File on 4
BBC Radio 4
Award-winning current affairs documentary series investigating major issues at home and abroad
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Top 10 File on 4 Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best File on 4 episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to File on 4 for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite File on 4 episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
02/12/19 • 37 min
Transforming Care is the NHS policy which should be moving learning disabled people out of hospital units and into their own supported homes.
But File on 4 asks if the growth in the supported living sector is really providing the happy, safe and secure homes it was meant to.
While the NHS has struggled to get its money into the hands of the councils who provide supported living, councils have gone their own way; commissioning services from care companies and homes from private landlords to give learning disabled adults their own front doors and their own independence.
But with little in the way of inspection and councils under budgetary constraints, File on 4 asks if the push to build supported living risks repeating the mistakes of the past, with some of the country's most vulnerable people housed in institutions far from public scrutiny.
Reporter: Claire Bolderson Producer: Rob Cave Editor: Gail Champion
(Photo Credit: MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)
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Police Restraint
File on 4
01/31/12 • 37 min
Inquests in England are increasingly hearing a new term to explain deaths in police custody: Excited Delirium. It's a diagnosis with origins in the United States, where it has been associated with consumption of massive doses of cocaine. People with ED are said to possess super-human strength and to be largely impervious to pain. They behave bizarrely, sometimes destructively.They often seem paranoid and frequently resist arrest. As police struggle to restrain them they overheat and die.
But critics -- including some British Pathologists -- point out that Excited Delirium is not recognised by the World Health Organisation and that there is a lack of valid research. Civil liberties organisations fear that the diagnosis might be employed to excuse improper use of restraint techniques by police.
For 'File on 4' Angus Stickler has travelled to the cocaine capital of the United States, Miami, where police and scientists are attempting to define and deal with the controversial condition.
And in England he speaks to families whose loved ones have died after being restrained by the police. Is Excited Delirium well-enough understood to be used by courts? And just how many people are dying while being restrained -- either in custody or while being arrested? Are the official figures reliable? Producer: Andy Denwood.
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Subscription Scams
File on 4
02/22/22 • 36 min
From pills that resolve chronic pain issues overnight to diet supplements which promise to help shed pounds in days, the internet is awash with adverts making bold claims. Some come with a celebrity endorsement, where household names appear to give their personal stamp of approval to a product. But many of these are scams, with customers tricked into parting with more money than they realise ever intended. File on 4 investigates the growth of online subscription scams, where customers are unwittingly signed up to schemes which hit them with hidden charges, unexpected monthly fees and products which are made deliberately difficult to cancel. We hear from victims with chronic illnesses desperately searching for a solution to their ailments, who are instead left out of pocket and we speak to the celebrities furious their names are being used to endorse such products. The programme goes in search of those running these schemes online and exposes the tools and tricks designed to scam unwitting customers and sheds light on the creation of a global multi-million pound industry.
Reporter: Athar Ahmad Producer: Anna Meisel Editor: Carl Johnston
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Tolerating the Intolerant?
File on 4
02/01/11 • 37 min
Reporter Jenny Cuffe investigates claims that one of the groups behind the blasphemy law in Pakistan is also active in the UK. The religious extremists are accused of spreading a hate message against members of other Islamic sects who they regard as infidels. One group that's been targeted accuses the authorities of not doing enough to protect them - and says political correctness has resulted in Britain tolerating the intolerant. Producer: David Lewis.
Sewage Sludge
File on 4
02/04/20 • 36 min
For decades sewage sludge from waste treatment works has been used as a fertiliser on agricultural land. But File on 4 hears serious concerns over whether it could pose a risk to human health and whether tougher regulation is needed.
The practice is perfectly legal. Treated sewage known as 'sludge' or 'biosolids' provides a rich and cost-effective source of nutrients for soil which is then used to grow crops. The process saves more than three and a half million tonnes of human waste going into landfill or being incinerated. But reporter Claire Bolderson hears from scientists worried about the chemicals, plastics and medicines that could be damaging soil and making their way into the food chain. And she investigates the process of regulating the treatment, storage and use of sludge, amid claims from experts that rules are outdated and oversight lacking.
Recycling sewage as fertiliser fits today’s environmental agenda for waste. But do we know enough about what the potential impact of the practice might be in the future?
Reporter: Claire Bolderson Producer: Ben Robinson Editor: Carl Johnston
Rogue Hauliers
File on 4
03/07/17 • 37 min
In January a haulage boss and his mechanic were jailed for a tipper truck crash which killed four people. The brakes on six of the truck's eight wheels weren't working properly. The expert examiner from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency said Grittenham Haulage's vehicle would have been taken off the road if it had been stopped in a roadside check.
But are there sufficient roadside and on-site checks to detect safety breaches?
File on 4 uncovers cases where unsafe vehicles and drivers were allowed to remain on the roads, despite known concerns.
So does the current system of regulation and punishment go far enough to deter rogue operators who drive some of the most dangerous vehicles on our roads?
Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: David Lewis.
05/19/20 • 36 min
The awful impact of Covid-19 on the lives of care home residents and staff is now well understood. But many in the industry believe the authorities, both local and national, didn't recognise the threat of the virus on the most vulnerable elderly early enough and didn't react quickly enough to stop it spreading through their homes. File on 4 hears from those who say opportunities to collect and share information were missed, that vital PPE supplies weren't secured quickly enough and that a policy of discharges of untested patients into care homes was ill thought-out and badly executed. The effect this has had on residential elderly care, they say, isn't just measured in the deaths of those who went too soon, but also in the threat the virus now poses to the survival of the whole private care industry. With testimony from those at the front line at the very beginning of the crisis, File on 4 examines the fight to keep care home residents safe on the frontline and investigates the circumstances which led to care homes becoming one of the most significant crucibles for the virus.
Editor; Ciaran Tracey Producers; Rob Cave and Helen Clifton Reporter; Jane Deith
03/01/16 • 37 min
Special guardianship orders are a way of giving legal status to those - usually grandparents, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters - who come forward to care for children when their parents can't. SGOs were designed to let children grow up with family, instead of in care - once a relative is granted special guardianship, the council steps backs and the guardian can raise the child without social services interfering. The use of special guardianship orders has been rising-last year more than 3,000 of them were made. But special guardianship breaks down more often - and more quickly - than adoption. And in some cases children have been neglected, abused, or murdered. The family court service Cafcass and the Association of Directors of Children's Services have warned that weak assessments of the risks of family placements are a 'real risk' for children. The government has re-written the law on how special guardians are assessed. But with court deadlines and growing pressure on social workers and budgets, will it make children safer? Jane Deith investigates. Producer: Emma Forde.
Sunni Shia Splits?
File on 4
02/16/16 • 37 min
Are international conflicts creating tensions between Sunni and Shia Muslims in the UK?
Shabnam Mahmood reports from both Sunni and Shia communities and reveals how divisive messages from the Middle East are fuelling intolerance here.
Organisations which monitor hate crimes say sectarian violence, while low level, is increasing.
One Shia man tells the programme: "It is now becoming quite dangerous. It is an attack on me as a Shia that really scares me."
Mahmood reports from one of an increasing number of unity events being staged across the country to foster good relations. A Sunni imam tells her: "These are dangerous times and the religious leadership need to be seen to be doing things to bring communities together."
So can such work prevent tensions escalating in the face of the sectarian propaganda that's increasingly available online and on satellite television channels?
Producer: Sally Chesworth.
UK Asylum: A Systems Failure?
File on 4
03/08/16 • 37 min
As more and more migrants seek asylum in the UK, is the system for processing their applications reaching breaking point? Allan Urry investigates the impact of a drastic reduction in the numbers of courts hearing cases. At the same time, appeals are going up and key rulings against Home Office decisions to return people to other countries are also piling on the pressure. With Europe now bracing itself for a fresh wave of refugees fleeing conflict, why is it taking so long and costing so much to decide who should be granted asylum here? Reporter: Allan Urry Producer: David Lewis.
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FAQ
How many episodes does File on 4 have?
File on 4 currently has 439 episodes available.
What topics does File on 4 cover?
The podcast is about Society & Culture, Podcasts and Government.
What is the most popular episode on File on 4?
The episode title 'No Place Like Home - The Inside Story of Supported Living' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on File on 4?
The average episode length on File on 4 is 37 minutes.
How often are episodes of File on 4 released?
Episodes of File on 4 are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of File on 4?
The first episode of File on 4 was released on Oct 5, 2010.
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