Read this: 15/10/2021 Radio 4 Feedback

BBC sounds music Radio podcasts between politicians and their interviewers is sometimes first, but when the customer today's Nick Robinson at the Conservative Party Conference the atmosphere became rather warm not to say heated stop talking that was part of the first today interview for 2 years did his BBC interviewer overstepped the Mark I'm a fan of Wallace and I was surprised too disappointed to find myself feeling for the more than held against this interview technique not because he had good on since but because he behave with some charm and courtesy against the onslaught of rudeness brother to Nick Robinson for not letting the Prime Minister get away with his usual prettl and using Christians to go blurring and jabbering on and on in the first feedback of the new series of Last Broadcast journalist and former Conservative MP

Paris about the lessons to be learnt from that far from frosty Prime ministerial in counter, also this week another dissatisfied listener.

I'm feeling baffled and slightly and say goodbye this program.

Not today this time but Richard osman's latest entertainment on the radio for fanatic and love many of the 630 programs because they're funny intelligent and entertaining this one however has got to be one of the flimsiest ever will be talking to the commissioning editor of the birthday cake game.

Will it get a second series and I should have a warning to BBC commissioners of a nervous disposition hot in pursuit of young listeners.

Many young people switched off the radio for the simple reason that they never switched it on when no one's listening to Radio you'll never going to hear all that work on was good because there's no one talking about it and I think maybe that could be it.

Isn't that our generation doesn't listen so much Radio 2 young siblings to experience good old-fashioned radio are they traumatised? Will they do it again find out later info?

Is there any point anymore to the set-piece political interview last week on the Tuesday of the Conservative Party Conference the Prime Minister was interviewed on the Today programme by Nick it was Boris Johnson's first appearance for 2 years.

It was shall we say a lively doesn't doesn't there's no there's no supply of young people in this frankly at the moment.

Thinking of becoming that is going to check questions and answers not where you nearly took if you wouldn't mind that I was disappointed to hear such a lack of respect showing to the prime minister by Nick when he rudely asked him to stop talking Boris may not be everyone's choice of Prime Minister but he was democratically elected and by showing that a clear lacquer.

Nick's at some very poor example to younger people listening joy moon Epping Essex was interviewing Boris Johnson and began in an antagonistic way referring to the fact that Mr Johnson had not appeared on the programme for two years this set the tone for the entire interview from start to finish, but the absolutely astonishing rudeness of Mr Robinson was displayed when he told our Prime Minister to stop talking interestingly Mr Robinson spent a lot of the interview time posing his own questions and disliked it when the prime minister tried to answer Julie and Brian Dawson can we can gratulate Nick Robinson refused to let Johnson get away with long answers that said nothing but used up the interview time he also pushed him to actually on.

Question rather than just repeat aspirations that showed no evidence of a cruciate plan either B Nick Robinson was quite right to insist that the p.m.

Is not here.

Just to talk but to put dissipate in a question-and-answer session as a listener and the voter I feel it is essential for any senior politician of whatever belittle do not just use a media interview as yet another party broadcast Brian in Edinburgh I was frustrated by the very poor interviewing style used in the Today programme this morning the rushed approach and constant interruption of the interviewee leave me confused and on edge it also leaves me without answers to important questions are the interviewers trying to catch people out to obtain sound Bites or are they just not interested in the answer well Nick Robinson is on holiday.

Not available for interview but the BBC did provide us with this statement as feedback listener comments suggest no live interview complete all parts of the audience in the context of the live broadcast we always try to balance allowing politician space to explore complex ideas with answering Direct questions put on the listeners behalf well, I'm delighted to be joined by the former Conservative MP journalist television interview where and of course Radio 4 Great Lives presenter Matthew Parris Matthew should Nick Robinson of told the prime minister to stop talking yes perhaps in retrospect and on the spur of the moment.

It's often difficult to get the wording right perhaps in slightly different wording on the whole when you're interviewing a politician or anybody with an agenda.

Your whole purpose is to stop them making speeches stop the making.

Statement for advises for prepared them for beforehand and get them to answer the questions and their whole purpose is his on the whole to avoid for difficult question so you're always always trying to stop people rabbiting on in this case actually Boris Johnson wasn't rabbiting on as much as he often does and wasn't actually avoiding the question particularly, I'm under admirer Boris Johnson to talk but he can be a lot worse than that so he was right to interrupt but perhaps not right to use the phrases used well an interview is a real real time sort of Life situation and things often come out a little bit differently.

I think that Boris is perhaps a little bit stung by the remote right of the Beginning at that we haven't had you one for 2 years now and it was making an extremely firepoint that perhaps that could have come up in a slightly.

All good natured way during the course of the interview, but I think it it nettled or it's a little bit at the beginning to think that the today programs format is getting too Babs conference they looking for a new story and they're looking for a punch up if you like and perhaps that's getting counterproductive.

I think the Today programme is always been like that.

I don't really think it's changed.

I think the problem is a slightly different one Nick Robinson in that interviewing and any today interview or in any interview is always watching the clock all the whether they've only got 3 minutes 5 minutes 6 minutes and Boris Johnson's 15 minutes and then they got a lot of things they want to get through and and and so they're trying to push push push get answers get answers tell the person to answer the question move on and it's one way of interviewing but it does lead to an interview the grapes.

I think we're quite a few listeners it.

Today programme where to give itself 25 minutes for an interview with a prime minister, I know the format of the program doesn't really allow for these extended interviews but you get a lot more out of somebody sometimes when both sides realised that the other side has all day if necessary to ask a question well at all of this unit is fasting terms of political interviewing and someone but there is the wider context of the BBC's battle with the government of moment or rather the government's go repeated accusations the BBC is not impartial the director-general of the BBC has said he recognises the BBC has two impartiality.

We've had Nadine dorries complaining about Andrew Marrs interview go the BBC has rejected that complaint so there's a tremendous pressure on BBQs to demonstrate impartiality.

Do you think that's a very heavy but then that's having an impact.

I think it can be ever done part of the the profession of

Advice is also to keep complaining keep pushing keep saying you're not getting a fair to you and I think it's quite important to not to respond to that by interviewing in a different way from how you would otherwise have interviewed of course you particularly Roger in in your job at the BBC as always here from the people who don't like an interview or much more from those who don't like it then from those who do and one must always remember that though you may get a complaint from Nadine dorries or whoever then they may have been millions of listeners who were cheering you on so on the whole I would have a fairly robust response to pressure from politicians and pressure from government so I understand the BBC quite an awkward corner.

I couldn't possibly comment I'll thanks to journalist Matthew Parris and please do let us know your thoughts about Dad's or anything else to do with BBC Radio and

Casts, this is how you get in touch you can send an email to feedback at bbc.co.uk alright the address is feedback PO Box 67234 London se1p 4ax you can follow activity on by using at BBC R4 feedback.

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This week we've been asking to BBC Radio listeners to step out of their comfort zone and listen to a program that would normally be on their radar this week.

We have to none listeners.

Who will try and talk to listening to at least some of the output.

I'm trying my brother and sister Sophie and Hamish McCurdy from Oxford and Sophie why don't you listen to BBC radio programmes? I don't drive.

I don't radio in my house.

So I never really come across it and then I don't go out my way to listen to it because they have never been had the spark of interest to do.

So what do you listen to I presume listen to some yeah mostly music on Spotify and then and a few podcast every now and then and what about you hear me.

She don't listen to broadcast radio then similar reasons to Sophie actually on the phone.

Not too easy to get Radio 2 playing I side with podcasts on YouTube and things like that.

There's a podcast app on the iPhone and yeah music as well.

Go take you to unexplored territory to listen to an episode of 5 Live Friday night social this one from the 1st of October it's a 2 hours long and perhaps Adam to listen to Just the first hour.

It's presented by Darren Fletcher with a panel including former Professional Footballers Dion Dublin Charlie Adam and never manure and Hamish are both football fans.

How do you describe this program? Was it basically Mail banter essentially as just kind of punch flakes having their break his attacks about football.

Not that it wasn't good.

It was just very much conversation about what is clearly a common interest amongst the people due to their careers and their own insights on what was going to happen on the future matches coming up does that cover it for you? That's how you describe it.

Yeah, but I mean they were talking a bit more technically then back again.

It was it was it was interesting.

What about Sophie the fact that wasn't a woman on the panel that this was a pretty male show on them? Yeah, I mean I've been told that they have been women previously but from this episode.

It was men and it would have been nice to see a woman and it but it's not you no detrimental to the program standards of quality of how well it went this surprise program.

I wasn't really sure what to expect when I can exchange in and I saw it I wasn't sure what sort of style programs are going to go for but yeah, it was seems more like a chat show I said what did you think Santa down that she had to hold the whole thing together then lots of contributors to help him out of various points but how well do you think he did so I think it's really quite well maintained quite informal atmosphere throughout a 1.8 did slightly descend into Madness when they were screaming about strikers, but I find that quite entertaining to be honest and how much would those players cost?

Now it's they have to bring them in you know that shouldn't go onto stated in my opinion.

Ok.

Ok ok, do you think anybody will sit for 2-hours and listen to this? I feel football Fanatics would you be able to sit through it? I was saying to myself that this would be something that I would listen to more have in the background while I'm doing something because you don't always want to be completely changed and you need some things like that.

I feel as though you probably can drop out of much as you like but also I would say that the amount of content.

They were actually discussing it was slightly dragged out but I still find it interesting it's not to it.

Smart have gone for a bit so long.

I do agree that they could have maybe touch them or subject because you're gonna go back.

How about you? Sophie are you tempted to go back and listen to 5 live as a result of Us forcing you to listen to this? I think I probably wouldn't go as far as to seek out on my own but if it was on and I was saying a car with somebody and they were happy to listen to I'd be happy very happy to actually actively listen to it and pay more attention didn't it's also quite so of user-friendly almost in that you could you don't need to obtain that much for knowledge beforehand to understand.

What was going on and how about you home if you tempted to go back to more from five live because of the timing of it on a Friday night.

I've actually recently had a shift pattern change where I am working on a Saturday so it may actually be something I tune into regularly now because

Play something to do other than going out because people listen to Radio 2 with broadcast Radio now that none of your friends listen to it as though you don't really want to admit to listening to the podcast Radio is that an element you kind of tend to do things that others around you're doing is just natural when no one's listening to Radio you'll never going to hear all that work on was good because you just there's no one talking about it and I think maybe that could be one of the reasons that our generation doesn't listen so much radio and have I used would you be slightly embarrassed to say to anybody all I really thought was a cracking programme on Radio 2 that's going too far 5 Live radio.

That's kind of become unpopular as you can't really choose as much as you can when you have a phone and a device that so easy to Taylor to exact.

What you want and we've almost become lazy and that we don't want to try new things and go and find radio shows when that's the sort of things are parents.

Did when we were little and that's you know that's just the kind of it seems to a lot of people I feel as though it's a bit outdated, but if they actually tried it.

I think they find it quite eye-opening well.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Cheers and do let us know if you would like to be put out of your comfort zone.

Pandemic has been a challenge for everyone in broadcasting, but particularly still for this responsible for keeping our spirits up with no live audiences and nothing much to smile about how to get the nation laughing well.

I'm delighted to be joined by the person tasked with that mission on Radio 4 on at William comedy.

Thank you very much for joining us on it now as we should turn back to normality and if we get completely back to the possibility of having live studio audience in the same room as the performers didn't will lose something.

I think it's a really good point.

I'm definitely been away in which people who can't travel perhaps or who was stuck in their homes have been able to engage and I think that's got to be a positive thing.

I think that's then maybe some hide possible way.

We live stream some recordings on her.

Just a minute people overdose being part of that and I think it's a really important question that we have to take seriously how about commissioning and

Play new talent when you've not been able to leave the building effectively or leave your own home.

Have you found it actually liberating away because now available to you on the internet or Sony pod so many young people trying to make their way that you can actually perhaps find out taste their work and perhaps more easily than you would have done before we have this sort of technological revolution well.

It's certainly hasn't been as much for problem as one had feared.

You know there was so many people putting things online and great people IKEA pritchard-mclean with the covid Arms at Gathering Talents together.

So pause access and luckily with permission was a long way ahead as well.

So we were able to keep so much new Talent going but there is nothing as exciting as a live performance.

I don't think so the joy is hopefully now on we will stop him to go back and see new new Talents in the wild as it will you send it looking at podcast because one of them you brought across to broadcast and it hasn't gone down to.

With Alan Alex miskin from Stroud I found the birthday cake game to be banal and funny and informative crass insight into those at featured and worst of all invited listeners and presumed the side panelists to judge people there by their appearance and apparent age Romany abilities and achievements presenter was Diana panelists audibly struggle to say anything funny or even anything she's also not in her 70s Gloria Estefan very well done at home three points if you said 64 years old Gloria falling at all.

Did not a celebrity.

What what am I know? It's listening to the show his birthday this week.

He's called Henry him on the phone and you have to guess.

How old is this?

Pat is it because Richard osman's at the helm that it was approved who decided that a few people getting someone's age was worthy of a 30-minutes lot I wonder how people his ages are being discussed feel about it and why do we care anyway if I really wanted to know as celebs age of Google it we have so much comic Talent out there and I'm sure to the BBC for consideration 15 such a lazy option so Solid William was it a lazy option.

Did you just say it's Richard Osman anything by Richard will have no I mean listen.

I want to listen to know that I am listening to these comments.

I'm very grateful to all those who got a brilliant audience on Radio 4 and I do listen to them that much love presenter.

He's also got a brilliant track record of taking simple formats and making them work and he brought tremendous Enthusiasm enjoyed his project with that and would recognise these are brilliant.

But they say this autocorrect the Guardian this is thin stuff, but not everybody agrees.

I'm afraid and we know a lot of people have really enjoyed the show too and here's an interesting thing a lot of people give me the name of light to begin with but found themselves really drawn in as the series went on this one is that we have had a single and I know we always get people who complain rather more than people who prays we haven't had a single email that I can't hear what you're saying Roger but I should add.

It's perform very well on sounds.

We have some very positive responses from critics as well and even wrote about it in her column about how much she was drawn into it and I do defend alright.

You know to try something new even something that might not be for everyone particularly at a time when the output has been very very rich.

It's about range.

Isn't it? It's about rain so will there be a second series of the birthday cake? I do think there's an important conversation to be had and I absolutely think this is a reasonable.

About whether podcast laid-back style which is essentially what the birthday cake in was is right for 6:30.

I do think that's a reasonable question and I put my hands up to that isn't capsules clear cut some people do love is pared-down conversational style particular on the move other people do want a different feel at that time of night but again I returned to the what I want to do is offer a variety to our regular listings at that time which is sitcoms and comedy dramas and satin panel games at that time so be a second series but they might not be the perfect on Twitter party's over is the w1a of political satire an absolute gem of a show jumping wonderful Justin Edwards

Twitter the party's over is the latest miles job Comedy Vehicle is the demonstration of everything wrong with political comedy lines of Force 2 characters are boring in the acting council's such Radio 4 commission younger more interesting writer Paul Caldwell I really like miles job at this evening's comedy sitcom isn't the right thing for the Friday night slot may be sticking to the News Quiz would have been a better idea comedy sitcom or whatever you call.

It doesn't give me that TFI Friday feeling everything is sorry miles did William we've got missed response people love it some people didn't quite but this is a question of whether it's got the right slot on Friday at 6:30.

Why did you put the party will because Friday nights almost always how does satirical tone and I thought this fitted well there because it's about the next prime minister.

There's a lot of satire in the writing.

I thought it worked really well for a first.

It's very very hard to establish stick-on it can take time for people to engage with the characters for example and their world and it's had a brilliant roll 4 miles is an art satirist also for Edwards is very funny to take a seat off of time you want to do make me laugh out loud but I also thought there was some fantastic writing from Paul Doolan and John Hunter there and as a first series.

I think it's full attention under wasn't really strong satire in there which why it did feel right for that slots reception but actually something that must can you actually nightmares wants to my son's gone down extraordinary well, I'm not down talking of course about the new presenter of just a minute Carl Wilson have listened 2-minutes for many years and never thought that they would ever be a good follow-up to Nicholas Parsons for Sue Perkins is doing a great job Tim Freeman from West London decided to make Sue Perkins

I'm just a minute.

She was the best contestant ever along with Paul Merson and is completely wasted in this role, well sunny William did you have sleepless nights? I mean we all thought that Nicholas Parsons was it Justice we thought Humphrey lyttelton was replaced and I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue Jack Dee has been very successful in that how difficult was this decision about who replaced Nicholas Parsons it was really tough decision.

You know we love necklace we miss him so much and I think the reason we went to see you in the long run.

She had such a love for the series and she was also one of the great players of the game.

You're well qualified invented to run it herself and also you know she really wanted to honour nicholas's memory and I think she's done it brilliantly she's got such authority in on Monday she locked herself down.

I think it's confidence to do that, but I think I playfulness a sense of fun is shining through and she's really rigorous about the rules as well, but she's made it completely.

Do long for the time and can you see it in the near future where you can go into the Radio Theatre in Newbury to Newbury there's the audience and there's the panel touchable is within a touchable distance well.

I know brain of Britain been in this week with a very small audience because they're feeling their way into this at the moment in terms of safety of the audience and the staff I'm really hopeful that we can open it up again soon.

We're just having to go very carefully to make sure everyone is safe really but I think you're right Roger there is nothing like having a live audience and I've Mr Simon I haven't been out the Radio Theatre to see a show for a year and a half and it's heartbreaking it really is son william.

Thank you very much.

I thank the commissioning editor of Radio 4 comedy William and that's it for feedback for this week next week will be joined by Jim al-khalili to let us know your questions and comments for the presenter of The Light

Scientific and until then keep on keeping safe goodbye.

Hello.

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