Queen of The Desert

Natural World visits the Arizona desert, where a new honey ant queen wages an intense battle for survival as she attempts to build and defend her empire. Eliminating rivals with ruthless efficiency, sacrificing thousands in her quest for domination, murder, cannibalism, genocide - she will do anything to keep her crown. Empire of the Ants is the epic story of one honey ant queen's dramatic rise to power - and her brutal fall from grace.

Pat Albeck, who died in September 2017, was a prolific and well-known textile and homewear designer, affectionately known as 'the Queen of the Tea Towel'. Her obituary appeared in The Times and the Guardian, and she was the guest on Desert Island Discs a few years ago. Pat started designing in the 1950s and continued working throughout her life, including for John Lewis and Emma Bridgewater. She's best known for her work with the National Trust, for whom she designed some 300 tea towels from the 1970s to the present day.

Back to the past with radio FM Gold – The Ultimate Collection, a box set of 5 CDs for a total of 100 tracks.