Seriously...

George Orwell described tea as “one of the mainstays of civilization in this country.” But how did this foreign plant become so British? Sathnam Sanghera speaks to Orwell expert Jean Seaton, cultural historian Kate Teltscher, and ramblers with flasks of tea in the Peak District, to try and figure out how and why tea became a national obsession.

Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales

Families from the many sides of the Gaza/Israeli dispute share and reflect on their own personal histories and day-to-day existence.

"I noticed that language seems to fail us. How do you write about the foundations of our existence? That is how mythology enters very naturally into the story, because history is about ideas, religions, empires, wars and culture. Mythology is about the fundaments. Sun, moon, wind, oceans, great floods and tragic gods... We are living in mythological times, where we are shaking the fundaments." - Andri Snær Magnason Drawing on ideas in his book, On Time and Water, the Icelandic writer Andri Snær Magnason and the Scottish artist Katie Paterson explore how our imagination can help us hold the moment we live in. From handfuls of dust to watching geological time mark the landscape, this documentary flows from the night skies into the deepest known point in our oceans.

Archive recording from Raddir - Voices: Recordings of Folk Songs courtesy of the Árni Magnússon Institute

Recording of the journey to Okjökull by Guðni Tómasson Music composed and performed by Phil Smith and Zac Gvi

Produced by Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4

The Sydney Opera House celebrates its 50th anniversary on October 20, 2023.

The American architect Frank Gehry called it “a building that changed the image of an entire country” and you could argue that the modern perception of Australia has a profound relationship with that stunning structure on Sydney Harbour. Yet, it has a controversial history. Jørn Utzon, the Danish architect responsible for the iconic shell design, declined an invitation to the opening ceremony claiming he would make “negative comments”. Also, in speeches made that day, there was no mention of the building’s founding father – the man who proposed the idea of an opera house for Sydney, then lobbied tooth and nail in tricky political circumstances to turn his dream into a reality. His name was Sir Eugene Goossens, an English composer and conductor who thrived in Australia after the Second World War. He became a celebrity as we understand one now, only to be run out of his adopted home in 1956 “like a diseased rat”, as one commentator wrote, his plans for the opera house in tatters.

The scandal shocked and puzzled Australia in equal measure. What happened and why have this visionary man’s many extraordinary achievements been largely forgotten? Music journalist Phil Hebblethwaite traces the intriguing story of Sir Eugene Goossens, meeting his niece, a former student, and experts in Australian classical music and cultural life. We’ll find out that the Goossens saga was just the beginning of the troubles for the Sydney Opera House… With contributions from Jennie Goossens, Richard Bonynge, Ita Buttrose, Dr Drew Crawford and Professor Marguerite Johnson. Extra research by Barnaby Smith.

Written and presented by Phil Hebblethwaite

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4

(Photo of Sir Eugene Goosens c/o Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division)

Within weeks of starting as a weather presenter, Sam Fraser’s arse had its own online fan club and she featured on a YouTube channel called Babes of Britain.

She hadn’t imagined that decades after the Fast Show comedy sketch Scorchio, the stereotype of the 'weather girl' still held firm.

Despite degrees in meteorology and physics or Met Office training, female weather presenters were still seen as dizzy sidekicks to the news anchor, legitimate targets to be sexualized by the media and harassed.

Sam puts down her clicker and asks why is the ‘weather girl’ one of the most fetishized roles in popular culture.

She hears about the arrival of women into the industry from John Kettley, one of the first weather presenter gods; the role of Bill Giles’ belly in gender equality from ITV’s Sian Lloyd and about the impact on industry of the fun, sexy, flirty and most enticingly Swedish presenter Ulrika Jonsson.

Digging through tabloids she sees they are used as clickbait, portrayed as women deliberately inviting you to look at them 'Sarah Keith-Lucas flaunts curves in skin-tight dress,' 'Laura Tobin distracts ITV viewers as she sizzles in leather mini dress,' 'Carol Kirkwood stuns in busty floral dress’.

And Sam discovers how if they do not live up to the ‘weather girl’ image, they are shamed for wearing glasses, being too fat, or as one celebrity shamelessly tweeted “MASSIVELY too ugly” for the job.

Sarah Leigh Barnett recounts how she was publicly insulted by Boris Johnson when she started presenting; Kate Kinsella the impact of being bombarded with porn on her and her family; and Reham Khan how the term ‘weather girl’ is weaponized against her in Pakistan, used to suggest she too ignorant and immoral to be in politics.

Producer: Sarah Bowen

The British countryside is often portrayed as a green and pleasant land - a rural idyll. But under the surface, rural culture wars rage: the Right to Roam, veganism, rewilding. Anna Jones is a farmer’s daughter who has worked as a rural affairs journalist for almost 20 years. In this series she uncovers the personal stories of individuals caught up in these battle grounds. In this episode she meets Alistair Macbeth. In the 2010s he’s working as a touring fire-breather with long dreadlocks and living in a van. He’s also a committed vegan. So how did he go from that to running a dairy farm in the Peak District?

Presented by Anna Jones

Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons and Anna Jones

Anne McElvoy goes on the road in Italy in the latest in her series exploring the convulsions of political and cultural change sweeping through Europe’s great nations. The election last September of the right wing populist Giorgia Meloni shocked the political establishment. Her declared mission: to restore and defend Italy’s national identity. But what does it mean to be an Italian today? We visit Padua in the North Eastern region of Veneto - a city steeped in ancient culture, boasting the oldest university in Europe and the exquisite frescos of the Scrovegni Chapel. It's also at the heart of Italy's more prosperous North - the engine of the country's economy which draws in migrants from inside and outside Italy. A good place to explore the tensions between the old ways and the new which are rumbling through Italian life in the wake of Meloni's election.

Touring the city and its regions, we ask Italians from all walks of life - migrant workers, a female-led design and manufacturing business, a demographer and other experts on Italy's political and social culture. How do they see themselves in 2023 and what are the challenges of the future? Why is a country built on the bedrock of the family facing a decline in the birth rate so severe it threatens to wreck the economy? Why is a country whose citizens have emigrated around the world throughout history so uneasy about inward migration? Could a new political era also signal a revival of an Italian economic miracle?

Producer: Leala Padmanabhan

Glasgow’s west end is home to the Primrose Path Tattoo Society where ex-service men & women have gravitated to reflect, celebrate and sometimes come to terms with their lives in the military, all while under the artists needle. Tattoos have a long tradition in the military but at the Society, each one is custom designed to reflect the deeply personal and emotional experience. David Selwyn joined the army in 2005 and served on two tours in Afghanistan with 2 Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers. He was medically discharged from the army after ten years following a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder and a recurring injury to his shoulder. David has come to the Studio, ahead of Remembrance Day, to get a large and colourful tattoo from artist William Hughes to represent his own army career and the pride in his Regiment. As the artist focuses on his work we share this uniquely intimate relationship where memories good and bad are recalled, shared and sometimes laid to rest.

Details of organisations offering information and support with addiction, mental health, or feelings of despair are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline. Thanks to the Primrose Path Tattoo Society

Producer: Debbie McPhail

Kate Mason looks at how potential can be assessed in the world of professional football with Brentford FC player Michael Olakigbe and talent spotter Lee Dykes.

From cycling, Dan Bigham tells us how the potential of technology helped him take on the professionals.

Cricketing broadcaster and Director of women’s cricket at Surrey, Ebony Rainford Brent, discusses the Ace programme which helps young people from a range of backgrounds find their potential as cricketers.

And we also go back to the 1970s to discover a technique to help us improve our own sporting potential. That idea has now also been widely adopted in business.

Presenter: Kate Mason

American singer-songwriter Doug Levitt expected his tour to last just the six weeks printed on the face of the Greyhound pass he bought. The idea was to compose a fuller portrait of the United States by writing songs about the lives and struggles of fellow riders. That was over 15 years, 100 songs and 150,000 miles back. Travel by Greyhound is a favored lower-cost option for people who are often just scraping by on the margins of society; many living through profound challenges with employment, family relationships, addiction and incarceration. On the bus, after many hours on the road sitting next to a stranger the stories begin to flow. Maybe it’s the hypnotic rumble of the bus wheels beneath. Or sitting side-by-side staring straight ahead into darkness as passing headlights and taillights streak by.

Coming from disparate lives, our stories are where we meet, they are the crossroads of human experience. In 2018, Levitt traveled with radio producer David Goren on a cross-country trip for Greyhound Diaries, and again in 2022 and ‘23. Drawing from more than 75 hours of sound recordings we encounter riders, stations, drivers and highways from New York to California and Minnesota to Texas. We hear from Charmaine, a professional care-giver on her way to a job in Wisconsin; Ricky, a father of 6 who transcended teenage fatherhood and the gang life; Ronald, just released from prison after 15 months for drug dealing; and Melissa, who moved her sons away from a violent neighborhood in Chicago.

Presented by Doug Levitt