Best of Today

In the summer of 2014, Bernard Jordan made global headlines. He had staged a “great escape” from his care home to join fellow war veterans on a beach in Normandy, commemorating their fallen comrades at the D-Day Landings 70th anniversary. It was a story that captured the imagination of the world as Bernie embodied the defiant, “can-do” spirit of a generation that was fast disappearing. But of course, it wasn’t the whole story. It was an inspirational but sanitised retelling of one man’s need to come to terms with the lasting trauma of war. That story is now in the cinemas in The Great Escaper, starring Sir Michael Caine and the late Glenda Jackson Today's Martha Kearney speaks to Sir Michael and the film's director Oliver Parker. Photo: Martha Kearney and Michael Caine)

Residents in a south London block of flats are considering legal action against a housing association, after their neighbour lay dead for two and a half years before her body was found, despite their efforts to raise the alarm. 58-year-old Sheila Seleoane, was a medical secretary, who was found in her flat in Peckham last year. For Sheila's neighbours though it had been obvious for a long time that something was wrong.This week we’re looking more closely at Shelia's story, to explore what happened and what it tells us about modern Britain. Harry Farley speaks to Today's Mishal Husain, and in the first of three reports, he asks why it took so long before Sheila was discovered?

Sheila Seleoane lay dead for two and a half years before her body was found - despite repeated efforts to raise the alarm. Sheila was a 58-year-old medical secretary who died in her South London flat in August 2019.In a final report by the BBC's Harry Farley, he goes back to speak to her neighbours.Today's Martha Kearney speaks to Ian McDermott, chief executive of Peabody, the housing association which was Sheila’s landlord.

Sheila Seleoane was found in her Peckham flat in February 2022 and had to be identified by dental records.Her neighbours initially made complains to their housing association, Peabody, about a foul stench and maggots in 2019 – but the housing association only made one “proactive attempt” to contact the tenant and cut off her gas.Miss Seleoane’s last known contact was with her GP in August 2019, and when her body was found, the cause of her death was unascertained due to the advanced state of composition of her body.But what was she like and who was she? In the second in a series of three, Harry Farley talks to Today’s Justin Webb about loneliness and isolation while living in an urban area.

The Today Debate is about taking an issue and pulling it apart with more time than we could ever have during the morning.Join Today presenter Mishal Husain, as in front of a live audience in Glasgow, a panel of guests discuss the problem of drug abuse and drug deaths in Scotland. Together they look at different approaches and ask whether decriminalisation is the answer.The panel includes people with personal experience of addiction and those who have seen loved ones derailed. We will also be joined by people working on the frontline and Police Scotland.If you need help with any of the issues raised in the programme there's advice and support on the BBC Action Line website https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline

Martha Mills was 13 years old when she died in hospital two years ago, after failures by doctors to spot and treat her sepsis.Her parents are calling for hospitals to implement 'Martha's Rule', where patients and their families would be given the right to an urgent second opinion, if they feel their concerns are not being taken seriously by medical staff.Today's Mishal Husain speaks to Martha's mother Merope Mills.(Photo: Martha Mills, Credit: Merope Mills)

Back in March, to mark 20 years of the Today guest editors we gave people the chance to apply in teams to make a programme with us.Thousands of you applied and this summer we have been featuring programmes guest edited by those successful teams of listeners.In the last in the series Vince, Fiona, Derek and Lucas invited us to Tenby in West Wales. For their programme they wanted us to look at what happens when the tourists go home from towns like theirs. They don’t think we spend enough time thinking about the challenges that face coastal communities, not just in Tenby, but across the UK.

Former Health Secretary Sajid Javid lost his brother Tariq to suicide in 2018. It is the number one cause of death for young people and biggest killer of men under 50. In a personal report for the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, Sajid speaks to people in Bristol, where he grew up, whose lives have been affected by suicide and also speaks to the chief exec of the Samaritans and other mental health campaigners. He then tells Today's Martha Kearney what he thinks the government should be doing to help with suicide prevention. If you are suffering distress or despair and need support, including urgent support, a list of organisations that can help is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline, or you can call for free to hear recorded information on 0800 066 066

Back in March, to mark 20 years of the Today guest editors we gave people the chance to apply in teams to make a programme with us.Thousands of you applied and every Saturday through August we’ll be featuring programmes guest edited by those successful teams of listeners.Today it was the turn of ‘Friendly Neighbours’. Sudi, Mike, Pol and Sophie are four friends and neighbours from the Kingsdown area of Bristol. At the heart of their community is the Dove Street Estate, a modernist high rise development built in the 1960s. They want to look at how we make sure that, when we are planning housing developments, we really think about the people and communities who will live there.

Back in March, to mark 20 years of the Today guest editors we gave people the chance to apply in teams to make a programme with us.Thousands of you applied and every Saturday through August we’ll be featuring programmes guest edited by those successful teams of listeners.Today it was the turn of Anne, Moyra, Alan and Andrew who are all members of the Dunbartonshire Concert Band. They wanted to use their guest edit to explore the benefits of community music. They commissioned a special report on music education and they asked us to look at whether playing an instrument help keep your brain “fit” as you get older? Their programme features the violinist Nicola Benedetti.

Our programme is guest edited by Moyra, Anne, Alan and Andrew, four members of the Dunbartonshire Concert Band.For their programme they wanted to look at the contribution community music makes to society. The were very keen to hear from the violinist Nicola Benedetti. Not only is she a world acclaimed violinist, but she has campaigned for years for better music provision – especially for children from underprivileged backgrounds. Nicola Benedetti is also “Big Sister” to a social change and music education programme called "The Big Noise" that provides free music tuition alongside free childcare and healthy food. The charity supports 3,500 children across Scotland.Nicola spoke to Today's Simon Jack for this special edition of Today.

Back in March, to mark 20 years of the Today guest editors we gave people the chance to apply in teams to make a programme with us.Thousands of you applied and every Saturday through August we’ll be featuring programmes guest edited by those successful teams of listeners.Today it was the turn of Hannah, Cenya and Huzaifah. They are three friends who have all experienced the loss of someone close to them and want to talk about what good grief looks like. Their programme features the former England Cricket Captain Andrew Strauss who set up a foundation in memory of his wife, Ruth, who died of cancer. The Ruth Strauss Foundation supports families facing the death of a parent. If you need support with any of the issues raised in this podcast you can find organisations that can help at www.bbc.co.uk/actionlineThis guest edit of Today was produced by Laura Cooper, Hazel Morgan and Louisa Lewis.

Back in March, to mark 20 years of the Today guest editors we gave people the chance to apply in teams to make a programme with us. Thousands of you applied and every Saturday through August we’ll be featuring programmes guest edited by those successful teams of listeners.Today it was the turn of Amy, Jo and Gig. They've called their team, Messy Fostering. Amy who’s now 23-years-old was fostered at 14 by Gig and ended up spending her summers with her teacher Jo.For them, it worked. But sometimes it doesn't and they wanted to use their guest edit to look at how we can stop foster placements breaking down and recruit and retain more foster families. Their programme features the poet and broadcaster Lemn Sissay, the Children's Minister Claire Coutinho and other young people who have been fostered. If you need support with any of the issues raised in this podcast you can find organisations that can help at www.bbc.co.uk/actionlineThis guest edit of Today was produced by Laura Cooper, Hazel Morgan and Louisa Le

The Today Debate is about taking a subject and pulling it apart with more time than we could ever have during the programme in the morning.Today presenter Mishal Husain is joined by a panel of guests in the BBC's Radio Theatre, where in front of a live audience, they discuss the current state of the housing market.On the panel are George Clarke, architect and broadcaster; David Simmonds the Conservative MP for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Housing and Planning; David O'Leary from the Home Builders Federation, which represents housebuilders in England and Wales; Claer Barrett, Consumer Editor for the Financial Times and Richard Fearon, Chief Executive of the Leeds Building Society.

The Today Debate is about taking a subject and pulling it apart with more time than we could ever have during the Today programme in the morning.Today presenter Mishal Husain was joined by a panel of guests in the BBC's Radio Theatre in Broadcasting House to look at the future of the Royal Family in 'The Today Debate: Do we need a Monarchy?'Joining her were Billy Bragg, the singer and songwriter; Juliet Samuel, a columnist for the Times; Polly Toynbee, a columnist at the Guardian; Charles Moore, former editor of the Telegraph and the Spectator, biographer of Margaret Thatcher and Jason Arday, an academic who works on inequality, race and education.

Björn Ulvaeus has guest edited BBC Radio 4's Today and his programme included a lot of insights and encounters about Eurovision. Hear him talk to one of the British jurors who in 1974 gave ABBA's Waterloo "nul points" - and doesn't regret it! He also discusses with Erasure's Andy Bell, Radio 1's Adele Roberts and UK Eurovision presenter Rylan Clark the appeal of the contest and ABBA itself to the LGBT+ community. Bjorn also speaks to Martin Österdahl, executive supervisor of Eurovision, about whether it can move to be a fully global competition. (Photo: ABBA triumph at 1974 Eurovision. Credit: BBC)

Today's fourth Christmas guest editor this year is Sir Jeremy Fleming, director of GCHQ, the UK's largest but probably least known intelligence agency. Hear highlights from his programme which centres on the theme of data and trust, including how we all share our own personal information and how intelligence agencies across the world handle that data. Guests include Avril Haines, the United States director of national intelligence, Vint Cerf, one of the founding fathers of the internet, and multiple Olympic champion Sir Ben Ainslie, who discusses the use of data in his sport of sailing.

Today’s final Christmas guest editor this year is Dame Sharon White, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership and former head of telecoms regulator Ofcom. She was named as the most powerful black person in the country in the 2023 Power List. One of the key issues for her programme is how society can help more people who have been in care get into employment – and includes a report from the BBC’s Ashley John-Baptiste, who grew up in care. She also speaks to world renown choreographer Sir Matthew Bourne about how to attract a wider audience to ballet, and she interviews England rugby star Maro Itoje about his activism off the field.

Today’s sixth Christmas guest editor is Anne-Marie Imafidon – computer scientist, CEO and co-presenter of Countdown.Hear highlights of her programme, whose central theme is opportunity. She looks at how we work, how we fund science, and how we recognise the achievements of women which have been lost to history, such as Dr Gladys Mae West, whose maths work paved the way for GPS navigation. We also explore two of Anne-Marie’s big passions – Nigerian food and trainers.

Today's fifth Christmas guest editor is Björn Ulvaeus from ABBA.Hear highlights from his programme, which looks at the impact of Artificial Intelligence and technology on music, the future of democracy and of course Eurovision - the contest which launched Abba's global success nearly 50 years ago. Guests include Dave Stewart from the Eurythmics, the historian Noah Yuval Harari, Andy Bell from Erasure, the boss of Eurovision, as well as its UK presenter Rylan Clark, and former culture minister Lord Vaizey.