Forum menu
Fair point. Five Live in particular has loads of absolutely top notch podcasts
Dead Ringers is awful, I'm quite enjoying the Archers now Rob T is back on the programme.
Amazed that the unbelievably awful Saturday morning show with the creepy vicar hasn't been mentioned - smug middle class anecdotes, twee presenters, and a heavy input from members of the public. Ugh.
TBF at least with Gardener's Question Time and Kitchen Cabinet you know what you're getting: if you're not gardener or a foodie, you're not going to like it.
Sometimes there are absolute gems, an Alan Bennet where he played god,
Bill Nighy in "Vongole" too.
Radio 4 goes off during:
Gardeners question time - boring
Afternoon play - nearly always boring
ISIHGAC - smug
Moral maze - Melanie Philips might be on it and my head might explode
The Archers, by a country mile. Then any questions/answers.
I quite like 'sliced bread' though.
Amazed that the unbelievably awful Saturday morning show with the creepy vicar hasn’t been mentioned – smug middle class anecdotes, twee presenters, and a heavy input from members of the public
Not just me then that finds the vicar from the communards very irritating.
Generally, I've solved my dislike of most Radio 4 output by not listening to it. BBC Sounds is there for the occasional gem.
In our time with Melvyn Bragg. I invariably find his experts beyond irritating. Especially the one that pronounced turquoise Tor—kwazz.
I listen to R4 almost all day at work and a lot of the weekend. Yes there is some utter dross and some very poor/annoying presenters. But you only have to switch to local radio to realise that, on the whole, R4 (and R3) are pretty damn good.
Is there one single R4 program that hasn't been nominated yet??
And lastly does anyone remember Ida Barr's Artificial Hip Hop? or did I dream it? I'm sure it was a series late at night a few years back
Women's Hour: The last bastion of unchallenged sexism, promoting dubious undergrad level research (ask leading questions to an unbelievably small sample, don't challenge the results, and then claiming vast incite).
That ten minute programme on Sunday morning just before it gets seriously religious and even I have to turn the radio off (anyone describing themselves as a controversialist should be taken out and shot along with a significant proportion of the people phoning any answers).
The Food Programme (Feeding the minds of unbearable snobs)
Without a doubt, Today - just a bunch of right wing nut jobs lobbing soft questions to other right wing nut jobs.
Without a doubt, Today
Or Toady, as Steve Bell rightly pointed out
I used to be an avid listener. Weekending with Sally Grace was very good (apparently the team would meet in a BBC room and smoke weed for hours on end knocking up the jokes), From Our Own Correspondent, Media Show, Ned Sherrin and I even listened to the Archers. Now it doesn't even occur to me to switch it on, Kitchen Cabinet makes me want to vomit and the comedy stuff is really weak. Just strikes me as a bunch of chums overpromoting each other.
The vicar from the Communards was randomly sacked a few months ago after quite a few years service for being too old the wrong kind of gay not quite the thing no idea why. Shame really as whilst I hated that awful Saturday program I quite liked him.
Today program very much depends on the presenter but there was a classic earlier this week when one of the patronising presenters clearly was annoyed at having to do a piece on the Barbie movie and hadn't done her homework - I think she thought it was Disney guff or something and basically the 'pro' guest ( young Gen z journo) and the 'anti' guest (emeritus professor of something worthy) totally agreed on its merits and were both going to go see it - leaving our presenter struggling for a comeback
+1000 for anything John Finemore . Also Alexei Sayles Sandwich Bar… and more recently the train journeys is good.
There’s heaps of good R4 comedy if you look for it.
I only use Sounds so never listen to R4 live, therefore don’t listen to bad stuff.
The Clitheroe Kid ?
Oooh, flipping heck! I thought I was old!
I am, but as it ran from April 1957 until August 1972, (thank you, Mr Sparkles), and I was born in ‘54, then I would have had it inflicted on me at some point in my formative years.
The vicar from the Communards was randomly sacked a few months ago after quite a few years service for being too old the wrong kind of gay not quite the thing no idea why.
I had to look this up. He wasn't fired for any of these reasons (or for being terrible imvho). The production moved to Cardiff and he didn't want to do it any more.
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/mar/22/it-just-feels-a-bit-sad-the-rev-richard-coles-disappointed-at-rushed-bbc-radio-4-exit?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
But why would you bother listening to it like that when Sounds exists? Just line up what you do like using the queue
Most of my listing is while driving. I am just off and don't want to burn though data
Used to like Count Arthur Strong years ago, but it did run out of steam, can't believe it got a TV series, that was even worse!
Some of the afternoon plays I think have been very good over the years, Prayer for Owen Meany always stuck in my mind and Pilgrim is fantastic.
But, Any Answers...........Jesus christ.......
The other annoying thing with R4 is the ratio of arts programs to everything else. It's like all the commissioning editors are white, male Oxbridge graduates.
Oh, wait a minute .....
Most of my listing is while driving. I am just off and don’t want to burn though data
You can download it.
But, Any Answers………..Jesus christ……
The should just rename it Racist Pensioner Hour then everyone knows exactly what they’re getting
The vicar from the Communards was randomly sacked a few months ago after quite a few years service for being too old the wrong kind of gay not quite the thing no idea why. Shame really as whilst I hated that awful Saturday program I quite liked him.
when my wife worked in care, his parents were part of her round. They and Him were very nice apparently.
Woman’s hour. It’s fundamentally sexist
Woman’s hour. It’s fundamentally sexist
So is the BBC Asian network fundamentally racist?
I'm not a devoted R4 listener by any means, but I'd agree that the comedy usually seems unfunny and the drama seems stilted, cliched and dull.
I do suspect there's an element of jobs for the (posh) boys and girls, with R4 commissioners giving work to their pals for content that nobody really wants.
In terms of annoying presenters, can I just mention Justin Webb, who is probably a nice guy but comes across as a pompous windbag a lot of the time.
In our time with Melvyn Bragg.
The way he talks too fast in a monotone makes it impossible for me to engage with it.
Nothing wrong with having loads of arts programs. It is R4 not 6 music after all and the arts are woefully neglected in the UK, being regarded as unimportant by this philistine government. Criticism could be levelled if all the arts discussed and reviewed are only accessible to white middle class people but I’m not sure that’s the case.
you and yours. Not just because the host likes to talk over people with often a condescending tone, but because of the phones. It seems like it's 50/50 if the phone connection is crap and you get the back and forth of deciding if the caller is actually there.
I genuinely don’t get the point of vox pop / any answers / phone in shows. Throughout my life I’ve met hundreds of people who have interesting, diverse views and can give a relatively informed response to a well thought out question - so why is it that literally every phone in or person in the street asked a question just spouts the last thing they read in the mail or on their local town facebook page? How do they find so many idiots? And why? What’s the point of it?
Though for the Day - 5 minutes of poor sermonising followed by a contrived link to a prayer. Prayer for the Day (the early morning one) is much better in my atheist opinion.
Loads of good R4 content being dismissed above. Can't be bothered to argue any individual case... so just going to post...
Which radio station produces better comedy or factual magazine content?
In our time with Melvyn Bragg, lots of words all mixed up in an order that makes them unintelligible to my ears..
In Our Time is heavy listening. And sometimes you're just not interested in 15th century salmon farming.
I think they should bring back I'm sorry I'll say that again. I like In our Time. Every time I try to listen to Question Time or The Moral Maze I remember why I don't.
Apart from early mornings* and while cooking supper I, like others, look at the schedule amd listen to what looks interesting on sounds.
*Thought for the day triggers a
scramble for the off button just like The Archers does.
Whilst I don’t exactly like Any Answers, I don’t read the Daily Mail either, so I always find it a bit of an eye opener when I do catch it.
Which radio station produces better comedy or factual magazine content?
Which other radio station produces any comedy or factual magazine content, better or otherwise?
Loads of good R4 content being dismissed above. Can’t be bothered to argue any individual case…
Plus one. There's a huge range of programmes for different tastes so obviously some will be unappealing to individuals. Actually I will defend a case. The food programme and Kitchen Cabinet which are 2 of my faves are amazing for people who are passionate about food, cooking and learning more about where our food comes from and food from a vast array of cultures. They also celebrate and support our local producers and farmers with the food and farming awards. I went to the recording of a KC in Brighton and it was really fun and friendly and Jay Rayner is a great guy who knows his shit and not just about food.
I actually enjoy the vast majority of radio 4 content though some individual episodes can be hit and miss(hardly surprising considering the huge volume) though for me their comedy is my least favourite genre but I also find it rare to find good comedy from any source including television.
Which other radio station produces any comedy or factual magazine content, better or otherwise?
BBC Scotland and BBC Asian Network does comedy and magazine content, and most local radio stations do magazine content. Sunrise Radio, I think. Times Radio. I'm not saying they're better.
Which radio station produces better comedy or factual magazine content?
It's all about podcasts these days.
That's where I get most of my R4 content anyway.
Woman’s hour. It’s fundamentally sexist
So is the BBC Asian network fundamentally racist?
Yes of course it is. It is by definition as it’s setup to cater for one section of society. All state funded broadcasting should be aimed at the whole population
What? In which case get rid of BBC radio Norfolk because I don't live there, Radio one because it's not for my demographic and Ski Sunday because I don't ski, and neither do large swathes of the population.