Speechification

I can't believe no one has put up the traditional Christmas bling around here. So I'm going to do it, while suggesting you listen to this very amusing short story by Anthony Horovitz, part of the rather good "Scene of the Crime" series by leading mystery writers currently playing out in the Afternoon Readings slot. [MP3]

A Very Merry Christmas from all at Speechification Towers.

Yes. It's a documentary about ivy. So you'll learn more than you've been planning to learn about ivy lately. But it's also a gorgeous trip through the soundworld of mid-Wales. Put your headphones on: sheep, birdsong, all the intimate and incidental sounds of a walk in the Autumn countryside. Also the relaxed, unconscious, almost hypnotic ease of a seasoned broadcaster - Lionel Kellaway. Musical and quite intoxicating (MP3).

This programme - with all the other Radio 4 nature programmes - is available to listen to permanently on the web site (no seven-day expiry here). There's also an excellent, year-round podcast. I mentioned this one on my Listen with Bowbrick Twitter feed the other day too.

The picture is green/red ivy by Alex Pears and it's used under licence.

Deep beneath the earth, in mines and under mountains, are James Bond-esque lairs filled with scientists... Sue Nelson explores the world of dark matter researchers, a great piece on the geography of scientific investigation and the excitement and politics of small teams competing for a common goal. Don't miss the links from the programme page either. [MP3]

You'll dash through this - fifteen minutes of classical radio documentary values delivered at speed. Entirely satisfying (and very exciting). Good music too.

Lovely pics and a transcript of the gripping, deadpan radio transmissions that form the basis of the programme here.

Hugh Sykes visits Madley Communications Centre, near Hereford, the site of the world's largest earth satellite station (you can see it on Google Maps). Madley reaches out over the Atlantic and even to the Indian Ocean to communicate with geostationary satellites, providing the vital link in the transmission of raw news - and has played a crucial role in a number of world events. [MP3]

A brief little series of 15 minute episodes about music's power to move people geographically as well as emotionally, Musical Migrants ran in 2008 and again in 2009.

Here's the fourth programme from Series 1: Belgian bandoneon player Eva Wolff describes her arrival in Buenos Aires, and her introduction to Tango, in the context of Argentina's catastrophic economic meltdown. [MP3]

Ian Marchant spends some quality time on London's buses, talking to people on the top deck, with particular reference to under-16s, who've been able to use the network for free for the last couple of years. [MP3]

It's great to hear so many teenagers' voices, giving a human side to what is often just a frightening racket, not least on the W3, local to me, and identified by Marchant as the scariest bus route in London.

Good, too, to hear a wide variety of opinions from older passengers and bus drivers, not all of whom are as disapproving as they might first appear. Some of the CCTV discussion is a bit worrying however, and I'd love to know how much the vast systems being implemented cost, compared to reintroducing conductors.

A really lovely Sunday Feature in which poets Paul Farley and Kate Royal retrace the journey taken in Larkin's The Whitsun Weddings and an equally lovely Archive Hour (also presented by Paul Farley) about the discovery of a box of lost tapes of Larkin reading his own verse. Adding up to a slice of melancholy beauty the like of which you will not hear anywhere else this week. True.

A little snippet from Today: "Can Gandhi calm down commuters? David Sillito reports on why the words of the Indian leader - as well as Einstein, Jean Paul Sartre and other great thinkers - are to be included in service announcements on the London Underground. Comedian Arthur Smith says a good announcement can somehow bring people together on public transport." His own suggestions, of course, trump Jeremy Deller's... [MP3]

"A bit of a documentary, a bit of a panel game, and a lot of archive: if it was an animal it would be a platypus." That's how Sir David Attenborough describes this little oddity (although he could be describing Radio 4 itself). If you like this, you should check out 'Beardyman And The Mimics' for more animal-noise action.

David Attenborough hosts a celebration of bird impersonator Percy Edwards, who enjoyed a 70-year career impersonating birds and beasts. The programme combines the strange story of Percy's life with archive of his impersonations, interviews with those who knew him and a quiz. Guests include Bill Oddie and the comedian Alex Horne.

Thanks to Matt for the tip. [MP3]