Radio

SUNDAY DESERT ISLAND DISCS

Ahead of next Saturday’s Strictly final, Lauren Laverne talks to head judge Shirley Ballas. She discusses her life and career, from her professional dance career to the bright lights of the Beeb’s hit dance show. Radio 4, 11.15am

MONDAY COLD THERAPY WITH MICHAEL MOSLEY

Most of us are trying to avoid the cold, but Mosley says freezing temperatures can improve our health, and over five episodes he’s going to tell us how. He begins by revealing the impact that turning down the thermostat can have. Radio 4, 9.45am, Mon-Fri

TUESDAY THE DEADLY RING

‘White collar’ boxing bouts became popular in the UK in the early 2000s. But with two young men dying recently, there have been calls for the matches to be banned. Richard Butchins asks whether participants are being put at unnecessary risk. Radio 4, 4pm

WEDNESDAY WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE AUSTEN?

Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, right, return as novelist Florence and movie star Selina in the awardwinning comedy. Selina’s off to the Palace to collect her OBE, but Florence is more than a little jealous. Plus, Lucy (Lisa McGrillis) is convinced that Selina is her mother and decides on a career change – she’s going to become an astronaut. Radio 4, 6.30pm

THURSDAY FREE THINKING

During the course of his career, Harry Belafonte worked with everyone from the Rat Pack to Spike Lee. As the BFI launches a season of his films, Matthew Sweet and guests look back at the life of the singer and actor, who was also a political activist and a key figure in the Civil Rights movement. Radio 3, 10pm

FRIDAY SCREENSHOT

Ellen E. Jones and Mark Kermode begin their new series by paying tribute to director Terence Davies, who died this year at the age of 77. Among the contributors are Scottish actor Jack Lowden and screenwriter Frank Cottrell-Boyce, who looks at Davies’s relationship to their hometown of Liverpool. Radio 4, 7.15pm

SATURDAY ARCHIVE ON 4: JIM KERR ON JIM MORRISON

Had he not died at 27 in the summer of 1971, Jim Morrison, the singer of 1960s psychedelic band The Doors, most famous for Riders On The Storm, would have recently celebrated his 80th birthday. Here, the Simple Minds frontman looks back at the singer’s brief spell in the spotlight, focusing on his rapid rise to fame and continuing influence, both on Kerr himself and other performers. Radio 4, 8pm