Programme Information

Frank Renton presents a tribute programme to Peter Parkes.

Peter could be regarded as one of the most respected conductors and favourite characters of the banding world. He had unrivalled success with The Black Dyke Band and The Whitburn Band and recorded some of the most successful brass band albums to date.

Contributors to the programme include cornettist Philip McCann and former Whitburn man and now editor of the British Bandsman Kenny Crookston.

From next week, Listen To The Band is moving to its new day and time of Wednesday from 9.30-10pm.

Presenter/Frank Renton, Producer/Terry Carter for the BBC

BBC Radio 2 Publicity

The London Philharmonic Choir

The Dream Of Gerontius is one of Elgar's finest masterpieces. It's based on a poem by the Catholic Cardinal Newman which tells the story of the dying Gerontius's soul as it passes from life into death, from judgement to purgatory. Elgar imagined Gerontius as a man with all his worldly sins, brought before God for judgement. He poured his heart into the work; throughout the score his great mastery of orchestration and choral writing is on display and it is for good reason that Elgar wrote at the end of his manuscript: "This is the best of me ... this, if anything of mine, is worth your memory."

Performed by the Choir of Clare College Cambridge with the London Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra conducted by Edward Gardner, Angel is sung by Christine Rice (mezzo soprano), Gerontius by Paul Groves (tenor) and Priest/Angel of the Agony by Alastair Miles (bass).

Presenter/Catherine Bott, Producer/Brian Jackson

BBC Radio 3 Publicity

Poet Sean Street tells the story of Ludwig Koch, the first person to record the music of the natural world, who came to Britain to escape the Nazis and pioneered nature broadcasting.

Ludwig Koch was the forerunner to David Attenborough and the BBC Natural History Unit. Through archive and new field recordings, Sean tells his story.

On coming to England, Koch worked with evolutionary biologist Julian Huxley on theories of animal language, and recorded birds from the Scillies to Shetland. In 1940 he joined the BBC and soon became a household name.

Presenter/Sean Street, Producer/Julian May for the BBC

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

To top

After testifying in court, an expert on memory loss finds his life under threat, in Hugh Costello's drama.

Though Greg Cooke's expert testimony is sufficient to acquit a vicious murderer, he little expects that the fallout from the trial will threaten his marriage, and even his life.

His evidence undermines the prosecution's key witness by convincing the jury that people forget as much within 24 hours as they do over a whole year. As a result, a murderer walks free – but, as Greg is soon to discover, there's a price to pay.

Greg Cooke is played by Michael Glenn Murphy.

Producer/Eoin O'Callaghan for the BBC

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

To top

Astronomer Dr Lucie Green hears how 3,000 radio telescopes spread across a continent could be used to search for habitable planets, intelligent life and new-born galaxies.

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will have its central core in either South Africa or Western Australia, but its spiral arms of outlying giant dishes will reach out 3,000 kilometres across several countries.

The ambitious €1.5bn plan is a partnership between 70 institutions in 20 countries, with its headquarters in Manchester. Dr Green explores what SKA might achieve.

Presenter/Dr Lucie Green, Producer/Martin Redfern for the BBC

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

Eleanor Oldroyd presents half an hour of the day's biggest sporting stories before, at 7.30pm, London Calling has all the latest news building up to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

From 8.30pm 5 Live Boxing presents the latest news and views from the boxing world, and 5 Live Golf at 9.30pm does the same for that sport, including a look ahead to the US Masters, which begins in Augusta on 7 April.

Presenter/Eleanor Oldroyd, Producer/Mike Carr

BBC Radio 5 Live Publicity

Singing Adams, the new project from former Broken Family Band front man Steven Adams, graces the Manchester studio for the first time tonight.

After a hectic few months touring, the band are heading back to a remote studio in Norfolk to put the finishing touches to their debut album, Everybody's Friends Now – but not before listeners are entertained with what they describe as a mixture of Spoon, Syd Barrett and a Phil Spector compilation.

Presenter/Marc Riley, Producer/Michelle Choudhry

BBC 6 Music Publicity