Daily TV & radio - Thursday

Melvyn Bragg – In Our Time (9.00 am R4). Humanism discussed, with Lisa Jardine and Tony Davis.
The Material World (4.30 R4). The University of Pisa's research on people in love.
The Jewish Journey (8.00 R4). A "personal journey" through the history of Jews in Britain, with Andrew Sachs, starts with the medieval period.
Twenty Minutes: The Lost Arab (8.20 R3). A talk by Linda Grant on the life and work of Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai.
Costing the Earth (9.00 R4). Last in environmental series is an update on subjects already dealt with, such as overhead power lines and toxic fumes in aircraft.
» Horizon: Killer Algae (9.00 BBC2; 9.30 in Wales). The menace of caulerpa taxifolia , the weed that is taking over parts of the Mediterranean seabed.
The Private Life of Giuseppe Verdi (9.00 BBC Knowledge). Documentary about the great Italian composer, narrated by Gaia Servadio.
The Hidden Scrolls of Herculaneum (9.00 C4). Second of two Secrets of the Dead specials about the 79 AD eruption of Vesuvius focuses on the Herculaneum library that has been discovered packed with thousands of philosophical scrolls.
I, Claudius (9.00 UK Drama). Episodes two and three: "Waiting in the Wings" and "What Shall We Do About Claudius?"
» Night Waves   (9.30 R3). Including an item on the archives of Manchester's John Rylands Library, and the latest Don DeLillo novel.
» Planets – Brief Encounters (9.50 BBC2, 10.20 in Wales). Venus.
The Works - La Fenice (10.00 BBC Knowledge). About the fire that destroyed Venice's celebrated theatre five years ago.
» Open Science   (from 12.30 am BBC2). Including, at 1.00 am, » Final Frontier , a Mars special, with the latest discoveries and news of the British Beagle 2 mission to the planet.