Read this: The Today Podcast

BBC sounds music Radio podcasts hello, I'm Andrea catherwood and welcome to hello the Today programme has really enjoyed that Croydon of news podcasts.

So how do they help to make the new offer stand out you get a lot of opinions out then if you want a pinions don't come to the BBC to the BBC Philippines presents well.

That's one of the presenters of the new podcast he's going to tell me what is in it and why he's convinced.

There's plenty of room for more everything we were torches children everything with fictitious.

I was absolutely grip this morning BBC Radio 4 was life-changing Rachel Watkin talking to Sian Williams about her up with an incredible inevitable twist beautiful told in a very casual manner, but with some devastating inside.

Life-changing events and as the Israeli Gaza war enters it's second month.

Let's just give us their thoughts on the BBC's efforts to separate fact from fiction appreciate the problem of the fog of war however repeatedly BBC coverage has been too fast to judge, but there has been much fun fair about the launch of the today podcast a weekly show hosted by two of the main presenters of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 Nick Robinson and Mr Rajan Today programme has into the podcast the beyond today podcast was cancelled back in 2020 and an edited version of the Today programme is available each day on BBC signs as a podcast but this podcast is much more presenter lad it promises space for deep dives into the biggest news stories of the week, but also plenty of time for joshing between the presenters.

I did want to go to a different.

Are we go to hear the Snapchats you know as well as revelations you wouldn't hear on the Today programme.

She said this before I had planned ago you go for brunch outside get a fry up to celebrate under I cried well really well, I sat down with Nick Robinson who decided to launch another today podcast I think the truth about these things they got married parents love their successful.

I've got nobody is responsible all of a disaster so my idea to do it.

I know more love being in conversation quite a long time but the editor in conversation which they always is with this business develops.

Not that do one thing instead of another but there's a new way in which people are consuming what we do news analysis and we should be in it too.

I remember when I

Reports of someone saying why you doing a block know if you dream of asking that's what you doing Twitter and if you dream of saying then why does the BBC 24-hour news every time there's something new the sum of the audiences my goodness you just stick to what you're good at and stop worrying about the future.

We are in a world of infinite choice now and competition and there are people who like to listen and a different way at the time.

They like on the device day like how they like and we be daft not through knowledge that today podcast was the subject of one of our box boxes earlier in the series with two students from Cardiff University Emma Wingfield and Lucy Gilder the problem is it is oversaturated? There's a lot of political podcast out there, but I feel like where they trying to make the issue of being impossible time is it did feel a bit like they were training with that money volitans really enjoyed podcast they can join news podcast and enjoying your new podcast.

We have a comments highlighting the fact that they are rather homogenous and they have a robin metropolitan prospective.

Hi my name's Aiden Byrne I'm electric Wolverhampton University like more diversity of opinion and wider analytical approaches more reflection of the diversity in terms of sex and class and ethnicity of those sub to politics because I think as it stands a lot of BBC news and current affairs whether it's podcastle live shows privileges policy perspective as normal and kind of excluded experiences and the perspectives of those who don't fit in with that fella narrowband.

It does seem that two men talking about the news is a bit of a crowded market these days and we battle of the Cumberland Rory Stewart have been doing it for a while and we got George Osborne and Ed Balls and I wonder if you thought that the world really hard.

Another two men talking about the news and not the other male double Act the property of you forgive me and series like there are a lot of books.

Are there room for more books only makes any sense as a question if you're forgive me people like George and if they like to listen to me and Jane let me do we need two more women I mean it just we make product.

We make things that we think of intelligent and thoughtful and thought-provoking and if you like it listening if you don't don't do you think I suppose the question really is that the BBC is competing that with all of these podcast and there's quite a lot of successful news podcast a lot more personality coming out of the people in bottled Today programme isn't the right program.

I think I'm probably you think to to expose your personality.

We know your Manchester United

You probably not going to go in depth the B you know maybe your your feelings and perhaps that banter needs to be round in a bit.

You're certainly showing more of yourselves in This podcast and you would do elsewhere we we are although.

I would say I think the Today programme is can of a looser bit more relaxed bit more conversational then it was when I was listening to it as a little boy, which I first did Andy when I first actually was tried out as a presenter it is different from how it used to be should keep evolving but I think you're right.

I think there is a dozen for people to draw on your knowledge and experience in my case.

I was political editor for both of these United v for a very long time when we discuss the Middle East I am able to say actually I've been to the I have reported from these places and politicians when I'm all comes on the programme be there today national newspapers made a decision, so when you say there room for another podcast.

Do you want a pinions don't come to the BBC the opinions of guess but don't come to the BBC live in in the presenters know when the BBC launch Podcast they just waiting here.

It's at the heart of the BBC strategy to grow BBC signs and increased digital listening now.

I know that there's been a good reaction from any of your listeners that vodka because I feel like I feel insulted which I think he was more to RH group because if it's unfiltered it's like that curtains been drawn back a bit more you get a bit more insight into what people have thinking it's humanizing politics a bit.

I wonder if you know much but who is listening and you know actually anything about the demographics of who you're reaching the entirely honest with me is know someone else mate, but it's parties.

You know and you're doing this program that well.

There is a shared bank of data for reading TV programmes and all broadcasters use the same.

Systems can compare and contrast much harder with podcast so be suspicious when podcast tell you all the best in the world and we've got the biggest ordered because apple doesn't share its figures with the BBC and BBC with Spotify so there's some published data out there some of your listeners might think it always this the BBC trying to get young again trying to be more we're not talking to you really not that the control of ready for said to me if you just giving something extra to the existing audience of that I couldn't be happier not trying to be something new and different which are saying there's a new way of listening some people prefer it that walking the dog, they want to just pick up the phone press the button and listen to what they want when they want the you will know that there has been a slump in the today ratings there about where they were back in 1999.

I wonder I know that we've talked on this programme about the idea of news avoidance.

Play some people just feel that there's been a lot of bad news.

I wonder if if you feel that if people are listening to use elsewhere 30 things to the Today programme as a podcast which you can also do separately for your podcast listening to use in a different way that that kind of that makes you feel like it's ok.

They're listening to news somewhere even if they're not listening to me at 8:10 in the morning will get the word slump the figures all oh my goodness.

They are certainly as it happens in the last quarter.

There is no pick you up on that they are at to the rubbertech now.

We don't know is that Defying a trend.

We just don't know it's too soon to tell the figures Friend girl good enough you have to look over a year of course, but I'm I'm absolutely going to try that there is some sort of a permanent down which if there will be a cause.

They will give him that you and I are all listening and people live in this program.

May well be this is not just

Range of competitors in speech radio lots and lots and lots of choice as well as podcast so it would be defying Gravity at some of those people didn't come from the Today programme but the reason of this lump inside any evidence is that there are still many more people? This is a day programme did indeed in some previous decade many more just talking about the subject of trust you said on the podcast That You Know wireless journalist.

Would you speak to see things from all sides and report in partially actually having it in a public space on the podcast does help to to build trust with the listener.

You know to show the listener a little bit more of our working side actually.

I think you're exactly right because I think what social media does as well as the events of recent years have massively to increase cynicism.

There is as you look on Twitter the number of messages.

I get would you just impugning your

You're only saying this because you are there under the thumb of the government you hate the government you hate the israelis.

You hate the policy and whatever it is right you get and just been able to this is the way we go our decision.

We don't claim and I have never claimed the Wimborne in partial out there if you look long enough to be busy tried to recruit someone who was in partial find them.

I mean in the sense that we're all the product of are Bangers your eye your accent my accent give away with from there all sorts of consequence of where we from what religion is what are upbringing was a type of school we went to what we do said.

We walking that daughter broadcasting house and we say that stays as much as it can buy the door and we're trying to do is ask the questions of people wanted to to ask and I think where you're right.

Is that where that is difficult in knowledge, it talk about it and then never more so than

Very very difficult decisions the maintenance between you and animal has dividers are listening to some listeners.

Love them or informal style and others find it much.

It is very different from where you started and I wonder other times why you may be slightly cringe and take too much.

No, I mean I don't want me Tina still great, but I think providing it doesn't get in the way of the content saying as I did on the last today podcast.

I've just been on a hostile environment course because everybody doing have you already work for the BBC but anyway, I guess it gets in the way of listening to contact.

I'm sorry people think that but I'm going to change that because that's part of who we are what I don't think we should ever do is make it about us and keep.

Feeding back I mean it's a new product if there people listening to be backing.

You know what it is too much, but I'd tell us what the just because we learning as we go, but we're trying to find a style that works people largely listening area.

I'm in the got little headphones in always great big ones of course but in other words.

It's not a radio said it's quite intimate and one of the reasons.

I think there's a different tone is because we are in the most overused word of them all literally but we are inside people's heads.

I don't think they want not everybody anyway John's Dagenham BBC wearing black tie inside the heads in2023 well my thanks to Nick Robinson today podcast is available on BBC sounds.

No, it's been more than a month since the war in Gaza began with the horrific attacks on Israeli civilians on October 7th since.

BBC has been covering the aftermath oppose atrocities as well as the bombing of Gaza with its resulting injury and loss of life as well as the deteriorating humanitarian situation of those still struggling to survive have been contested drawing by the BBC disinformation correspondent, what a title Marianna spring thanks so much for having me I've spent today as ever with my head very much in the world of social media, but in particular looking at some of the Most Extreme examples of disinformation Rick Adams I appreciate the problem the fog of war however repeatedly BBC coverage has been too fast to judge one Way Or Another the latest reports from BBC verify are an improvement.

Given the improvement with better knowledge.

I'm surprised the BBC has not included a blurb over.

It's early reports which is still available apologising for the incorrect and 2 Fast 2 Judgement certainly I need to point out in future reports if they use the same sources that the sources that used in these early reports had or had not lead them to error had properly weighed by the reporters and editors in the past Dr Ahmed Hussein the conflict is very proud arising with a rich and complex history of more than two cancel narrative reporting makes a real attempts to walk the Fine Line of impartiality unfortunately in such a motor situations this reporting is likely to and has criticism from both sides with call Zed bias this must be very difficult on your reporters and teams who I believe are trying their best to deliver a fair representation of events.

BBC disinformation reporter science is a day was on over to you on the BBC world service and he talked about high BBC verified through information on social media some of it is actually not as complicated as it may sound plenty of these stuff that I've seen that get millions and millions of years online you can actually debunk in a matter of minutes and you don't need to know we have been told the senior editor from BBC verify will be here to answer your comments so do let us know what you think of the information.

You're getting or indeed any hard on BBC audio.

We'd love to hear from you if you prefer it's feedback PO Box number 67234 London SE18 4ax email feedback at bbc.co.uk or leave a voice message on 0330 for 54.

Social media it's at BBC R4 feedback.

No long time breakfast TV presenter and journalist Sian Williams decided a few years ago to leave The Newsroom and study psychology Dr Sian Williams is both an NHS counselling psychologist and presenter of Radio 4 Series life-changing where each week she Focuses on one person who's been through an extraordinary event that alter the course of their life.

It's a series that has many listeners gripped Bobby Warren's a really great listen this morning.

I had to sit in the car till the end.

Thank you Shaun explain to me what it was about life-changing that tempted her onto radio for been fascinated by recovery adversity.

I've written a book about it.

I think most of us have been through something really challenging and our lives and have been faced with that difficult path to recover.

There is something about the human spirit and I think I'll capacity to if not bounce back then to bend and be reshaped by challenging stuff everything that's that's difficult and wonderful about life.

You'll never hear from people who have gone through extraordinary moments that have shifted everything for them and it asks.

What does this look like now? How do you see yourself now? And I think a lot of people listening find that inspiring because they might have gone through something similar themselves.

So Sean you've been a journalist centre from many years you would have been very well capable of having these kind of empathetic conversations with people but I wonder if your training has actually changed the way that you approach this.

That's such a good I remember growing up listening to Dr Anthony Clare remember the program in the psychiatrists chair ran on radio for 4 years.

He said that being.

Titus made him a better journalist and I think being a psychologist has made me a better journalist, but also being a journalist has made me a better psychologist they different but in the end.

You're being with somebody sometimes looking back at one of the worst moments.

I think is a psychologist you learn to listen different perhaps you have more uncomfortable conversations you pause a lot more because the lot happens in the pauses and the spaces in between life-changing is Anna counselling session I do counselling sessions with with emergency services.

That's what I do in the NHS now and of course.

They are very different because I work with a lot of people with post-traumatic stress disorder acute anxiety and you can work for years with people like that and it's very different conversation the conversations.

We having in life-changing that there's a bit of journalism and a bit of psychology but in the end your.

People I think look back and reflect on something that had a profound effect on them and and and how best they navigated that how does the team go about find the gas that you talk to and that you choose to talk to for the series.

Oh, well, I mean there's brilliant producer called Tom when I was the producer on Radio 4.

I was thought to myself because I get all the glory and produces do all the work He doesn't work to find just brilliant guests and there's a lot of talking to them before hand and in a letter.

No this isn't a counselling session near this is this is this is a conversation we often record an hour and a half which is edited down to half an hour and yeah, it's the found all over the place a lot of listeners get in touch because they're aware now of the program and that it can feel quite.

Safe if that's the right word that that that they were going to be no Surprises you know what we're not trying to trip anybody up and then the audience respond to that interview and we always there's a lot of after care and we tell them afterwards the sort of response.

It's hard and that can be really gratifying as well.

So they come from all sorts of different places and we love it when distance get in touch.

I think one listener who got in touch with you was that woman who was brought up believing that she was a Baroness and she tells you her story on the programme the questions became even more difficult to answer when we found a letter from his father saying I understand you want to be in the book of who the armorial who's who that lists all of the title people in the UK and under and your registering me is count to Lenham it will be Charlie should meet or not agree, but can you tell me where an account of well if it's hereditary is passed out is passed down.

Therefore your father would be telling you where it's from and you wouldn't be telling your father it appeared to many of our listeners Andrea mulaney.

I was absolutely this morning by BBC Radio was life-changing Rachel Watkin talking to Shaun Williams about her upbringing with an incredible inevitable twist beautiful told in a very casual manner, but with some devastating insights.

They were intrigued by they were grouped by they were late for a meeting but they just had to get to the end of that story is that what you're aiming for 4 people to really be engaged in it, so they need to hear the end of the find out what happened.

Lots of people say you know I'm listening in my car and I'm meant to be going somewhere nice.

I've stopped and I can't go anywhere because I need to hear the end of the and yeah, I guess I guess it's that isn't that narrative thread it people telling their stories and when they are telling it for the first time as a listener you think Josh has held that.

How long can you say it out loud for the first time and it seems extraordinary to you, but because they've lived it's not necessarily extraordinary to them.

It's constantly weaving so for example with the the Baroness she was told that she was a Baroness and she was taught to be a Baroness and then suddenly it was a real to her that her dad.

I've been brought up in a trailer park and wasn't a Baroness at all and everything had been a tissue of lies and anything just discovering those secrets and and show you how you can believe one thing and be told one thing actually to be defined by one thing as well and then have everything turn on a moment on an instant and have to consider everything you thought about yourself.

I think that's what's so interesting about the program, but I wonder as you're talking to the person who's telling you their story.

Are you ever surprised?

Thing they say that you weren't expecting them to say place.

They go that you weren't expecting always always I spoke to one of our guest who had a horrific life-changing injury after being hit by two dogs and you had post-traumatic stress disorder.

She couldn't go out she was agoraphobic and then she told me that she was finding freedom on a paddleboard.

She is fine to see but she went out on a paddle board and that's how she started her recovery and I said to her that it seems to me like that was her 2nd life-changing moment the first was attacked and she thought this is the end of my life as I know it and then the second is is that freedom that she got by being out in the sea and thinking I haven't been defined by that injury and do you know what was that like that sounds to me like another life-changing? I know it's better than that I became the UK champion and I'm now jet foiling around the Isle of Wight

And I think just that's the strength of the human spirit that the indomitable you know I'm not going to let this rule My Life episode that went out very recently was a b driver who survived a crash that killed her friends hello.

This is Christian in Holywood County Down Northern Ireland listen to life-changing this morning and sympathy for the lady involved and the interview with very Radio 4 on at 9 a.m.

In the morning.

Hello my name is Elizabeth and I live in central York I contacted feedback this morning about an episode of painting hosted by Sean Williams and the episode This Morning 8th of November was entitled.

I knew I could never make it right.

I contacted you to express my emotion at the choice.

changing produces to allow a perpetrator of a crime whose actions resulted in 3 deaths to get her story unchallenged and without balance from others whose lives would have been hugely more chance by her actions this woman and then drive crashing the car and killing 3 people and injuring others some of our lives responded very difficult episode 2 here I wonder all their stories that you come across that you think I just too painful and that you choose not to do some of the interviews we do perhaps more complex and challenging and difficult because

I think there are some moments in all of our lives when we make decisions or Choices That We later regret in the trail.

We said we talked about the fact that it was going to be hard and that it it was about drug driving we said in the introduction as well, so he gave people a chance not to listen if they chose not it was complex and Powerful and an actually on on social media one listener said he was just pulling into a Samaritans headquarters.

Just as he had the interview.

He said was a complex powerful listen.

So it was a it was appointment difficult interview and courses when you're sitting there.

It's not your job as an interviewer to charge.

It's my job to navigate the complexity of people's positions all those life-changing moments with them Dr Sean Williams thank you so much for joining us and all episodes of life-changing are on BBC signs.

From feedback for this week from me and all the team.

Thank you so much for listening and giving us your feedback goodbye.

Hello.

This is Marian Keyes podcast BBC Radio 4 on BBC sounds called now you're asking each week.

We take things about life love cats dogs for the lack of anything really and to play a worldly wisdom in a way which we hope will have but also hopefully entertain join us now you're asking on BBC sounds.