Programme Information

As part of BBC Radio 2's coverage of the Country Music Association awards, tonight's programme features a specially recorded acoustic session with Group of the Year nominees Little Big Town.

Little Big Town is a vocal country quartet made up of Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook. Formed in Nashville in 1998, the band gained a contract with Mercury Records and made their first public performance at the Grand Ole Opry the following year.

After losing two record deals and going through a period of personal trauma (Jimi's father died, Karen and Philip both went through divorces and Kimberly's husband died of a heart attack at just 41), they eventually signed to Equity Music in 2005 and released their second album, The Road To Here.

The album yielded two top 10 country singles: Boondock and Bring It On Home. Their follow-up album, A Place To Land, was released in 2007 and, a year later, they charted along with Sugarland and Jake Owen on a live cover of The Dream Academy's Life In A Northern Town.

In tonight's session, which was recorded in Nashville in September, the band perform acoustic versions of All The Way Down from their new album The Reason Why, along with their 2005 song Bones.

Presenter/Bob Harris, Producer/Al Booth for the BBC

BBC Radio 2 Publicity

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In a special programme for Armistice Day, Frank Renton presents a programme featuring some of the UK's best military bands.

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

BBC Radio 2 Publicity

The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 90th anniversary this year with a concert at Symphony Hall. It was on 10 November 1920 in Birmingham Town Hall that Sir Edward Elgar mounted the podium to conduct the first official concert by the new City of Birmingham Orchestra. And 100 years ago in London, he conducted the world première of his Violin Concerto: arguably his most personal work, and certainly his most passionate.

Conductor Andris Nelsons and the CBSO are joined by violinist James Ehnes to celebrate this double anniversary in lavish style. The orchestra performs Elgar's Violin Concerto alongside another work from 1910: the sumptuous suite from Richard Strauss's lushly scored opera, Der Rosenkavalier.

Haydn's joyous 90th Symphony completes this 90th birthday celebration.

Presenter/Ian Skelly, Producer/Janet Tuppen

BBC Radio 3 Publicity

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Award-winning actress Fiona Shaw joins an audience at BBC Radio 3's Free Thinking festival to explore what acting can teach you about life.

Fiona Shaw is famous for creating some of the most challenging and emotionally demanding roles in the theatre. But what is it like to spend weeks getting inside such characters and then to walk back into the dramas of ordinary life? Stepping out of her usual on-stage role, Fiona draws on her professional career, talks to an audience at The Sage Gateshead and reveals how the characters she has played have influenced the person she is.

Anne McElvoy chairs the event, recorded at BBC Radio 3's Free Thinking festival of ideas that takes place at The Sage, Gateshead between Friday 5 and Sunday 7 November 2010.

Presenter/Anne McElvoy, Producer/Fiona McLean

BBC Radio 3 Publicity

Julian Fellowes tells the extraordinary story of a theatre group inspired by Thomas Hardy and meets original member Norrie Woodhall, who recalls rehearsals at Hardy's home.

Hardy's celebrity status drew the attention of London critics who thronged to Dorchester to see and review the players' performances for the national newspapers. Hardy invited the drama critic of The Times, Harold Child, to stay with him and was rewarded by a whole column for the review and a leading article on the players.

The programme reveals telling biographical detail about Hardy himself. First readings would often take place at Max Gate in the presence of Hardy's guests – James Barrie, Sir Henry Newbolt and TE Lawrence among them.

Hardy presented the players with an original verse play called The Famous Tragedy Of The Queen Of Cornwall in 1923. Such was the national interest in this play that the BBC broadcast it. However, Hardy refused permission for London productions of his plays, perhaps protective of the special local qualities of the Hardy Players.

The New Hardy Players were formed in 2005 with original player Norrie Woodhall as president. Norrie was cast by Hardy himself as Tess's sister, Liza Lu, in the stage version of his novel, Tess Of The D'Urbervilles. She recalls how Hardy added some lines to her role at the read-through. Norrie still performs occasionally with the players at the age of 104.

Presenter/Julian Fellowes, Producer/Mary Ward-Lowery for the BBC

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

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The Man Who Jumped From Space tells the true story of the highest-altitude parachute jump made by Captain Joe Kittinger in 1960.

As jet planes flew higher and faster in the Fifties, the United States Air Force became increasingly worried about the safety of flight crew who had to eject at high altitude. Project Excelsior was initiated to perfect a parachute system that would allow a safe, controlled descent after a high-altitude ejection.

The first test, Excelsior I, was made on 16 November 1959. Kittinger jumped from an altitude of 23,300m. In this first test, the stabiliser parachute was deployed too soon, catching Kittinger around the neck and causing him to spin at 120 revolutions per minute. Kittinger lost consciousness, but his life was saved by his main parachute which opened automatically at a height of 3,000m.

The second test, Excelsior II, was made on 11 December 1959. Kittinger jumped from an altitude of 22,800m and descended in free-fall for 17,000m before opening his main parachute. The third and final test, Excelsior III, was made on 16 August 1960. During the ascent, the pressure seal in Kittinger's right glove failed and he began to experience severe pain from the encroaching effects of frostbite.

Despite temporarily losing the use of his right hand he continued with the ascent, climbing to an altitude of 31,333m. Kittinger stayed at peak altitude for 12 minutes. The small stabiliser parachute deployed successfully and Kittinger fell for four minutes and 36 seconds, setting a still-standing world record for the longest parachute free-fall.

Simon Lee Phillips is Joe Kittinger; David Fleeshman is Beau; Garrick Hagon is Stapp; Kerry Shale is Bobby; Andrew Westfield is Grubitz; and Hamilton Berstock is the Technician. The Man Who Jumped From Space is written by Andy Walker.

Producer/Gary Brown for the BBC

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

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Bleak Expectations Ep 1/6

Thursday 11 November

6.30-7.00pm BBC RADIO 4

Writer Mark Evans presents his Dickensian tale with a comedic twist

Mark Evans's comedic take on Dickens returns for a fourth series.

Hero Pip sees his former nemesis – the badly named Gently Benevolent – thwarted and locked up in a prison within a jail, within a gaol spelled the other way, and apparently repentant of his crimes. But late one foggy night when Pip is attacked with a bowl of sinister custard he realises a new form of evil is stalking the streets of London, and he is obliged to ask for help from his erstwhile foe.

Meanwhile, Pip's wife Ripely has become obsessed with cutlery, and the purchase of some diamond-handled dodo knives looks likely to force Pip into bankruptcy. His best friend, Harry Biscuit, claims to be having terrible problems with an angry badger, but is all as it seems?

Bleak Expectations stars Richard Johnson, Anthony Head, Geoffrey Whitehead, Tom Allen, James Bachman, Sarah Hadland, Susy Kane and Mark Evans.

Producer/Gareth Edwards for the BBC

BBC Radio 4 Publicity

Eleanor Oldroyd presents the day's sports news.

From 8pm Matt Dawson rounds up the latest rugby union news and reaction to the Autumn Internationals so far, and there's also a look ahead to the weekend's matches.

At 9.30pm Steve Bunce and Mike Costello present 5 Live Boxing with a look ahead to the weekend's fight between David Haye and Audley Harrison.

Presenter/Eleanor Oldroyd, Producer/Mike Carr

BBC Radio 5 Live Publicity

Fun Lovin' Criminal Huey Morgan

Huey Morgan welcomes Wild Nothing for a live session. The Virginia four-piece are currently on tour in the UK and will swing by the studio ahead of their gig at Cargo in London.

Presenter/Huey Morgan, Producer/Gary Bales

BBC 6 Music Publicity

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Gideon Coe's annual tribute to the extended song, Long Record Night, honours the six-minute-plus tune. Every record (barring the live tracks) will be at least six minutes long. He'll also be squeezing in concert tracks from the masterful Nick Lowe (very much a three-minute hero) and Scottish dance maestro Mylo, himself no stranger to a lengthy mix.

Presenter/Gideon Coe, Producer/Mark Sheldon

BBC 6 Music Publicity