Radio, radio

Hmm. Rain has returned to the South West, with a vengeance. Feels just like old times here.

So, apart from essential labrador walking morning and afternoon and a spur of the moment visit to the next village for a quick cappuccino fix with chums, it has been a working day. Copy to be written, deadlines to be met, other people’s mistakes to be corrected.

However, one of the joys of working from home is that I can have the radio on, all day if I like, just turning down the volume when the telephone rings.

As regular visitors to 60goingon16 know, I am a BBC Radio 4 addict and, with a few notable exceptions (Cranford, for example), I’d far rather listen to the radio than watch television.

And today was so stuffed full of radio gems, I could hardly contain myself. Dog walking over, I started with Katherine Whitehorn reading the second part of her autobiography, Selective Memory. As Gillian Reyonolds pointed out in her excellent radio column in the Telegraph, the Observer was crazy to axe Katherine’s superb weekly column. So good on R4 for celebrating what the Observer discarded.

And on Woman’s Hour, more literary excellence, with the second episode of Dombey and Son, with Geraldine James.

This was followed by Energising the West a fascinating programme, especially for those of us in the toe of England, on how our region is pioneering the development and use of alternative energy technologies.

And then . . . Ketubah, an audio diary kept by musician and DJ Max Reinhardt, as he created a Jewish wedding installation inspired by the mystery surrounding his grandmother’s secret marriage in Lithuania before she fled to Britain in 1914.

After The World at One, there were even more goodies. In the final programme in the Stage to Screen series, Paul Gambaccini traced the journey to film of Oliver, one of the most successful stage musicals of the 1960s.

But there was more! The Afternoon Play offered a treat for all members of the Jane Austen Fan Club, with A City Full of Swindlers by Jenny Stewart. This was based on the transcripts of the trial of Jane Austen’s aunt who, in 1799, was accused of stealing lace and arraigned at Taunton Assizes. (Another notch in today’s West Country radio tally.)

I missed the rest of the afternoon’s output but thanks to BBC Radio’s Listen Again feature, I can catch up on the second story in the Red Mountain, Yellow River series on life in China by writers from the Chinese diaspora, and this week’s editions of Word of Mouth and A Good Read.

Although I am fiercely loyal to Radio 4, I do hop over to Radio 3, for programmes like The Essay. The current topic is Emotional Landscapes and tonight, in an essay on patience, Sean O'Brien reflects on the life of his grandmother from Hull. If I manage to stay awake, I’ll try to catch a least a bit of Late Junction. With its ecelectic range of music, Late Junction has taken me to singers, musicians, composers, instruments, places and performances that I might never otherwise have encountered.

So that’s just one day and just a fraction of BBC Radio’s output. There is absolutely nothing to compare with this level of broadcasting quality anywhere in the world. I do try never to take it for granted and I have always appreciated how fortunate I am to be able to listen to radio broadcasting of this standard every day of my life. And my life would most definitely be emptier and poorer without it.

I have never been interested in jingoism and I feel uncomfortable with extreme expressions of patriotism but for me, in the current heated debate on the nature of Britishness, BBC Radio is something of which we can rightfully and comfortably feel proud. It is ours, it is free (well, at point of delivery that is) and it speaks to the world. For which may we always be truly grateful.

Comments

[Maureen]

Oddly, I listened to far more radio when I was working than I do now. I had my car radio permanently tuned to Radio 4 as I drove around Devon. Now I tend only to listen when I have the house to myself.

What do you think of Woman's Hour's dramatisation of books instead of straightforward reading? I haven't decided whether it is an example of the Beeb's dumbing down or a reflection of the pace of modern life, where no-one has time to listen to a beautifully written piece of prose and so settles for a truncated dialogue.

[60goingon16]

I much prefer the original Woman's Hour approach M; I don't think you can beat a good reader. (Nigel Anthony, the son of a family friend and a longstanding BBC regular, is one of the best.) However, on this occasion - because it is Dickens and Geraldine James - I'm prepared to make an exception!

On reflection, I can't recall the rationale for the change, can you? I do agree that the Beeb has made some odd and misguided decisions in recent years (eg shortening the Afternoon Play) but, for all, that, it still manages to deliver large quantities of brilliant radio programmes, for which (as an isolated, home-based, rural writer) I am eternally grateful.

[Jane]

A fellow addict, I listen to Radio 4 here at the southern tip of Africa via my laptop (but not as much as I'd like to due to work commitments). It makes me feel less isolated, more connected with the bigger world. I cannot listen to the local radio because it is too depressing, and I haven't had a TV for the last 5 years. Viva Radio 4, Viva.

[Maureen]

I love Radio 4, despite the changes in recent years. I think some programme makers underestimate their listeners at times. They have swallowed the popular notion that our concentration is limited to a few minutes hence we get magazine type programmes packed with lots of short articles, people being cut off in mid-sentence and simplified or abridged versions of books and drama. Shall we mount a campaign to bring back the excellent readers?