Today
Today, BBC Radio 4. The Today Programme is BBC Radio's leading news and current affairs programme.
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Today: 0810 'No long term damage' to BBC 30 Oct 08
Russell Brand has resigned over prank calls made on his radio show. Former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie and former chair of BBC governors Sir Christopher Bland discuss if the public is losing patience with the BBC.
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Today: 0750 Alistair Darling 30 Oct 08
Alistair Darling has signalled a new approach to fiscal policy, saying his "core objective" must be to help the UK through a likely recession. He says that he will unveil a new £4bn package to help small businesses.
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Today: 0850 Data breaches 'worrying' 29 Oct 08
The number of data breaches by public and private bodies is "serious and worrying" according to the Information Commissioner, Richard Thomas. He discusses the 277 breaches that have been reported to his offices over the last year.
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Today: 0810 Further economic turmoil 29 Oct 08
Chancellor Alistair Darling will say that a new approach to public finances is needed to combat the economic downturn. Political editor Nick Robinson and Sir George Cox, former chairman of Bradford and Bingley, discusses if it was a mistake to set out golden rules. Business editor Robert Peston repo ...
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Today: 0730 Losses of £1.8 trillion 28 Oct 08
The losses suffered by global financial institutions total £1.8 trillion, the Bank of England has said. In its bi-annual Financial Stability Report, the bank says that risks remain in the financial system. George Magnus, senior economic advisor to UBS Investment Bank and Vince Cable, treasury spokes ...
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Today: 0810 BBC's 'systemic and cultural failure' 28 Oct 08
The BBC has apologised for Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross, who left lewd messages on actor Andrew Sachs' voicemail. Former TV executives David Elstein and Steve Hewlett say the BBC is less regulated than commercial media.
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Today: 0810 Pound falls against the dollar 27 Oct 08
Analysts believe another cut in interest rates is likely, despite the pound falling to a six-year low against the dollar and an all-time low against the euro. Howard Davies, former deputy governor of the Bank of England, discusses what this means for UK exports.
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Today: 0750 John Prescott 27 Oct 08
John Prescott is to appear in a documentary about the UK class system. He goes through a series of encounters with a cross-section of society with his wife Pauline. He says that private education is of a better standard than public.
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Today: 0820 Cinema
Everything is dark nowadays. There's The Dark Knight, the latest Batman movie and even James Bond has gone from charming lothario to ruthless killer. Film critic Peter Bradshaw and co-producers of the new James Bond film Quantum of Solace Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson discuss the darker side ...
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Today: 0830 Economy
The Daily Telegraph has called for Governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King to be replaced. Former Chancellor Kenneth Clarke and monetary economist Tim Congdon, of Lombard Street Research, discuss whether it is time for a change at the top.
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Today: 0820 Alan Bennet 24 Oct 08
Author and playwright Alan Bennett discusses his decision to donate his literary archive to the Bodleian Library in Oxford.
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Today: 0810 Hedge fund contamination 24 Oct 08
Is a crisis of confidence now hitting hedge funds? We hear from hedge fund managers and speak to Dr Paul Woolley, of the Centre for the Study of Capital Market Dysfunctionality.
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Today: 0845 Has blogging had its day? 23 Oct 08
It is not worth starting a blog, and if you already have one you should think about closing it down, an article on the technology website Wired says. Robin Hamman, of computing consultancy Headshift, and Guardian writer and blogger Kate Bevan discuss whether shorter forms of communication, such as T ...
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Today: 0810 Sex education 23 Oct 08
The government is expected to announce that sex and relationship lessons will be made compulsory in primary and secondary schools in England. Kevin Ward, headmaster of Holmleigh Primary School in Hackney, and Norman Wells, director of family charity the Family Education Trust, discuss whether more i ...
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Today: 0855 Party etiquette 22 Oct 08
What is the correct etiquette at a private party on a yacht? Socialite Carole Stone and author Charles Mosley, discuss whether George Osborne and Peter Mandelson were right in their actions and if what happens behind closed doors should stay there.
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Today: 0810 'A deep recession ahead' 22 Oct 08
The Bank of England governor and an influential think tank have predicted that the UK economy is likely to sink into recession in 2009. Lord Desai, a Labour peer and economics professor at the London School of Economics, and Sushil Wadhwani, formerly of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of E ...
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Today: 0835 Nick Clegg 21 Oct 08
In the current economic situation, the Liberal Democrats have drawn praise for their approach. Many have applauded the work of economic spokesman Vince Cable, but this has not translated into support in the polls. Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg discusses whether the party has lost its voice.
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Today: 0810 What happened on a Russian yacht? 21 Oct 08
In a letter to the Times, financier Nathaniel Rothschild says that George Osborne discussed a donation from the Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. The Conservatives strongly deny any such conversations took place.
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Today: 0810 David Cameron 20 Oct 08
In a battle of manifestos preparing for a possible recession, Conservative leader David Cameron is to call for a 1p cut in national insurance to help small businesses. He says good businesses could "go to the wall" without government tax relief.
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Today: 0720 Can cells think? 20 Oct 08
Can cells think? Biologist and author Professor Brian Ford will deliver a lecture on his revelation that there is intelligence in single cells. He says this has implications for our understanding of stem cells and the persistent vegetative state.
Today
