The Documentary - The Flight Of The Vulture

THE DOCUMENTARY - THE FLIGHT OF THE VULTURE (320kbs-m4a/61mb/26mins)
BBC World Service broadcast: 17th February 2025

With their fearsome talons, acid poo and a penchant for rotting carcasses, the vulture has long been shouldered with associations of death, and dishonour. This taboo often puts them bottom of the list for conservation projects. Nevertheless, they are a keystone animal in every environment they live in. And in nearly every one, they're in trouble.

Conservationist Sacha Dench travels visits three different vulture species, each with an extraordinary story of persecution and survival.

In India, vulture populations collapsed by 99.9%, the sharpest decline of any animal ever recorded, in the 'Indian Vulture Crisis'. Debbie Pain and Chris Bowden describe the urgent international collaborative effort that brought them back from the very brink of extinction.

In South Africa, the White Backed Vulture has become collateral damage in the ongoing war between poachers and game-keepers. Sacha meets Kerri Wolter and Alistair Sinclair of Vulpro, the organisation that’s rescuing and rehabilitating these innocent bystanders.

Finally, in Guinea-Bissau, vultures are the victim of cultural practices which see their bodies as having magical properties. Sacha talks to Jose Tavares from the Vulture Conservation Foundation, and Andre Botha from the IUCN Vulture Group, who reveals the cultural practices which put the birds at risk.

The Documentary - Birding The Gender Gap

THE DOCUMENTARY - BIRDING THE GENDER GAP (320kbs-m4a/61mb/26mins)
BBC World Service broadcast: 14th August 2025

During the annual World Series of Birding in New Jersey, US, teams compete to see who can identify the most bird species in 24 hours. For team Galbatross the goal is different and much harder - they only identify female birds. This self-imposed restriction is a form of activism, calling into question centuries of ornithology that has focused primarily on male birds, with their bright plumage, elaborate dances, and loud songs.

We follow team Galbatross as they attempt to break their own record for the most female birds spotted during the World Series of Birding. Along the way, we hear from scientists and birders alike about how we got where we are, and how expanding science to be more inclusive of species of all genders can change our perspective on ourselves and the environment.

Producer and presenter – Daniel Semo
A Dennis Funk for Written in Air production

Mark Steel's In Town: Series 14 - 6. Unst (Shetland Part 2)

MARK STEEL'S IN TOWN: SERIES 14 - 6. UNST (SHETLAND PART 2) (320kbs-m4a/87mb/38mins)
BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast: 11th November 2025

6/6 - Unst - 'The Island Above All Others'.

After performing in Lerwick earlier in the series, Mark's Shetland adventure concludes in Unst, as far north as you can get.

There will also be extended versions of each episode available on BBC Sounds.

Written and performed by Mark Steel

Additional material by Pete Sinclair
Production co-ordinators Caroline Barlow and Katie Baum
Sound Manager Jerry Peal
Producer Carl Cooper

A BBC Studios production for Radio 4

Mark Steel's In Town: Series 14 - 5. Lerwick (Shetland Part 1)

MARK STEEL'S IN TOWN: SERIES 14 - 5. LERWICK (SHETLAND PART 1) (320kbs-m4a/94mb/41mins)
BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast: 4th November 2025

For the fifth stop of the series, Mark travels to Lerwick, the capital of Shetland, perched at the far edge of Britain, where everyone's on first-name terms with the fog.

It's a place where Viking heritage meets oil rigs and knitting patterns, where the winter fire festival Up Helly Aa lights up the darkness, and where the locals are masters of making their own fun.

This is the first of Mark's two shows from Shetland, recorded in front of an audience in Lerwick. Later in the series he'll also be visiting Unst, the UK's most northerly inhabited island.

This is the 14th series of Mark's award winning show where he travels around the country visiting towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness. After thoroughly researching each town, Mark writes and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for a local audience.

As well as Shetland, in this series, Mark be will also be popping to Oakham in Rutland, Wrexham, Lewisham and Cambridge.

There will also be extended versions of each episode available on BBC Sounds.

Written and performed by Mark Steel

Additional material by Pete Sinclair
Production co-ordinators Caroline Barlow and Katie Baum
Sound Manager Jerry Peal
Producer Carl Cooper

A BBC Studios production for Radio 4

Mark Steel's In Town: Series 12 - 3. The Isles Of Scilly

MARK STEEL'S IN TOWN: SERIES 12 - 3. THE ISLES OF SCILLY (320kbs-m4a/96mb/42mins)
BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast: 5th September 2022

Mark Steel is back with the 12th series of his award winning show that travels around the country visiting towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness. After thoroughly researching each town, Mark writes and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for a local audience.

In this third episode Mark visits The Isles of Scilly.

In this series, Mark will also be popping to Nottingham, Tring, Salisbury, Newport and Paris. And for the first time, there will be extended versions of each episode available on BBC sounds.

Written and performed by Mark Steel

Additional material by Pete Sinclair
Production co-ordinator Sarah Sharpe
Production co-ordinator Katie Baum
Sound Manager Jerry Peal
Producer Carl Cooper

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4

Ring-necked Parakeet, Vale Park, Wallasey 6th January 2026

There's been a pair of Ring-necked Parakeets resident in Vale Park, Wallasey for a few months. I wandered over there today & had pretty good views as the pair moved about the trees, calling, at the back of the bandstand. They also landed on the guttering of the bandstand to drink.

Since birds have been inhabiting Liverpool parks for a while, having spread from south Manchester, it's reasonable to assume that's where this pair originated from.

A War On Climate Change: Are Environmental Activists Losing The Fight? (Chris Packham)

RADICAL WITH AMOL RAJAN - A WAR ON CLIMATE CHANGE: ARE ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS LOSING THE FIGHT? (CHRIS PACKHAM) (320kbs-m4a/152mb/66mins)
BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 27th November 2025

What does it mean to confront climate change? Amol speaks to broadcaster and campaigner Chris Packham who says conservationists like him have not done enough to protect nature.

After the COP climate summit in Brazil ended without new targets to reduce the use of fossil fuels, he wants the UK government to lead a global emergency action plan as it did in World War Two and during the 2008 financial crisis to address what he calls climate and nature breakdown.

The Springwatch and Winterwatch presenter also highlights the importance of biodiversity, how carbon emissions affect our health, and the practical steps individuals can take to make a difference.

But ultimately he says we need a policy shift, which makes polluters pay.

Chris also speaks candidly about his neurodiversity, his compulsion to speak truth to power and the personal price he pays for his campaigning.

(00:06:27) The scale of the climate crisis

(00:09:22) What he wants the UK government to do

(00:12:23) Why climate change has fallen down the political agenda

(00:14:52) Short term vs long term decisions

(00:20:26) Are net zero policies working?

(00:33:55) Environmentalism as a form of misanthropy

(00:40:14) Radical solutions

(00:44:02) What Chris does to help the environment

(00:45:40) Why he thinks he and other conservationists have failed

(00:48:01) What individuals can do

(00:57:38) The price he's paid for his campaigning

(00:59:55) Neurodiversity

(01:02:38) Amol's reflections

GET IN TOUCH

* WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480
* Email: radical@bbc.co.uk

Episodes of Radical with Amol Rajan are released every Thursday and you can also watch them on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002f1d0/radical-with-amol-rajan

Amol Rajan is a presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. He is also the host of University Challenge on BBC One. Before that, Amol was media editor at the BBC and editor at The Independent.

Radical with Amol Rajan is a Today Podcast. It was made by Lewis Vickers with Anna Budd. Digital production was by Gabriel Purcell-Davis. Technical production was by Johnny Baker. The editor is Sam Bonham. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.