transport the audience through the power of sound and storytelling. We are keen to see some risk taking experimentation when telling factual stories.

Emergent – o spot patterns before they become “trends”. o help Radio 4 be the space that publishes new research, new

thinking, new analysis rather than the place that simply reports others’ findings.

o make news, don’t simply report it.

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All 15’ FEATURES

Reference number: 47006 Commissioning Editor: Mohit Bakaya Commissioning Co-ordinator: Tamsin Green

Eligibility: We invite proposals from BBC departments and independent production companies who can clearly demonstrate considerable experience in radio features production at both producer and executive producer level.

Where your offer is journalistic, we will expect a proven track record in the relevant sphere of journalism at both producer and executive producer level. If your proposal involves journalism in foreign countries we expect to see experience of such work in countries relevant to your offer. Foreign travel to countries where conflict or other factors incur high risk will require proof of accredited hostile environment training. Radio 4 will not be able to pay for such training. Slot: Weekdays, 0930 and 1345 Duration: 14’

Transmission period: April 2016 to March 2017

Guide price: £3,100 Estimated number of programmes available for open competition (across 0930 and 1345 weekdays): 50 episodes To avoid confusion, all ideas for 15’ feature programmes should be entered in this brief. Primarily, we will commission clusters of 5 x 15’ here but a limited number of single, two, three and four part programmes will also be considered. If your series needs to be scheduled on consecutive days please flag this up. Narrative History series of 10 episodes or more are entered under brief 47169. EDITORIAL GUIDE The short features open up opportunities for audiences to engage with storytelling with a different rhythm and pace. They are a great place to tell episodic stories, programmes that naturally divide into a series of smaller explorations or journeys.

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The 15 minute programmes are placed in high profile parts of the schedule, often between well know Radio 4 strands. They provide a bridge between The World at One and The Archers for example when there are breaks in the narrative history commissions at 13.45. Features that change theme and texture are particularly welcome. Please do not offer too many history ideas so that we can vary the range of ideas at lunchtime.

As with all long form ideas you will need to set out clearly why you want to make this programme for the Radio 4 audience. Please read the general guidance for factual long form programmes (p.12). Craft We are keen to encourage more crafted feature making in these slots and more imaginative treatments. So please think long and hard about how your series will break down into single episodes and how they will join up to be greater than the sum of their parts. Digital We also know that 15’ is a great length for podcasts and all offers should address digital potential. This is where we will be focusing a lot of Radio 4’s digital ambition in the coming year and offers should reflect this. How can you make your ideas findable and shareable…and how will they feel when listened to time shifted and away from the linear schedule? We will create a few returning brands here so this is a great opportunity to come up with an exciting, clever new digitally savvy series to capture the hearts and minds of audio lovers everywhere. With the long commissioning lead-ins, ideas must stand the test of time and not date too quickly. Some slots will be held back for reactive commissioning. To avoid confusion, all ideas for 15’ features should be entered here. If you have an idea that would be better scheduled on consecutive days, please flag it up in your proposal. Proposal to include

brief synopsis explaining focus of the idea and indicating style and treatment

proposals for series should give an idea of the breakdown into episodes

suggested presenters should be included, where appropriate, with a note on whether they have been approached or involved in developing the idea

any book deal or other commercial activity linked to the material

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NARRATIVE HISTORY Reference number: 47169 Commissioning Editor: Mohit Bakaya Commissioning Co-ordinator: Tamsin Green Eligibility: We invite proposals from BBC departments and independent production companies who can clearly demonstrate considerable experience in radio features production at both producer and executive producer level. To be commissioned in this slot, programme areas or companies will have to demonstrate that they have a significant track record in the making of major history series, going beyond the ad hoc documentary. The ability to craft complex arguments over several episodes will be key, as well as the expertise that will be brought to the project, either from within the team or through advisers. Slot: Monday-Friday, 13.45 Duration: 14’ Transmission period: April 2016 to March 2017 Guide price: £3,100 per episode Estimated number of programmes available for open competition: 90 episodes EDITORIAL GUIDE Narrative History has established itself as a high impact slot on Radio 4. It is where we tell some of our biggest history stories, from the history of plants - Plants: Roots to Riches to the history of Psychology - In Search of Ourselves – and Germany – Neil McGregor’s Memories of a Nation. These series are rooted in the unique ability of 15’ audio vignettes to captivate and inspire listeners; they focus on pieces of original source material and connect them to a broader story. It is the opportunity to construct chronological, thematic or other narratives from these brilliant building blocks that makes this slot both challenging and exciting. The combination of expertise and original authorship with dynamic and imaginative use of audio offer huge potential for creative and intellectual ambition. These are also

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programmes that work well as digital downloads, with short episodes building over a number of weeks. Please read the general guidance on factual long form programmes (p.12). We have been able to develop some very important voices in this slot, and would like to continue to use the slot to feature some of the best historians out there. We have coming up big takes on Indian history, Black British Theatre, Napoleon and British Liberalism. Not all the series in this slot are of the same length; one or two will be broadcast over 4 to 6 weeks. Other commissions will be around 10 episodes. All narrative history commissions of 10+ episodes will normally include a weekly 58’ omnibus version. To give the slot variety and to create changes of pace in the schedule over the year, we also intersperse the history series with short runs of general features commissioned under the 15’ features brief - number 47006. An offer in this slot should explain why you want to introduce or reintroduce the Radio 4 audience to the history you are passionate about. Are there new things to say about it? How is it relevant to today? Does the thesis challenge received wisdom? We would expect to know who will write and present the series – this is key to understanding how the editorial authority of the project will be guaranteed and how it will sound on air. We would like to know if you are using an adviser or consultant. There are many ways of making these programmes giving them texture and drama. You will need to establish why the 15’ format is right for the idea. Atomising complex subject matter into short episodes has implications for the narrative, the number of characters or ideas you can introduce to the audience, the level of detail. There are important structural and dramatic issues to consider. The end result elucidates and informs without becoming reductive. We would expect a rough indicative outline of how the series might work across a number of weeks. We will also consider ideas for a substantial online presence with interactivity – especially for a proposal of scale. So please feel free to include this in your thinking. The final proposal should include:

a clear but not over-detailed synopsis of the idea

an editorial motivation for the events you have chosen

a preliminary sense of how the breakdown into weeks might work

detailed thoughts about authorship and presentation

ideas about treatment

realistic budget assumptions

a proposition for online

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THE 28’ DOCUMENTARY Reference number: 47209 Commissioning Editor: Mohit Bakaya Commissioning Co-ordinator: Tamsin Green Eligibility: We invite proposals from BBC departments and independent production companies who can clearly demonstrate considerable experience in radio features production at both producer and executive producer level. Where your offer is journalistic, we will expect a proven track record in the relevant sphere of journalism at both producer and executive producer level. If your proposal involves journalism in foreign countries we expect to see experience of such work in countries relevant to your offer. Foreign travel to countries where conflict or other factors incur high risk will require proof of accredited hostile environment training. Radio 4 will not be able to pay for such training. If you have not previously made programmes for Radio 4, you should include your production track record at the end of the long synopsis in your final offer. Slots: 1602, 1330, 1102 & 2002 Duration: 28’ Transmission period: April 2016 – March 2017 Guide price: £8,300 Estimated number of programmes available to open competition: 120 Cap: Please do not enter more than 15 offers for the 28’ Documentary (11.02 and 20.02 slot combined). We know this will be tough, but we have to encourage more editorial restraint at the pre-offers stage. For BBC departments with an output guarantee, please limit your total offers to twice the number remaining in your combined 11.02 and 20.02 guarantee (or 15 if that is the higher figure).

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New production talent: The exception to this will be suppliers wanting to submit ideas from new programme makers who have not pitched to R4 before. We do not want to have the door closed on the next generation of documentary makers and so a maximum of 5 further ideas (to your cap) will be considered from genuine new producer talent. EDITORIAL GUIDE We are merging the briefs for the 1102 and 2002 28’ documentary. We want

suppliers to focus on developing brilliant ideas for long form content on Radio 4 and

worry less about slots. We will also commission the very best ideas into our highest

profile slot – 0902.

The half hour documentary is where creative storytelling and journalistic insight

combine to explore the world we live in.

Of the many things that we would like the long from factual documentary to achieve for the audience, five stand out

Explain –

o provide history, context and analysis to help better understand the world and events that fill their daily lives

o anticipate where the world is heading and create stepping stones for the audience to step more confidently into the future

Expose –

o uncover wrong doing o hold those in power to account. o bring to the fore those voices often excluded from the airwaves –

those Radio 4 is good at talking about but often fails to hear directly from (the voiceless)

o get your microphone up close to those who are often in view, but rarely overheard (the powerful)

Explode –

o challenge received wisdom and established historical narratives, o force the audience to interrogate their beliefs o pop the “filter bubbles” that can develop around us, protecting us

from uncomfortable truths o eschew simple narratives, explore complexity and uncertainty

Enchant –

o speaks for itself…bring surprise and wonder to the airwaves. We want to encourage programmes that transport the audience through the power of sound and storytelling. We are keen to see some experimentation when telling factual stories.

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Emergent –

o spot patterns before they become established “trends”. o publish first - help Radio 4 be the space that champions new

research, new thinking, new analysis rather than the place that simply reports others’ findings.

o make news, don’t simply report it. If your idea does not meet one or more of these objectives, it is unlikely to succeed. Please read general guidance for factual long form programmes (p.12).

Some further guidance:

We will take a mix of single docs and series in this slot. Where you submit a multi-part story, you must be clear how the series will divide into distinct episodes and be prepared to justify the amount of time given to the idea. On the whole, series will only work in this slot if they are big and ambitious (consider also the 15’ slot for multi-part programmes)

Context is king. As stated, programmes or series that deepen our understanding of the world and events are valued here. The more you can provide the audience with the knowledge and analysis they require to be “engaged citizens” the better.

This is where we reveal the modern UK and feature the stories and lives that get to the heart of our evolving society.

Unusual, surprising and tangential narrative vehicles for telling the story of a changing UK/world are particularly encouraged.

Where your story is very specifically located please explain how you will make documentary of interest to a national audience.

We want to encourage and celebrate the very best in crafted documentary making here. Ideas for brilliant sound led and sound enhanced story telling will be particular welcome here.

We also value stories that tell us about emerging trends – global and local - and bring into focus areas of the world that are in flux or the audience should be made more aware of.

Revisionism is welcomed here - documentaries that uncover new evidence about the past or feature new arguments challenging the received wisdom regarding a historical event or period.

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Where the subject matter is dense, proposals should suggest ways in which actuality and texture will be used to give the audience time to absorb and reflect.

Please consider UK history as well as foreign. We have Crossing Continents immediately after the Monday evening slot half the year.

More polemic and thesis driven programmes and series would be welcome in this slot.

Beware anniversary pegs. They are rarely sufficient in their own right.

Most importantly, think why this story should be told in long form documentary and would not be best covered as an item or series of items on a regular Radio 4 strand. Listen to the other single topic strands that sit in on the network like Analysis, In Business, Crossing Continents, File on Four and the Report.

We are keen to encourage more women and people from ethnic communities as presenters in this slot.

Please indicate whether a named presenter has been involved in at proposal stage.

Where the series is big enough we may want to explore the possibility of a book spin off. However, where there is a pre-existing book deal involved, this MUST be flagged up in the proposal.

Radio 4 reserves the right to commission some of the individual ideas and schedule these under an umbrella with work from other suppliers.

Digital

Please flag up where you think your idea has specific digital potential. If we

commission it, and agree it has digital legs, we will co-ordinate with R4 Multi-

Platform.

Not every idea will be able to get extra digital support, but every idea commissioned

should have a “look, listen, share” strategy that enables it to live well beyond its

linear outing. See general guidance on factual programmes (p.12).

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New 1102 Strand

We are creating a new strand of 28’ documentaries built around first person narratives that will be commissioned under an umbrella title to sharpen our digital (as well as on-air) impact. These will be made by a number of in-house suppliers as part of their guaranteed business with the Network. This will be the place where we feature those voices and first person accounts often missing from the schedule. It’s where we hope to invite the audience into the lives of those they rarely encounter directly and provide the personal perspective, depth and insight that news coverage often does not have time to explore. Whilst this does not rule out other programmes starting from first person testimony, other observational work, or programmes seeking to give voice to the voiceless, it will have an impact on how many stories of this sort we will commission here. With reactive commissioning now established, we expect to buy about two thirds of the programmes available for 2016-17. Our aim is to get the big building blocks of the slot in place (returning series and longer term projects) without compromising the Network’s ability to react to a fast moving world. These slots are traditionally heavily oversubscribed and, in these busy times, we are keen to minimise the amount of wasted effort on both sides. We are therefore continuing to invite fewer pre-offers ideas to achieve a more realistic balance between proposals and the volume of business available. For that reason we are asking you to submit fewer offers with more development relevant to the brief behind your best ideas. Do not exceed two written pages of A4. Please note that this is not the place for arts features. Ideas for Saturday 1030 will now be handled by Commissioning Editor, Arts, Radio 4. PROPOSAL TO INCLUDE

a clear date for any peg

brief synopsis explaining focus of the idea and indicating style and treatment

proposals for series should give an idea of the breakdown into episodes

suggested presenters should be included, where appropriate, with a note on

whether they have been approached or involved in developing the idea

any book deal or other commercial activity linked to the material

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Podcasts Radio 4 may wish to include programmes from this slot in one of its podcasts. With your agreement, the Radio 4 Interactive team would publish the download from the supplied programme. Radio 4 will meet any additional clearance costs attributable to the podcast. When we ask for your agreement to the podcast, we'll also ask for an estimate of clearance costs to enable us to decide whether it is practical to proceed.

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TUESDAY DOCUMENTARY Reference number: 47038 Commissioning Editor: Mohit Bakaya Commissioning Co-ordinator: Tamsin Green Eligibility: We invite proposals from BBC departments and independent production companies who can clearly demonstrate considerable experience in radio or TV documentary production at both producer and executive producer level. We expect a proven track record in the relevant sphere of journalism at both producer and executive producer level. If your proposal involves journalism in foreign countries we expect to see experience of such work in countries relevant to your offer. Foreign travel to countries where conflict or other factors incur high risk will require proof of accredited hostile environment training. Radio 4 will not be able to pay for such training. Slot: Tuesday, 2002 (repeat: Sunday 1702) Duration: 37’ Transmission period: April 2016 – March 2017 Guide price: £10,200 Estimated number of programmes available to open competition: 11 The number of programmes open to competition in this slot is very small and the journalistic barrier to entry high, so please be realistic when deciding upon the number of offers you submit. EDITORIAL GUIDE These programmes run in the File on 4 break. In the past this has been the place for one-off investigative documentaries covering a large range of subjects: arts, religion, politics, social affairs, science, health, sport and international stories. The key to this slot is depth and ambition. This is a place for long term investigations, big stories of national importance, ground breaking journalism. It’s where we run our exclusive access documentaries. It is also where we will run heavyweight intellectual projects of enquiry and the biggest foreign stories. In short, this is a slot that is all about impact.

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Please read the general guidance on factual long form programmes (p.12). Some further guidance

What’s your story, what’s your angle? It is not enough to identify an area of interest. Too many proposals fail to clearly set out a specific line of enquiry and are too general in their approach.

If you are pitching an access doc, please consider the editorial challenges proximity might throw up and address how you will meet them. Also, access needs to have a purpose, not just because you can.

File on 4 sits in this slot for the majority of the year. Think hard about why your documentary idea wouldn’t be the kind of story that the File on 4 team would get to in the usual course of events.

We understand that it might not be possible to supply all the data for an investigation at the proposal stage, but the proposal should indicate the approach taken and the evidence so far that further work can be justified.

This is also a place to run stories that need more space than a 28’ doc will allow but need to be housed in a single narrative rather than being split into a series.

Careful consideration should be given to the potential resonance of the idea in a year or mores time, when the programme will likely be transmitted.

We will also take reactive ideas in this slot.

We are keen to encourage more women and people from ethnic communities as presenters in this slot.

Please indicate whether the presenter has been involved in the development of the proposal.

Podcasts Radio 4 may wish to include programmes from this slot in one of its downloads. With your agreement, the Radio 4 Interactive team would publish the download from the supplied programme. Radio 4 will meet any additional clearance costs attributable to the download. When we ask for your agreement to the download, we'll also ask for an estimate of clearance costs to enable us to decide whether it is practical to proceed.

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WEDNESDAY DEBATE Reference number: 47040 Commissioning Editor: Mohit Bakaya Commissioning Co-ordinator: Tamsin Green Eligibility: We invite proposals from BBC departments and independent production companies who can clearly demonstrate considerable experience in relevant types of radio or TV production at both producer and executive producer level. If you have not previously made programmes for Radio 4, you should include your production track record at the end of the long synopsis in your final offer. Slot: Wednesday, 2002 (repeat Saturday 2215) Duration: 43’ Transmission period: April 2016 - March 2017 Guide price: £8,000 Estimated number of programmes available for open competition: 14 The number of programmes open to competition in this slot is very small so please be realistic when deciding on the number of offers you submit here. EDITORIAL GUIDE This slot is home to the Moral Maze for 26 weeks of the year. In the past, we have commissioned debate formats, such as Decision Time, Leader Conference and Bringing Up Britain in this slot. From 2015/16, this slot will be home to a 12 part, digitally ambitious, series exploring the future. Proposals should also be aware of the Any Questions? format on Friday evenings. Please read the general guidance on factual long form programmes (p.12). Some further guidance:

A debate at this time should lift the tone of the evening schedule and inject some energy into proceedings.

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This is a chance to develop fresh formats which could turn into returning strands on the network.

Beware of overly mannered programmes – ones where the format is laid out a little too heavily.

Do keep diversity in mind. Too many of our debates in the past have under-represented both women and people from ethnic communities.

Do think about how the programme might interact with listeners beyond the usual “Oxford Union” or phone-in formats.

One-off debates are possible, though these need to command their place in this slot in particular rather than being a special edition of a specialist of magazine programme.

Where a format is proposed and it is not possible to look forward to issues for 2016/17, it would be useful to include an indication of the subjects that would be covered were this series about to be transmitted.

Presenter

The right presenter who is able to hold the ring with authority and wit is essential to these programmes.

Please indicate whether the presenter has been involved in the development of the proposal.

The ability to create some kind of sense of event and manage a complex, often audience-based format, is essential.

PROPOSAL TO INCLUDE

Outline of the subject, presenter, locations, number in run

Treatment: breakdown of “live” vs. taped elements

Audience or studio based.

Format

CVs of presenter and producer

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SCIENCE DOCUMENTARY Reference number: 47051 Commissioning Editor: Mohit Bakaya Commissioning Co-ordinator: Tamsin Green Eligibility: We invite proposals from BBC departments and independent production companies who can clearly demonstrate considerable experience in radio or TV documentary production, preferably with a track record in science, at both producer and executive producer level. Where your offer is journalistic, we expect a proven track record at both producer and executive producer level. Slot: Tuesday/Wednesday 2102 Duration: 28’ Transmission period: April 2016 – March 2017 Guide price: £8,100 Estimated number of programmes available to open competition: 10 The number of programmes open to competition in science is very small, so please be realistic when deciding upon the number of ideas to submit here. EDITORIAL GUIDE Scientific discovery and technological innovation are changing our world at a rapid pace, and this is a place to make programmes that help our audience understand how these changes will affect their lives. These will mostly be built feature/documentary-style programmes which will reveal areas of discovery, new developments or issues in science. Please read the general guidance on factual long form programmes (p.12). Please note we have topical weekly magazine strands Inside Science and Inside Health, which explore developments in science.

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Also, please note that there have been two relatively recent additions to Radio 4’s science portfolio – The Life Scientific and The Digital Human, which explore biography and technology respectively. Please note we will also be introducing a new history of science strand shortly – Science Stories – so it is unlikely we will buy many more programmes focused primarily on the past. WOCC commissions here are likely to be single documentaries rather than series. Natural History We will also consider some natural history material here - features which reflect the inter-relationship between the animal kingdom and the environment as a whole. These tend to be most successful when issue based, though sound stories capturing the wonder of the natural world can work well here too. But please be mindful of the Natural History Unit’s output on Radio 4 and Costing the Earth. And please be aware of A History of Natural History – a major 25 part collaboration with the Natural History Museum telling the stories of our best loved species. Some further guidance.

Think carefully about what Radio 4 already does in this area and what science might be covered by returning strands. Too many offers are simply ideas that would sit best as a 7 minute item in a magazine programme.

Please take special care when writing your proposal to show how you will make the story come alive for the (non-scientist) audience at home; this is of particular importance when dealing with the “non-human” sciences.

We should not shy away from complex science here, but need to continue to work on ways of making this accessible (proposals should address this).

Whilst ideas about health and the environment are welcome here, producers should also bear in mind that Tuesday at 2102 is dedicated to health and Costing the Earth runs in this slot for half the year.

We are keen to encourage more women and people from ethnic communities as presenters in this slot.

Please indicate whether the presenter has been involved in the development of the proposal.

Radio 4 reserves the right to commission some of the individual ideas and schedule these under an umbrella with work from other suppliers.

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Podcasts Radio 4 may wish to include programmes from this slot in one of its downloads. With your agreement, the Radio 4 Interactive team would publish the download from the supplied programme. Radio 4 will meet any additional clearance costs attributable to the download. When we ask for your agreement to the download, we'll also ask for an estimate of clearance costs to enable us to decide whether it is practical to proceed. PROPOSAL TO INCLUDE

Reasons for why we should do this story now

Details of presentation and production style

CVs of presenter and producer

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9 O’CLOCK SERIES Reference number: 47004 Commissioning Editor: Mohit Bakaya Commissioning Co-ordinator: Tamsin Green Eligibility: We invite proposals from BBC departments and independent production companies who can clearly demonstrate considerable experience in relevant types of radio or TV production at both producer and executive producer level Slot: Weekdays, 0902 Duration: 28' or 42’ Transmission period: April 2016 to March 2017 Guide Price: £7,000 (interview and studio formats) Estimated number of programmes available for open competition: 3 or 4 series Cap: No more than ONE proposal per supplier please EDITORIAL GUIDE The 9 am slot is one of the most high profile showcases on Radio 4. It is the home of some of the network’s best known, well-loved and long running factual programmes: Start the Week, Midweek, In Our Time and Desert Island Discs. Series such as The Reunion, The Long View, The Reith Lectures, Stephen Fry’s English Delight and The Life Scientific have also established themselves here. And there have been more ad hoc series such as The Price of Inequality, the Public Philosopher or Can Democracy Work? As in previous rounds, we will promote the very best documentary and long form feature ideas from the material that is submitted in the Factual and Arts documentary slots. This will account for the majority of content commissioned here.

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Formats However, we are also interested in ideas for a small number of potential new formats based around interview or studio that might work here. We are keen to encourage innovative and surprising ways of thinking about the mix at 9.00 am. Please read the general guidance on factual long form programmes (p.12). Depending on the idea we might commission a pilot rather than going into production. We expect proposals to be editorially ambitious with high profile presentation and where appropriate a digital dimension. This slot is broadly based and not just focused on current affairs. It is unlikely we would take more science here though. Proximity to Today should also be borne in mind when establishing the tone of a 0900 programme. The style of production, potential power of the material, strength of the contributors and the promise of revelation will be essential ingredients. How you will hold the attention of the audience at this key junction should be highlighted in your proposal. Please do not enter documentary ideas under this brief as we will consider some of the offers submitted for other slots for placing here. This brief is specifically focused on new format ideas for 9am. Given the scale of the ideas required, we do not expect more than ONE proposal from any company or department for 9am at pre-offers. Please check the full range of strands and series that Radio 4 already broadcasts to avoid duplication of programmes already commissioned. Budget Radio 4 expects to pay the guide price for programmes in this slot so please budget at that level and use the guide price as the budget. If the expected price differs significantly from the guide price please discuss it with the commissioning editor during pre- offers meetings and include a note in the long synopsis of the final offer explaining the reason. Podcasts Radio 4 may wish to include programmes from this slot in one of its podcasts. With your agreement, the Radio 4 Interactive team would publish the podcast from the supplied programme. Radio 4 will meet any additional clearance costs attributable to the podcast. When we ask for your agreement to the podcast, we'll also ask for an estimate of clearance costs to enable us to decide whether it is practical to proceed. Proposal to include

clear treatment and explanation why the format will sound fresh and new

suggested cast list and presenter(s) and whether he/she has been approached.

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ARCHIVE ON 4 Reference number: 47088 Commissioning Editor: Mohit Bakaya Commissioning Co-ordinator: Tamsin Green Eligibility: We invite proposals from BBC departments and independent production companies who can clearly demonstrate considerable experience in radio or TV documentary production at both producer and executive producer level. If you have not previously made programmes for Radio 4, you should include your production track record at the end of the long synopsis in your final offer. Slot: Saturday, 2002 Duration: 57’ Transmission period: April 2016 – March 2017 Guide price: £8,000 Estimated number of programmes available for open competition: 18 EDITORIAL GUIDE “…the Archive on 4 strand, which, for reasons I've yet to fathom, rarely puts a foot wrong. I've tried to find fault, because no series can be this perfect, but so far to no avail. Whether investigating William Burroughs' legacy or the media coverage of Patty Hearst, these hour-long, socio-political programmes are rigorously researched, beautifully produced and mesmerising in their detail”

(Fiona Sturges, The Independent, 5th Feb 2015) Archive on 4 has become an important part of the Radio 4 schedule. It has evolved into a classy storytelling hour using the archive, rather than a simple showcase for archive material. We are looking for ideas that maintain the quality and range of subjects in this Saturday night slot. Story is key here. The best Archive on 4s deploy analysis, argument, wit, revisionism, new interviews and authorship along with compelling archive material.

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Here are some pointers that may prove helpful when putting your offer (and programme) together:

This strand should include a wide variety of ideas: individual life stories or biographies, cultural, scientific, social, political, sporting or entertainment history.

The authority, charisma and energy of the presenter are all vital to the success of programmes in this slot. The presenter needs to actively engage with the archive and do more than simply link clip A to clip B.

One of the challenges for those making programmes in the Archive on 4 slot is to tell stories that can sustain the hour. Proposals should set out how the idea justifies a 57 minute origination, has enough twists and turns to keep the listener engaged.

Don’t forget this goes out on Saturday night. Programmes should seek to entertain and engage, as well as inform and educate.

Programmes can include new interviews, where appropriate, but the slot is not funded or designed to feature a large amount of new material. You are also allowed out of the studio on occasion!

Please think hard about whether your idea is really an Archive on 4. Too many offers come in where the bulk of archive available is written, or where the fact that some new archive has come to light becomes the sole reason to submit to this slot. Offers should demonstrate why the story is best told through audio archive.

Archive sources beyond the BBC’s have worked well. Indeed, some of these are better suited to providing longer inserts than much of the BBC News material. But beware offering programmes simply because the archive has become available.

There will always be a place for simpler programmes that just make use of fantastic archive without much else besides, but the archive needs to be just that – fantastic!

In the past, we have had too many anniversary pegged programmes that move gently, but rather predictably, through their story, offering few new insights. If you are submitting an anniversary pegged proposal do say how you might introduce surprise and challenge expectations.

When choosing the presenter do think carefully about how his/her voice would contrast with the type of archive that will dominate the hour.

Be mindful of the cumulative effect of an hour of very old archive…it can make listening hard work!

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We could do with more women presenters in this slot. And more ethnic diversity too.

Please indicate whether the presenter has been involved in the development of the proposal.

Podcasts Radio 4 may wish to include programmes from this slot in one of its downloads. With your agreement, the Radio 4 Interactive team would publish the download from the supplied programme. Radio 4 will meet any additional clearance costs attributable to the download. When we ask for your agreement to the download, we'll also ask for an estimate of clearance costs to enable us to decide whether it is practical to proceed. PROPOSAL TO INCLUDE

List of possible subjects / themes to be covered

Clear details of audio archive available and whether access has been secured

Treatment

CVs of presenter and producer NB: Where the programme is to comprise clips of archive recordings/ pre-recorded material, details of ownership and availability of rights should (wherever possible) be provided. If no preliminary enquiries have been made, this should be stated. As far as entire or complete programmes are concerned (i.e. where we would normally expect to take a licence to broadcast), details of availability of broadcast rights, ownership and price per broadcast must be provided.

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4 ARTS COMMISSIONING BRIEFS Music, Poetry, Popular Arts, the Saturday Feature Commissioning Editor: Tony Phillips Commissioning Assistant: Vanessa Morris & Karen Howe

General guidance for all Arts Features Consider all of our arts features slots as beautiful open spaces, inviting audiences in for a huge range of cultural storytelling. Radio 4 is a destination for curious minds - our audiences have a hunger on the one hand for stories defined by rigour and clarity and on the other for entertainment and wit; both have their place. In every case our arts features should be defined by being original, entertaining and informative – we should also of course be striving to reflect the diverse world we live in subject matter, in presenters and in interviewees. They can also be global stories and they should shine a spotlight on establishment cultural output as well as the fringe. The network has a wide range of daily and weekly arts programmes from Front Row to Open Book to The Film Programme. It is important therefore to ensure that what you are offering as a feature is a big enough and bold enough idea to stand alone outside of our regular arts output. Therefore alongside offering original and engrossing analysis, Radio 4 could therefore be reimagined as a space for artists to play and experiment. So as with the best of any feature-making we are looking for depth, originality and compelling storytelling. Please don’t feel you have to be a slave to the anniversary; but do feel confident that arts features can and should be award-winning.

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MUSIC FEATURE Reference number: 47133 Commissioning Editor: Tony Phillips Commissioning Assistant: Vanessa Morris & Karen Howe

Eligibility: You must be able to demonstrate a track record in production relevant to your proposal. Slot: Tuesday, 1130 Duration: 28’ Transmission period: April 2016 – March 2017 Guide price: £6,200 Estimated number of programmes: 20 Cap: Please do not enter more than 10 offers for each of the arts slots. For BBC departments with an output guarantee, please limit your total offers to three times the number remaining in your guarantee. EDITORIAL GUIDE

Over the past year or so Radio 4 arts features have produced international award-winning features like Soul Music’s edition on Strange Fruit, Tim Key’s Gogol’s Overcoat and Jarvis Cocker’s Wireless Nights. These, and many others, are outstanding examples of the art of long-form storytelling. Let’s not stand still; be creatively bold, ambitious and adventurous with the spectacular one-off idea – things like Alan Hall’s Voices of Elly Stone, The True Story of Abner Jay with Laura Barton, The Legacy of Little Miss Cornshucks with Salena Godden and exceptional series like The Echo Chamber with Paul Farley and John Wilson’s Mastertapes. Challenge yourself and in the process challenge us. The commissioning round is an open invitation for you to offer programmes that will inspire and possibly redefine what an arts feature might be.

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What are we looking for? Extraordinary and original stories that will immerse the audience deep into the worlds of music, musicians and those whose lives are or have been touched by music. Radio 4 is of course not primarily a music network so it’s important that your ideas reflect the sensibility of a speech based network. The treatments that will be most successful will be those that acknowledge and reflect the fact that the network is primarily a speech–based network. As a result music stories should be driven by strong narratives that explore and investigate music through the prism of personal narratives, cultural movements or events. SOME PROGRAMMES COMMISSIONED / SHORTLISTED IN THE LAST ROUND

47133 Music Title description

How Folk Songs Should Be Sung Folk singer Martin Carthy examines the rise and fall of Ewan MacColl's

Critics Group.

Bach's Choir Stephen Evans traces the 800 year history of the boys' choir of St

Thomas' Church, Leipzig.

The Brontes' Piano Catherine Bott explores the Bronte sisters' musical world through their

restored piano

Robert Winston's Musical Analysis Robert Winston brings a scientist's ear to his passion for music.

The Topping Tooters of the Town William Lyons conjures the brash and brilliant music of the 500 year old

town Waits

North Of The Border - The Rise of

Mexican Music

Robin Denselow examines the growing influence of the Mexican drug

ballad, or Narco-corrido

Balalaika Born Again The intriguing tale of Alexey Arhipovskiy and his new balalaika sound.

Folk Song, Art Song Christopher Maltman debates the place of folk song in the classical

recital repertoire.

Conjuring Halie Cerys Matthews celebrates one of her musical heroines, gospel singer

Mahalia Jackson.

The First LP In Ireland The extraordinary story of how classic Irish folk songs were saved from

extinction.

Modern Day Griot Gaylene Gould meets modern musicians who are adapting traditional

West African music.

Cerys Matthews' Blue Horizon Cerys Matthews indulges her passion for the seminal British Blues

record label

The Songs of Milne John Kember rediscovers the original song settings of children's verses

by A.A. Milne

John Barry - The Lost Tapes Presenter Eddi Fiegel explores the song writing of John Barry through

a lost interview.

Changing My Voice Christopher Gabbitas explores the effects on singers of changing the

pitch of their voice.

Sibelius: A Symphony that Burned The story of Sibelius's notorious 'lost' Eighth Symphony...and its

remarkable rediscovery.

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Madam Mao's Golden Oldies Anna Chen explores the history of the famous Chinese Model Operas

Making Tracks Paul Morley charts a history of music through recording studios. 1.

Rockfield in Wales

A Sound British Adventure Comedian Stewart Lee explores the early pioneers and rumblings of

electronic music.

Composing LA How Western classical music underpinned the golden age of the

Hollywood film score.

The Voices of Robert Wyatt An intimate portrait of the musician Robert Wyatt in his own words.

One Man's War Katie Derham delves into the fascinating world of musical life during

the Second World War

Spellbound: Siouxsie and the Banshees Miranda Sawyer looks at one of music's most distinctive artists

Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Swansong A new series in which Stuart Maconie looks at four final albums, and

tells their stories.

Blues Run the Game Laura Barton tells the poignant story of singer-songwriter Jackson C

Frank.

Who's Drummer? Nick Barraclough finds out about the fifteen minutes of fame for one

young fan of The Who.

Rebuilding The LSO Matthew Bannister tells the story of the London Symphony Orchestra

from the 1980s to now.

An Alternative Christmas Reverend Richard Coles on the buried and forgotten Alternative

Christmas recordings.

Riot Grrrls A noisy exploration of the punk and politics of Riot Grrrl.

Bellydancing and the Blues Guy Schalom hunts out the spirit of the new Egypt in the musical roots

of the bellydance

Jazz is Dead Paul Morley tests the contention that jazz is dead - a victim of its own

history.

Scoring Father Brown Debbie Wiseman guides us through the world of the film composer

Baaba Maal and the Senegalese Kingdom

of Music

Meeting musicians at the Blues du Fleuve Festival, organised by

Baaba Maal in Senegal.

Feel the Chant: The Brit Funk Story David Grant revisits a unique era in British music when jazz funk

exploded onto the scene.

Studio in the Sand Robin Denselow hears the music of the Saharawi people in the refugee

camps of Algeria.

Flashmob Flamenco Spain's current economic crisis is seeing the return of flamenco as a

form of protest

Julie Fowlis' Heritage Well (w/t)

Acclaimed Gaelic singer and multi-instrumentalist Julie Fowlis has

taken the songs she learnt from her native Outer Hebrides to

Hollywood. In this programme she charts her very personal musical

journey and, through a special concert Solas Ur Tobar An Dualchais,

inspires other young Scots to follow her lead.

Comme Je Suis: A Portrait of Juliette

Greco

Laura Barton (who featured in our profile of Francoise Hardy) presents

a portrait of Juliette Greco, singer, resistance fighter and muse to Miles

Davis, Jean Paul Sartre, Boris Vian et al .... Greco is now 86. We'd like

to record an interview with her while we still can. In terms of treatment,

think of a cross between our 'Voices of Robert Wyatt', 'Under Jacques

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Demy's Umbrella' and Russell Finch's 'Brel et Moi' ...

Lady Gaga v Heavy Metal: The Confusing

World of Pop in Indonesia

Lady Gaga was banned but Death Metal is cool - From the streets of

Jakarta, we hear the contradictions that make up the burgeoning

Indonesian pop scene.

Ella in Berlin

On 13 February 1960 at Berlin's Deutschlandhalle, where Hitler had

roused the masses to embrace National Socialism, Ella Fitzgerald took

to the stage with a tribute to the people of Berlin; for the first time she

sang the Bertolt Brecht song, Mack the Knife - and she forgot the

words.

Paul Mason on Wagner

To mark the bicentenary of the birth of Richard Wagner, Paul Mason

investigates the amazing phenomenon of his work and reputation

through three investigative features.

The Science of Music

Robert Winston looks at music with a scientist's eye, questioning,

experimenting, proving and provoking in a series which seeks to fully

understand our relationship with the power of sound.

Tales from the Stave

The series that finds the magic of the creative moment in the hand-

written manuscripts of some of the greats of the classical repertoire

heads towards its tenth series with a humdinger of a collection.

Soul Music The stories behind pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact

told in montage form.

The Secret Life of J S Bach

Scientist, handyman, architect, council employee. That's the real J S

Bach.

Tom Ravenscroft's One Man Band Tom Ravenscroft is fascinated by the one man band and for Radio 4

he goes in search of the musical characters who prefer to go solo.

In Search of Nic Jones

Stuart Maconie tracks down the legendary lost figure of British folk

music, Nic Jones.

The Night Singer For a thousand years the nightingale has been the most celebrated

song-bird in the western world.

Harmony of the Spheres: Planet Rock 'So turn'st this World below, the Spheres above, Who in the Heavenly

Round to their own Music move' (Henry Purcell)

Loving You

Every year the Welsh seaside town of Porthcawl holds the most

important Elvis festival outside the legendary singer's homelands in the

states.

About A Boy

From Mahler's "Das Klagende Lied" to Leonard Bernstein's "Chichester

Psalms" and Howard Blake's "The Snowman", the singing voice of the

solo boy has taken on a potency for many composers through the

centuries.

Far Distant Chords Reem Kelani revisits migrant musicians who were putting down roots in

the UK a decade ago

Kitsch!

Poet and musician Anthony Joseph pays tribute in storytelling, poetry

and song to his hero, the Windrush calypsonian Aldwyn Roberts aka

'Lord Kitchener'.

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POETRY FEATURE Reference number: 47114 Commissioning Editor: Tony Phillips Commissioning Assistant: Vanessa Morris & Karen Howe

Eligibility: You must be able to demonstrate a track record in production relevant to your proposal. Slot: Sunday 16.30 (repeat: Saturday, 23.30) Duration: 28’ Transmission period: April 2016 – March 2017 Guide price: £6,200 Estimated number of programmes: 17 Cap: Please do not enter more than 10 offers for each of the arts slots. For BBC departments with an output guarantee, please limit your total offers to three times the number remaining in your guarantee. EDITORIAL GUIDE

Over the past year or so Radio 4 arts features have produced international award-winning features like Soul Music’s edition on Strange Fruit, Tim Key’s Gogol’s Overcoat and Jarvis Cocker’s Wireless Nights. These, and many others, are outstanding examples of the art of long-form storytelling. Let’s not stand still; be creatively bold, ambitious and adventurous with the spectacular one-off idea – things like Alan Hall’s Voices of Elly Stone, The True Story of Abner Jay with Laura Barton, The Legacy of Little Miss Cornshucks with Salena Godden and exceptional series like The Echo Chamber with Paul Farley and John Wilson’s Mastertapes. Challenge yourself and in the process challenge us. The commissioning round is an open invitation for you to offer programmes that will inspire and possibly redefine what an arts feature might be.

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What are we looking for? There has always been a close relationship between poetry and radio, and in particular Radio 4. We know that people often turn to poetry at significant moments in their lives – in sorrow or in celebration; Poetry Please is testament to that. Fresh and original features that can offer the audience new, original and thoughtful perspectives on poets, poems or the craft of writing or listening to poetry will be most welcome. Challenge us with new work, new writers, new formats, new voices. BBC Bristol responded to this last year with Paul Farley presenting an engagingly original format for new poetry, The Echo Chamber. Indicative names of presenters at pre-offers stage are always useful. And remember the guide price is a guide we try to adhere to – but for the occasional project that is offering an ambitious multi-platform idea, please make this clear at pre-offers and final offers stage. If the idea is the presenter’s or they have been involved in its development, please make this clear at the pre offers and final offers stage.to save confusion or embarrassment later. This is the home of the long-running and popular anthology series Poetry Please. Between runs we broadcast complementary works celebrating and investigating poetry, poets and the experience of writing and reading poetry.

SOME PROGRAMMES COMMISSIONED / SHORTLISTED IN THE LAST ROUND

47114 Poetry

Title description

The Narrow Road to the Disaster

Zone

Stephen Henry Gill in the poet Basho's path to areas of Japan

devastated by the tsunami.

Adventures in Poetry Satirising politicians and patriotism is at the heart of a provocative

poem by ee cummings

A Foreigner Everywhere Paul Farley explores the American poet Elizabeth Bishop's

extraordinary years in Brazil.

The Person From Porlock Paul Farley seeks out the famous visitor who interrupted Coleridge's

writing of Kublai Khan

Poems from the Pennines Poet Simon Armitage takes us on a journey to the Stanza Stones.

The New Group Ian Sansom on the contemporary poetry scene emerging in Northern

Ireland.

Poetry 2012 - the Power of the

Poem

Poetry 2012 - the Power of the Poem: offering a window into each

Olympic nation

My Heart is in the East Medieval historian Miri Rubin explores the history of the most famous

of Hebrew poems.

An Outcast of the Islands: Lady

Grange

Kenneth Steven traces the forced journey of Lady Grange, abducted

& imprisoned on St Kilda

THE SEAFARER Simon Armitage takes us to sea to explore one of the oldest poems in

the English language.

Learning to Love Dafydd Gwyneth Lewis, the first Welsh Poet Laureate, goes in search of the

Welsh language Chaucer

43

Return to Oasis Mike Greenwood visits Alamein on the trail of a unique anthology of

World War Two poems.

Poetry Workshop Ruth Padel works on poems in progress with The Dove Cottage Poets

in Grasmere.

A Few Don'ts The poet Lavinia Greenlaw revels in Ezra Pound's manifesto, A Few

Don'ts by an Imagiste.

No Ideas But In Things: The Poetry

of William Carlos Williams

Annie Freud explores the work of the all-American poet, William Carlos

WIlliams.

Liz Lochhead: Poems for a New

Scotland

A year in the life of Liz Lochhead, Scotland's 'Makar' or poet laureate

The Echo Chamber Adventures in strong language - the best of new poetry - introduced by

Paul Farley.

Ursula Vaughan Williams, Poet and

Muse

Irma Kurtz tells the story of poet Ursula Vaughan Williams, the

composer's second wife.

Broken Paradise Poetry from 3 decades of Sri Lanka's civil war

The Bards of Whitelocks Bar

Poet Jean Sprackland props up the bar of the oldest pub in Leeds -

described by John Betjeman as 'the very heart of Leeds' and, in the

company of bar staff, drinkers and poets, tells the story of the

overlooked 'Leeds school' of poetry.

What I Read to the Dead: Wladislaw

Szlengel

As life in the Warsaw Ghetto became first unbearable and then

unliveable many sought out the words of the poet Wladislaw Szlengel.

His poetry, written in the last months before final annihilation, gave

hope and solace.

Sonnets to Orpheus

A feature about the creation and extraordinary appeal of a great

modern masterpiece, Maria Rainer Rilke's 'Sonnets to Orpheus'.

Lindisfarne: Poetry in Progress

In the summer of 2013, after a 400 year absence from the North East,

the Lindisfarne Gospels will be making their way home from the British

Library to be displayed in Durham. The Gospels were originally

created on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne - a place of spiritual and

natural harmony, even today.

Poetry Please Roger McGough presents a selection of listeners' poetry requests.

Poetry Idol

Shahidha Bari goes on set for the 2014 season of The Million's Poet,

broadcast from Abu Dahbi, to find out why poetry is rocking the Middle

East.

44

POPULAR ARTS FEATURE Reference number: 47165 Commissioning Editor: Tony Phillips Commissioning Assistant: Vanessa Morris & Karen Howe

Eligibility: You must be able to demonstrate a track record in production relevant to your proposal and you must be a registered supplier to submit ideas. Slot: Mon 1602, Thursday 1130 Duration: 28’ Transmission period: April 2016 – March 2017 Guide price: £6,200 Estimated number of programmes available for competition: 40 Cap: Please do not enter more than 10 offers for each of the arts slots. For BBC departments with an output guarantee, please limit your total offers to three times the number remaining in your guarantee. EDITORIAL GUIDE

Over the past year or so Radio 4 arts features have produced international award-winning features like Soul Music’s edition on Strange Fruit, Tim Key’s Gogol’s Overcoat and Jarvis Cocker’s Wireless Nights. These, and many others, are outstanding examples of the art of long-form storytelling. Let’s not stand still; be creatively bold, ambitious and adventurous with the spectacular one-off idea – things like Alan Hall’s Voices of Elly Stone, The True Story of Abner Jay with Laura Barton, The Legacy of Little Miss Cornshucks with Salena Godden and exceptional series like The Echo Chamber with Paul Farley and John Wilson’s Mastertapes. Challenge yourself and in the process challenge us. The commissioning round is an open invitation for you to offer programmes that will inspire and possibly redefine what an arts feature might be. Popular arts features offer audiences an opportunity to engage deeply with a single story or a series of programmes. They are scheduled between general factual features and

45

You and Yours, this slot then introduces a distinctive note to the mid-morning schedule by focusing on the eclecticism of modern culture in the UK and around the world. We are looking for the most engaging and adventurous single programmes and series. These will often be driven by a strong narrative and a burning passion to tell stories that offer audiences fresh insights into aspects of literature, drama, visual arts etc. We are also looking for opportunities to financially support a select number of ideas that have accompanying multiplatform components such as film, audio-slideshows and animations.

SOME PROGRAMMES COMMISSIONED / SHORTLISTED IN THE LAST ROUND

47165 Popular Arts

Title description

In Search of Barney Bubbles The hunt for the truth about the most influential and enigmatic of graphic

designers.

Black is a Country This two part series explores the musical underground of the Black Power

movement.

Merzman: The Art of Kurt Schwitters How a leading German modern artist's greatest work was rediscovered in a

barn in Cumbria.

I'm Rather Worried about Jim... Penelope Keith explores the radio serial Mrs Dales Diary 40 years after it

ended.

The Mystery of the Mystery of Edwin

Drood

Frances Fyfield explores the manuscript of Dickens' last and unfinished

novel.

A Last Excuse Me Dance The first reunion in 70 years of writer Shirley Hughes and her 1940s dancing

partner

Vic Oliver - The First Castaway

Remembered

David Baddiel explores the mercurial life of entertainer Vic Oliver.

Holy Mackerel - It's My Life! How Frank Dickens' record-breaking cartoon strip Bristow has survived 60

turbulent years.

Famed For Its Knitting The life and changing times of Woman's Weekly as it celebrates its

centenary

Writing in Three Dimensions: Angela

Carter's...

Angela Carter's friends, colleagues and admirers remember her innovative

plays for radio

Al Read Rediscovered Robert Powell explores the recordings of Salford born comedian Al Read.

OSCAR SINGS Andrew Collins explores how the award for 'Best Song' reflects a changing

film landscape

Tarzan: Lord of the Jungle How Tarzan has enjoyed a hundred years swinging through the jungle of

popular culture.

The 12 Inch Single Paul Morley on the 7 inch single's grand relative - the 12 inch - and its peak

in the 80s.

Fever Pitched: Twenty Years On Nick Hornby on the 20th anniversary of his best-selling football memoir

'Fever Pitch'.

In The Lounge With Rich Morton Comedian and musician Rich Morton explores the laid-back world of lounge

music.

THE ROAD HOME: REMAKING

HOMER'S ODYSSEY

Tom Holland explores the continuing appeal of Homer's Odyssey.

46

Architects of Taste Ian Kelly explores the theatricality and architecture of food and feasting.

There is Business Like Show

Business

Will Young explores the hidden world of industrial musicals.

Writing Madness Vivienne Parry takes her diagnoses of literary heroines into the early 20th

century.

What the Scandinavians Know About

Children's Literature

Mariella Frostrup looks at Scandinavian children's literature.

Art Disrupted: Damien Hirst and Co Damien Hirst and co, reflect on the forces that produced a brash, bold group

of artists.

Word for Word Paul Allen examines the use of verbatim eyewitness accounts and legal

evidence in theatre

Jack London's People of the Abyss Dan Cruickshank re-traces Jack London's 1902 footsteps he made among

the East End poor.

Who's angry now? John Harris investigates the current state of contemporary British protest

music.

ALTON TOWERS: A JOURNEY

INTO PUGINLAND

The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of Pugin's Gothic masterpiece, Alton Towers.

Alain-Fournier's Lost Estate Julian Barnes and Hermione Lee visit the places which inspired a classic

novel.

One in a Million One million books given away for free - how did it affect those involved?

Ampers-Fan Alastair Sooke investigates the history of the ampersand.

Move Over Wodehouse Mukti Jain Campion reports on the changing reading habits of India's

growing middle class.

The Library Returns Jonathan Glancey argues that amid closures the public library is also being

re-invented.

Poetry, Texas The Danish poet Pejk Malinovski stumbles upon a small town in Texas

called Poetry.

Follow Up Albums Pete Paphides tells the story behind Dexys Midnight Runners' Don't Stand

Me Down.

Miles Jupp in a Locked Room Miles Jupp investigates the appeal of mind-bending crime novels set in

locked rooms.

It's Fun But Is It Theatre? Punchdrunk, YouMeBumBumTrain, and other immersive theatre companies

under the microscope.

Pina Bausch - Dance For Your Life Deborah Bull takes us into the life and work of Pina Bausch's Tanztheater

Pump Up the Volume John Wilson looks at the role of music in professional sport.

Slippered Pantaloons If all the world's a stage, how do actors face old age dramas?

Forced Entertainment Bob Dickinson follows this acclaimed experimental theatre group evolving a

new production.

Staff No Fee: The Other Life of Brian Barry Johnston explores the early career of the legendary commentator

Brian Johnston.

Stuart: A Face Backwards Mark Burman strips away the layers of Stuart Freeborn's remarkable life in

movie make-up.

The Uncanny How has The Uncanny shaped fiction, film, architecture and art?

47

The Voice of God Richard Coles on the various ways that the voice of God is depicted, and

what this reveals.

The Godfather of Ulster Punk Alan Dein meets figurehead of the Northern Irish punk scene, Terri Hooley

Ann Widdecombe's Hell Hounds and

Night Hags

Ann Widdecombe explores the supernatural lore and legend of Dartmoor.

Ulster's Forgotten Darling Fionola Meredith goes in search of medieval scholar, author and poet,

Helen Waddell.

Raising a Glass to Cheers Stephen Merchant presents an appreciation of one of America's best-loved

TV sitcoms.

Challenging Kane Matthew Sweet asks if Citizen Kane should again be voted the greatest film

ever.

The Best of Everything The Best of Everything - the steamy 1950s novel that was ahead of its time.

Steptoe and Son... and Sons Paul Jackson and a team of script writers assess the legacy of Steptoe

& Son, 50 years on

The Magic Theatre of Hermann

Hesse

Tracing the legacy of the cult Swiss-German writer Hermann Hesse.

Rock 'n' Roll in Four Movements Stuart Maconie on rock musicians who combined symphony and pop music

in the 60s and 70s

Lewis' Return Home The life-story of Ted Lewis, author of the novel which became the popular

film Get Carter

The Floating World of Hokusai Audrey Niffenegger catches Hokusai's 'Great Wave' to trace his far-reaching

influence...

Mr Jupitus In The Age of Steampunk Phill Jupitus journeys back to the steam-powered future to party like it's

1899.

Dancing with Mountains Writer Andrew Greig explores the connections between mountain climbing

and art.

Stir It Up - 50 Years of Writing

Jamaica

Poet Salena Godden considers the impact of her Jamaican heritage on her

literary identity.

Walter Kershaw: The UK's First

Street Artist?

Uncovering the life and work of a pioneering and under-appreciated British

painter

"Messy, Isn't It?": The Life and Works

of Richard Brautigan

Jarvis Cocker's love for one of literature's most extraordinary figures,

Richard Brautigan

True Tales From the Crypt Roger Luckhurst goes in search of the original Curse of the Mummy's

Tomb...

Big Shot John Sugar explores an evolving music industry and the changing role of

music manager.

Duration, Duration, Duration Pop songs are 3 minutes, movies about 90. Grace Dent looks at how

duration shapes culture.

Happy Days: The Children of the

Stones

Writer and comedian Stewart Lee explores the television series Children of

the Stones.

Was Dracula Irish ? Irish novelist Patrick McCabe explores the Irish influences on Bram Stoker's

Dracula.

In Search of Richard Yates Nick Fraser makes the case for rediscovering the work of Richard Yates

Scream Queens Reece Shearsmith meets the female screen stars of horror.

Hollywood on the Tiber Mukti Jain Campion looks back at the heyday of Rome's most famous film

studios.

48

IN SEVEN DAYS...Inside a Historic

Campaign

Artist Nicola Green charts her journey to capture images of Barack Obama's

2008 campaign.

Justice between the Covers Helena Kennedy QC explores the power of law in the pages of classic

fiction.

Tim Key and Gogol's Overcoat Comedian Tim Key spins his own surreal tale of one of Russia's greatest

short stories.

Words on Water The views of writers who use fishing to explore our relationship with nature

and our place

Expressing Pain Stuart Flanagan explores how art can help in the consulting room.

Mockery with Monocles: The

Western Brothers Revealed

Geoffrey Palmer celebrates variety act The Western Brothers.

When Harry Potter Met Frodo: The

Strange World of Fan Fiction

Naomi Alderman investigates the sub-culture of internet fan fiction

The Beat Hotel How a down-at-heel Parisian hotel became the world's avant-garde

headquarters.

Songs of the Sacred Harp Cerys Matthews visits Alabama to uncover a sacred choral tradition.

The Physicist's Guide to the

Orchestra

Trevor Cox on the physics behind the way orchestral instruments make their

unique sound

Blackout Ballet Ismene Brown uncovers the story of Mona Inglesby and International Ballet.

Mr X: Julian Maclaren-Ross Did drink and drugs rob Britain of a literary genius?

Stage Door Rachael Stirling reveals strange tales from theatre's back doorstep.

Neil Tennant's Smash Hits Christmas Neil Tennant recalls his stint, from Christmas 1982, on pop's most

successful magazine.

Grease Was Our World Grease has entertained audiences for over 40 years, Alan Dein searches for

its true roots.

Beatrix Potter's Favourite Tale Beatrix Potter's The Tailor of Gloucester restored with its original Christmas

music

Bute: Dreams of the World's Richest

Man

Jonathan Glancey on the amazing cultural legacy of the third Marquis of

Bute

Roger, The Eagle Has Landed Mark Radcliffe recalls the influential life of cult DJ and club promoter, Roger

Eagle.

Forgetting a Revolutionary: Lawrence

Durrell at 100

Tim Marlow encourages us not to forget the novelist Lawrence Durrell.

Johnny Cash and the Forgotten

Prison Blues

Danny Robins explores the little-known story of Johnny Cash the prison

reformer.

A Menace to Society Lifelong fan Danny Wallace celebrates the Beano comic in its 75th

anniversary year.

Cornershop The story of a ground breaking record, its impact and its legacy.

The Men Who Painted Paradise: The

Hudson River School

Susan Marling reports from the Hudson Valley on the painters that shaped

America.

The Art of Sequencing Guy Garvey on the challenge of turning a collection of songs into a single

piece of art.

The World Cup for Writers Joe Dunthorne's England Writers Football Team plays against the Scotland

Writers Team.

49

Lyrical Journey How The Proclaimers' song 'Sunshine on Leith' became an anthem for a

changing city.

Blind Date With Runyon Peter White hears about Damon Runyon, who captured New York's lowlife

vibes in the 1920s.

Who Was Rosalind? Susan Hitch finds out about the boys created the female roles in

Shakespeare's plays.

Marseille 2013 Philip Sweeney on music, crime and culture in Marseille, 2013 European

City of Culture.

30 Years of the Bradshaws John Henshaw explores the unrelenting success of one of the longest

running comedy series.

The Meaning of Liff at 30 John Lloyd celebrates 30 years of The Meaning of Liff with Matt Lucas and

Helen Fielding.

Was Gertrude Stein Any Good? I am a genius. Gertrude Stein. A genius. I. Gertrude Stein. Am I a genius?

Sound Painting Tim Marlow explores the kinds of sounds and music that influence an artist's

art and work.

Dreamers of the Black Metropolis The story of how Chicago's black artists of the 20th Century forged a new

identity.

The Curse of the Confederacy of

Dunces

The Confederacy of Dunces, one of the great comic books of the 20th

century, had a difficult gestation as a book; attempts to film it over the past

30 years have been similarly cursed.

Rhymes of Passion Laura Barton tells the true story behind By Grand Central Station I Sat

Down and Wept.

I Wandered Lonely as a Cat: Poetry

and Jazz.

Ian McMillan reveals the heart of Poetry and Jazz and detects its strong

beats today

The Arthur Cravan Memorial Society

Arthur Smith convenes the last ever meeting of the Arthur Cravan Memorial

Society and pieces together an unreliable portrait of this charlatan and

genius - the Dada-ist James Dean.

Foot Notes

They communicate our sexual desires, aesthetic sense, social status and

personality. And whilst our eyes may be windows to the soul - psychologists

say that it is in fact our shoes that are the gateway to our psyche.

Destination Freedom

It's often assumed that the drive for black emancipation in America began

with Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement. This feature

challenges the perception, taking us back years earlier to the arts

broadcasting of Chicago radio's 'Destination Freedom!'

The Butterfly Effect

Lesley Garrett examines the story of Cio-Cio San, who evolving from a short

novel was brought to the stage by Puccini in Madame Butterfly, and

captured the imagination of writers, performers and directors remaining one

of popular cultures most enduring characters.

The Original Be Bop Man: A Story of

Bob Kaufman

Bob Kaufman was a pioneer of the Beat Movement and the most influential

African-American artists of the Beat Generation. The distinctive jazz

influence on his work meant he was often referred to as The Original Be

Bop Man or The American Rimbaud.

Are You There God? It's Me, Sarah Teen Novels from America in the 70's featured crazy mixed up kids, girls

mainly. Sarah Cuddon loved them

Motown: Speaking In The Streets

In 1970, Berry Gordy, the founder of the Motown record label, set up a

Motown spoken word label. It was called Black Forum records and

recorded poetry, civil rights speeches, political gatherings...

50

The Concrete and the Divine

Designing churches requires a certain kind of architect - it's about bringing

together the divine with the concrete, creating a space separate from the

secular world. Under the umbrella of the Glasgow practice of Gillespie Kidd;

Coia (GKC), Isi Metzstein and Andrew MacMillan seized on the momentary

experimentalism of the Catholic Church to revolutionise church design.

Norway's Soul: Re-evaluating Knut

Hamsun

The author of classics such as Hunger, Mysteries, Victoria and Pan,

Hamsun is considered by many to be the Godfather of Modern Fiction….

Capra-esque

"The art of [my films] is very, very simple... it's the love of people. Add two

simple ideals to this love of people: the freedom of each individual and the

equal importance of each individual and you have the principle on which I've

based all my films." - Frank Capra, 1982

And Calm of Mind Ex-soldiers with stress disorders take a Shakespeare play about the costs

of war to a paying public.

The Gatsby Factor

Baz Luhrmann's much anticipated film version of The Great Gatsby opens

in the UK on May 17th Here, Sarah Churchwell offers her take on what

makes the slimmest of Fitzgerald's novels not only an enduring classic, but

a huge force in American fiction and, some would say, the greatest

American novel.

The Poet and the Painter We go into the artist's studio to follow royal portrait painter Fiona Graham-

Mackay as she paints the poet Seamus Heaney.

Everybody Loves Bernard (w/t)

Bernard Cribbins OBE, is one of our most enduring - and endearing all-

round entertainers having starred in everything - from Dr. Who to doing all

the voices of The Wombles - during his 65 years of showbusiness. In this

revealing personal reminiscence, he recalls his extraordinary career and

ponders on what he thinks has made him so successful an actor. With

contributions from colleagues and fellow entertainment legends - we'll

discover his secret and why it is, that everybody loves Bernard.

When Washington Came to Brum

The stories Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow are two of the

formative texts in modern American literature, and were written, naturally

enough, in Birmingham.

Wireless Nights

Jarvis Cocker prowls the darkness, eavesdropping on stories of the night

people.

A Room for a View: The Artist's

Studio

Paula Rego's studio is an old garage complete with forklift trucks and a

costume wardrobe; David Gentleman's' a neat white attic. How does an

artists' studio reflect their art and do they still need one? We send artist

Susan Aldworth in with sharpened palette knife and microphone.

Poetry in Translation w/t The magazine Modern Poetry in Translation was started by Ted Hughes

after WW2...

In Godzilla's Footsteps The Artists who are walking in Godzilla's Footsteps to come to terms with

Japan's Tsunami.

Ebony: Black on White on Black Ebony Magazine changed the face of Black publishing and Black America.

Gary Younge charts its irresistible rise and fall.

Lowry Revisited In 'Lowry Revisited' Michael Symmons Roberts will offer his own personal

re-appraisal of the artist and the man.

Letting the Walls Speak The story of Derry's controversial 400 year old walls as told by 'Anna Nicole'

composer Mark Anthony Turnage and poet Paul Muldoon.

Arthur Machen and the Borders

Arthur Machen was a novelist and mystic whose greatest work was the

novella The Great God Pan (Stephen King calls it the greatest horror story

in the English Language).

51

Hersch on Herschel

Musician and comedian Rainer Hersch on the life of near namesake William

Herschel - a German-born British composer and astronomer who

discovered Uranus, and infrared radiation. He also composed 24

symphonies.

John Dos Passos Documentary maker Adam Curtis pays homage to the writer who inspired

him.

Absinthe Makes the Art Grow Fonder For the 150th anniversary of Toulouse-Lautrec's birth, an art history of the

drink that fuelled Bohemia.

Playing Ping Pong with Henry Miller

A sexist, pornographic, macho, misogynist - Henry Miller sounds the perfect

subject for acclaimed feminist poet Kim Addonizio, as she visits those who

knew him, were inspired by him, were related to him, during his two

decades in California - where he coincided with the birth of the 'personal

growth' era.

From Derry to Mostar: Siege Cities

and the Conquest of Happiness w/t

Following the development of a theatre production in Derry~Londonderry,

the first UK City of Culture, which will travel to two other divided cities.

The Road to the National Theatre

For its 50th anniversary in October 2013, James Naughtie traces the history

of the struggle to create a National Theatre, exploring what such an

institution is and should be in a nation such as Britain.

The Art of Radio Times

Peter Day presents the story of the art commissioned and showcased by

Radio Times from its earliest editions, celebrating 90 years of publication in

September 2013, to today.

Shot In Belfast w/t The story of Northern Ireland's burgeoning film industry.

Bingo, Barbie and Barthes: 50 years

of Cultural Studies

Fifty years after Richard Hoggart established Cultural Studies with the

founding of the Birmingham Centre for Cultural Studies, Lynsey Hanley

looks at what this new discipline has given us - has it really narrowed the

separation between high culture and real life, or just been an excuse for

some of the worst writing imaginable.

Troubled Walls By replacing its murals is Belfast's history being white-washed?

Dinner at Annaghmakerrig Colm Toibin invites us for dinner at the ancestral home of theatre impresario

Sir Tyrone Guthrie.

The Art of the Nation

The vast majority of the Nation's Art is not held in our public institutions - the

Tate or National Gallery - they are housed in the sixty million front rooms all

over the country. Will Gompertz assesses the importance of this national

treasure trove, and tells their story for the first time.

Houses of Creativity

Bridget Kendall examines the Soviet concept of the Houses of Creativity:

the soviet answer to providing the artists with inspiration and the State with

cultural masterpieces.

52

SATURDAY FEATURE Reference number: 47144 Commissioning Editor: Tony Phillips Commissioning Assistant: Vanessa Morris and Karen Howe Eligibility: We invite proposals from BBC departments and independent production companies who can clearly demonstrate considerable experience in radio features production at both producer and executive producer level. Where your offer is journalistic, we will expect a proven track record in the relevant sphere of journalism at both producer and executive producer level. If you have not previously made programmes for Radio 4, you should include your production track record at the end of the long synopsis in your final offer. Slot: Saturday, 1030 Duration: 28’ Transmission period: April 2016 to March 2017 Guide price: £8,200 Estimated number of programmes available for competition in this slot: 20 Cap: Please do not enter more than 10 offers for the Saturday 10.30 slots. For BBC departments with an output guarantee, please limit your total offers to twice the number remaining in your guarantee. EDITORIAL GUIDE Saturday morning on Radio 4, with a million listeners, and brief that tilts towards popular culture, broad, open and inviting – what’s not to like? The Saturday Feature is a space on Radio 4 where eclecticism can truly thrive. Its home to outstanding one-off features - and should continue to be – alongside more established returning series like Punt PI, with Steve Punt, And the Academy Award Goes To….with Paul Gambaccini. Saturday morning can also be the place for big series that connect to events of national significance - “The Cultural Front” series part of World War One on the BBC is one such example.

53

With Jay Rayner’s Kitchen Cabinet scheduled for part of the year in this slot, we are looking for a maximum of 24 programmes for Saturday morning with a wide range of voices and presenters. Strong presentation is important. Please indicate clearly whether you have made approaches to key talent or whether your idea for presentation is just indicative. Do not exceed two written pages of A4. PROPOSAL TO INCLUDE

Details of your proposed presenter. Please indicate clearly if the presenter has been approached or is involved in the creation of the proposal

A clear date for any peg if there is one

A brief episode breakdown for any series PROGRAMMES COMMISSIONED / SHORTLISTED IN THE LAST ROUND

Title Short Synopsis

STATE OF GRACE A cultural attempting to understand our contemporary conception of 'grace'.

Likely Tour baht 'at... As Yorkshire gets ready to host the world's greatest cycle race, the Tour De France in 2014, we hear the remarkable story of how they won the bid.

Punt PI Steve Punt reopens Radio 4's very own detective bureau.

D-Day Dames In June 1944 a group of American women journalists were gathering in London, pushing to be part of the forthcoming D-Day invasion. It was a turning point in the opportunities for women to report from warzones.

Glad to be Grey Proudly grey-haired Mary Beard combs through the history, science and significance of the hair-colour revolution.

The Cultural Front Landmark series charts how the war transformed the arts, drawing on newly-digitized archives and research to argue that these were years of rapid cultural response, artistic innovation and technological change.

Lights, Camera, Akshun! Sanjeev Bhaskar reveals the long and intimate relationship between Bollywood and Britain, in a surprising and previously untold story.

Don't Log Off Alan Dein returns to the world of Skype and Facebook capturing a series of new and on-going dramas with people in every corner of the globe

DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE

Sandi Toksvig explores a growing industry offering training and advice for "dealing with difficult people."

Who's a Pretty Boy Then? The culture and the people of the North East - and their love of budgerigars.

The Art of Keynes The extraordinary and largely unknown story of how Keynes persuaded the British government to take paintings in lieu of France's war debt.

J.D. Salinger's Spiritual Quest Through recently discovered letters, Vishva Sodhi explores how iconic American writer, J.D. Salinger, maintained a deep and enduring relationship both with Eastern philosophy and a New York based Swami.

The Grace of Jeff Buckley The story of a prescient moment from Jeff Buckley's breakthrough tour of England twenty years ago.

54

Moulin Rouge - Frou-Frou and Femmes

A celebration of cabaret and can-can as the Moulin Rouge celebrates 125 years of Frou-Frou and Femmes but also a new era.

The Frequency of Laughter A social history of the world of radio comedy.

In Search Of The Holy Tail Marc Riley and some famous friends take off after something that, despite their best efforts, they stand very little chance of finding.

Zeitgeisters Series of profiles of the cultural entrepreneurs who are shaping our lives and defining the very spirit of our age, often without us even knowing it.

Kate Tempest & The New Romantics

Kate explores the parallels between the rebellious Romantic poets and contemporary rappers, and examines the fusion of influences in today's vibrant youth poetry scene.

Ivy Benson: Original Girl Power

Bandleader Ivy Benson‘s all-girl big band was the first in Berlin to entertain the troops at the end of WW11. Melanie Chisholm celebrates Ivy's achievements with the remaining members of that band.

Mallorca and Middle-Aged Men in Lycra

Cycling's rock star, Bradley Wiggins is in Mallorca. He's joined by real rock star, cycling enthusiast, Paul Heaton as he trains in Mallorca.

The Art Of The Loop Matthew Herbert explores the art of the music loop, and the million-dollar industry around it; and asks whether loops are setting musicians free or killing creativity.

The Soul of Ireland Parish tours were the only way to get your record heard by the youth of Ireland in the sixties. We navigate the winding roads of Ireland to discover the memories of the tours and the music that was played

The Folklorist Folk singer Seth Lakeman travels to New York to meet the man regarded as the world's leading expert on Folk music, 85 year old Izzy Young

Re-imagining the City - series 2

Passionate and persuasive guides ask listeners to "re-imagine" a city they think they know.

ALL YOU NEED IS LAB - HOW SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INSPIRED INNOVATION IN MUSIC

Most histories of pop music stress the role of the creative individuals, but Midge Ure argues that most of the innovative ideas have come from technological advances.

55

5 SPECIAL EVENTS and SEASONS

Jointly managed by the commissioning team

Reference number: 47132 When entering a proposal here, do not also put ideas for component programmes into other briefs. Eligibility: We invite proposals from BBC departments and independent production companies who can clearly demonstrate considerable experience in the relevant genres of radio production at both producer and executive producer level. Transmission period: April 2016 – March 2017 Guide price: Not applicable EDITORIAL GUIDE What distinguishes a Special Event or Season is that it should be a proposal on a single theme which crosses strands or day parts. The impact will be different and distinctive from the rest of the station’s schedule. A sense of occasion or celebration may be created. Proposals may span a variety of commissioning briefs and their coherence becomes obvious only when the various parts are assembled. Sometimes, small, carefully constructed clusters of programmes might be commissioned from one supplier in their entirety. More often, Radio 4 management will scope out the scale and scheduling of a season. Therefore, ideas for Special Events that get past the pre-offers stage should be discussed with Commissioning Editors before you do any work on the detail. An anniversary might be marked on several stations. Your proposal for Radio 4 must be utterly distinctive and clearly shaped for our audience. However, we can be over-reliant on anniversaries. We particularly welcome suggestions of events or a focus on a subject that will surprise the audience and be distinctive. Innovative treatments of more predictable events are also welcome. A big event on Radio 4 may also enable us to design a schedule of complementary archive programming on 4 Extra. Some of our Special Events are contained within one day. Democracy Day, Big Bang Day and War and Peace are examples. Others have spread more widely, in terms of programme style and timetable. These include World War One, Magna Carta, Tweet of the Day, Listening Project, The History of Ideas. Our World War coverage has already been extensive and there is more in production. We are unlikely to look for much more. The following BBC series, clusters and seasons are already planned for the year ahead: Coding, Waterloo,

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India, The Periodic Table, 19th Century France, Oil, Natural History. There will be a big poetry season in late 2015. With such events, the core programmes and the idea might come from one group of producers, but other programmes might subsequently be commissioned from elsewhere. We have found that event ideas which have been created between different teams with varied expertise can be particularly striking. So, a seasonal event or idea might come from one source but the station reserves the right to commission a portfolio of programmes from diverse sources to provide the listener with the best possible schedule. So, Radio 4 is looking for:

special days or nights

landmark events

programmes, across genres, which merit a different duration from what the

normal schedule allows.

Interactive We are looking for big ideas with a fully integrated interactive dimension. Remember, though, that we are looking to commission only a very few such ideas this year, so be realistic about the development time you devote to this area. Do not enter a budget estimate for the interactive element of your proposal. This will be considered on an ad hoc basis once we decide to take an idea forward.

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6 WORKING WITH BBC RADIO 4 Working with BBC Radio 4 is the essential handbook for all suppliers. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/radio/what-we-want/radio-4.shtml It covers:

Who’s who at Radio 4, with contact details

Delivery

Schedule information

Editorial requirements

Compliance

Title changes

Technical requirements

Listening copies

Live programmes

Durations

Announcements and credits

Programme Descriptions (billings, promotion notes & presentation details)

On-air promotion and written trails

Repeats

Scheduled and revised repeats

Delayed repeats

Publicity

Marketing

Audience Research

Audience Lines

Arranging Audience Lines support

Trailing Audience Lines on air

Feedback

Radio 4 Interactive

Broadcasting on the internet

Health and safety

Radio 4 contacts

Appendices A: Topicality status B: Credits on Radio 4 C: Making better trails D: Synopses for serials E: Summary of paperwork requirements F: Programme paperwork templates