CRAIG BROWN: And now on BBC Radio 4, doom with extra gloom 

In south-east, variable, rough or very rough with cloudy patches developing, giving way to deep unhappiness. (Stock image)

SHIPPING FORECAST: Covering shipping areas Dogger, Fisher, German Bight, Mental Health, Humber, Thames, Diss, Functional, Self-Pity, Trafalgar, FitzRoy, Panic Attack and Sole. 

In south-east, variable, rough or very rough with cloudy patches developing, giving way to deep unhappiness.

TODAY: All the latest pandemic tragedies. 

Plus, with up to 60 per cent of adults reporting feeling either ‘slightly sadder’ or ‘quite a bit sadder’ after listening to morning radio news programmes, we ask: ‘Is it time to reach for the off button — or would this have a detrimental effect on our mental health?’

THE DAILY SERVICE: The Gadarene Swine. On the anniversary of the tragic death of so many innocent animals, the Rev Steve Surplice assesses the possible impact on the mental health of the surviving pigs.

BOOK OF THE WEEK: Joy In The Morning by P.G. Wodehouse. 

Jeeves wants to go fishing in the village of Steeple Bumpleigh, but Bertie refuses to join him because it is home to his Aunt Agatha, who suffers from severe anger management issues.

WOMAN’S HOUR: Three leading Inuit women weavers express their concerns about the recent 15 per cent drop in government funding for patchwork quilts. Also, Sandi Toksvig on why more is never enough.

YOU AND YOURS: Winifred Robinson asks food expert Sue Glum: ‘Are we eating too much cake? What effect does the increasing popularity of baking shows on television have on our mental health?’ 

Joy In The Morning by P.G. Wodehouse

Joy In The Morning by P.G. Wodehouse

Later in the programme, Winifred Robinson asks food expert Sue Glum: ‘Are we eating too little cake?’

THE WORLD AT ONE: With April 1 looming, what is the possible impact of April Fool’s pranks on the most vulnerable in our society? 

A member of the influential Public Interference Select Committee calls for an independent task force to look into the terrible effect practical jokes can have on mental health.

THE ARCHERS: Jim fears for the future of the parish council. Pat hears some unexpected news. Tension mounts in the chicken coop. Jill takes delivery of her new tea service. Recent events take their toll on Alice’s mental health.

MONEY BOX LIVE: Now that the UK has left the European Union, what will be the impact of increased rates of anger, loneliness and anxiety disorder on our deserted high streets? 

Also, with Covid restrictions lifting, are our high streets about to become too overcrowded?

AFTERNOON PLAY: Rip van Winkle. One morning, a villager falls asleep in the Catskill mountains and doesn’t wake up for another 20 years. How does it impact on his mental health?

GARDENERS’ QUESTION TIME: Kathy Clugston and the team come to Knutsford, Cheshire, to answer all your questions. ‘I would like to grow a hydrangea in a pot. 

Can the panel give me some advice on size, positioning and feeding, bearing in mind my current concerns for my mental health?’

PM: With the future of the world in peril, and many millions set to die before the decade is out, what is being done to improve our sense of well-being?

Boris Johnson gives an update on the coronavirus pandemic during a virtual press conference

Boris Johnson gives an update on the coronavirus pandemic during a virtual press conference

COMEDY HALF HOUR: Performers identifying as comedians tackle topical issues before a live audience formed of sufferers of ULS, or Unprovoked Laughter Syndrome.

ANY QUESTIONS: Join Chris Mason as this week’s panel tackle topical questions from the audience in the village of Wratting, North Yorkshire, including: ‘With the sun shining more frequently and for longer periods now that spring is upon us, what should the Government do to counter the possibly deleterious effects on the nation’s mental health?’

THE MORAL MAZE: Presenter Michael Buerk sighs: ‘Nearly 100 years since the release of The Laughing Policeman, has society still failed to come to terms with its shocking legacy? 

Is it right for policemen to laugh — and is what many see as the growing scourge of obesity in our police force destined to reach epidemic proportions within the next few years?’

IN OUR TIME: Melvyn Bragg and guests Professor Maud Lynne and Dr Des Parrot discuss the uncovering of Tutankhamun’s tomb by Howard Carter and his team in Egypt in 1922, and the stress and anxiety associated with the discovery.

BOOK AT BEDTIME: Cinderella. The young Cinderella finds herself driven into a world of psychotic fantasy by an over-reliance on her two stepsisters, who are increasingly concerned about her spiral into unrelenting melancholy.

SHIPPING FORECAST: Shannon, Rockall, Malin, Hebrides, Rapidly, Declining, Mental, Health.