Read this: God Next Door. Justin Webb on American Election Coverage. Petroc Trelawny R3 Breakfast Road Trip

BBC sounds music Radio podcasts and welcome to do you fancy going on a road trip and I'm standing on a Headland facing out to the North Sea this morning imagine if you could go on a week-long break discover new places experience of wide range of culture and music and relax without moving from your radio.

Thanks to everyone involved in Radio 3 breakfast journey of exploration around the northeast of England have really appreciated the friction of the countryside Petroc as delivered despite has not been able to see it and The Sensational cycle of breaking stories in the US Presidential campaign dominated much of our news and how much is too much save BBC money and Report the election results in regular news bulletins.

I feel as though I've been to every rally with World War rambling from Republic

and Democrats Justin Webb former North America editor today presenter and co-host of americast is here to tackle your concerns also am I getting wiser I hope so.

Are growing yes?

Oh my god.

Yes god next door Radio 4 documentary called the attention of many listeners and raised more than a few questions the documentary centres are on James Gardner who believes himself to be God and there's a number of followers in the local community who share this belief he runs fitness sessions and Q&A meetings to share ideas John Lewis Darryl Morris spent a considerable amount of time with James and the group to find out what it's like for James to live this way.

I am God I am divinity I am the word made Flash and I'm here to Sullivan from Guernsey this was well made program.

Very interesting and intriguing great follow-up in a few years time sometimes.

I think it's a good job.

I didn't see your face on cos I might just passed out that a sign from the side and I know that he was the reason that.

Yeah, he was only Jacob from London I would love producer deathbird or executive producer do me again mincemeat the program was not a spoof and somebody might look at this hesitations, though and 12.

Well, so we're that doesn't bother me.

What can I do about my god next to a certain recreated interest from listeners both in the feedback inbox and on so quite a few of them saying listen to it twice and many saying it has left them with questions.

So it is great to have journalist Darryl Morris an executive producer of God next door.

Speak with me night to answer some of those questions Daryl welcome, the very first thing I'd like to say it's let's get this one order the way they have been a couple of comments along the lines of this a spoof.

Yeah, it's not understand because it is incredibly odd.

It's a very strange world.

It's a strange bowls claim.

You know what sort of things are observed.

This is this is like people living in a different world right on my doorstep when you first met.

Where you convince straight away that this man believes? He was God probably not straight away what I was very clear and we were very clear that we were never going to be able to prove or disprove whether this guy was got that's obviously not a question.

That's really worth exploring is not a question we can see it's very interesting actually.

I don't think so once you sort of interesting.

No, I mean if it is god that is pretty interesting I can prove that exactly so I suppose the next question that you can then I'm genuinely believe this and I didn't find anything my time with him that suggested that he doesn't if that makes sense and I suppose it's up to you really to decide how you feel about the claim that he makes the programme actually about the journey.

I think he goes on over our time together which is that I think he becomes a little bit less confident of saying it some references to it disappear from the website and things like that Daryl did you?

All the group from the outset that you were a journalist planning to make a documentary because some of them must have been a little bit concerned that you could have made them look like I think one of them refers to as fruit Loops didn't want to talk to me actually and also members of the group don't featuring in the documentary who were a bit shy actually quite personable and very warm and lovely coding but weren't particularly forthcoming has been part of the documentary from your point of view what convinced you that this was great story for that single documentaries.

We looked at this not coming to this is a story where we went necessarily investigating someone or something but the brief was to Almost lower and my phone into this world and just have a look around that was a brief Dorrell we've had this comment from Chile I've listened to this twice and I'm struggling with so many questions firstly I be interest.

James is definition of God but I don't think we're covered can we have a follow-up you and I said he will say that your religion is away of Us understanding him that it's bigger than that it is quite hard to pin down it hard to to nail Down doesn't for example the first to be a Christian God for example.

He would probably say that Christianity and Hinduism and Islam is a way of Us understanding articulating his presents.

That's the way that you would answer that question is the only God what I asked him about other people claiming to be God he should have said yes, I'm aware of that but I am God you would also say that there is God in all of us right you know that's another thing that you will save as he will say they put it on other people as well and he will say I am all and all man but there is a bit of me in everybody Lloyd Mike from Oxford has sent us this message the program appeal to me do I think

Car to my long-standing Christian beliefs and I was mostly intrigued to hear what the life of someone who believe themselves to be God and he was not obviously struggling of difficulties would sound like I wanted to hear more details about the website mentioned in the program and wondered why there was no identifying information on this or indeed anything that could locate the people mentioned in the programme this also occurred to me when I was listening, so I wondered you is this something that you did on purpose and is was this about perhaps a duty of care to the people that were involved why why didn't you mention that his website or indeed any way of finding might be James is we don't even have a surname for I don't think it was a deliberate and I don't I know that you know Darryl does mention the website in the programme.

You says that you taken down the information about claiming to be God so the website.

Changed it's not obvious what two websites calls or indeed what the name of the religion is or anything like that in this program.

It wasn't something that we actually discussed to be honest.

Does it really in introduction it just sort of natural and I think I've got a couple of things actually and obviously I've had my my email inbox have been for the people that the same can you leave the website? What was the second name of the way that's just a part of the storytelling as well in that we're trying to sort of you know immerse ourselves in this world that could be next door to anybody and we wanted it's kind of feel like it could be next door to anybody has been an accusation that the subject itself was an act of heresy and we've got a comment here from listener and Henry Jacobs I would want producer get bored executive producer.

Do you make chicken mince meat is not a spoof alternatively if it was for real explain head of rubbish wanted a 30 minutes Radio 4 slot using opinions.

Insults of intelligence of the whiskers didn't occur to you that this was heresy know it's observational.

It's not divisive is not binary refute the claim that this is heresy.

I would say this is an opportunity to view a community in living the lives.

They wish to leave them don't be surprised to know that number of people have asked if they might be a follow-up and it does sound like something that could have been a podcast rather than a one-off dock.

Do you have any plans from warm question the end of the program? I wonder to myself if you can spend too long in the story and I will therefore kind of keep an eye on this keep in touch with them.

Where do I go back and kind of make another program with the more or expand on the programme? I'm probably my instincts probably know at the moment and I'm honest I think that sometimes you are like to kind of Tolstoy

Then leave them develop something significant happened happens.

That's worth me revisiting that I will but I have a chat.

Have a bit of a rule which is too kind of your dip into a world Explorer produce something at the back of it and then have leave it and Joe Meek talking about the Radio 4 documentary god next door which is available on BBC signs Nigel I thought the most extraordinary series of political events in the US in one month from Joe biden's disastrous presidential debate to the attempted assassination of President Trump and then Biden being forced to pull out of the presidential race and endorsing Kamala Harris each of these stories lead BBC News and lead to huge on radio and podcasts you could be forgiven for thinking we actually get a boat and the presidential election itself.

Well.

It's still 4 months away which is some list.

Wondering if the BBC isn't just a little too obsessed with us politics from Plymouth can't we turn down the Dial a bit please for us for another 4 months yet, then the six more weeks till the new President takes over Towers from Northumberland why the incessant interest in American politics all the election result save BBC money and Report the election results in regular news bulletins blanket media coverage is due in part for the increasing political apathy Wilson from Birmingham please can we have less news on the American election? I'm exhausted already.

I understand that the US is the most powerful country the biggest economy and all the justifications were given but I for one I'm sick of it.

Please.

Please reduce your coverage.

I feel as though I've been to every rally with World War Rambo

Republicans and Democrats brief news bites are fine, but please let's have some other news from Britain Europe and other world events in Europe and Africa Japan and fat in America with the same amount of coverage.

Are we witnessing a BBC bias on the man at the centre of much of the BBC news coverage is the former and North America editor, they current presenter of the Today programme and of America cast Justin Webb and he chose me Night Justin I mean you've us news for the BBC for such a long time but the events of this month of July 2024.

Could you put them in context for us? It's such a spectacular series of events and I just get coming.

Yeah.

I'm in the context.

They never had before is it really as simple as that never been so vague echoes of them down the ages Linden John

Like a 1968 dropped out of the race who was President dropped out of the race to stay president to go for her another term needed a very late it run at the end of March and you could say George Washington history also decided for the best possible reasons not to not to keep going and basically in modern times certainly this has never happened by this.

I mean a president very obviously going downhill and being unable to fight on and pulling out so late in the race that no real time for anyone else to take part on his side plus the obvious strangeness of the fact of these to the oldest two as they were trump and Biden agnes's to put it mildly of Donald Trump and his campaign he takes as well.

I think it's fair to say which has not always been so high because we have always been so interested in the American presidential.

Because they haven't always seemed to have the potential impact obviously ukraine.war that more widely as well around the world so for all of those reasons.

This is a real moment in history you mention the impact that they have an account that many of our lives as you're absolutely fascinating and couldn't get enough of you know this kind of real life West Wing series finale unit for many listeners.

Did feel like it was too much coverage and we do give so much more coverage do us politics, then we due to I don't know if they France which is closer India which is bigger.

You know there's been an awful.

Lot of elections this year and yet.

We really are obsessed possibly with the US election as a news story genuinely unprecedented but the implications of it and the impacts of it potentially on us a huger than evil what's going on in France and what was going on in France I went to the first round of the French election and it is important and they're all sorts of Echoes there that have relevance to.

And then you obviously is a hugely important country in the in the modern world should cover all of us election this it seems to me as a kind of world Impact full thing was who's number 1 number 2 culturally we can't get away from the fact.

We might like to and they might be plenty of those who have so much to do with America or feel that we are over upset culturally we are close.

I think in so many ways and what happens there tends to come here often.

It doesn't always but it doesn't respect for that reason when you think of films and television and Culture more generally.

I think there is an affinity.

Obviously the language is part of it, but it's not just the language in America originally came from here that that does have this closeness that we we can't escape from we don't all of us want to escape from the Peter Tower made the point that blanket cover.

Of these kind of events can actually increase apathy towards the media a wonder do you take that point? Yeah? I do actually I love him very sensitive and I'll cover it away at the same things endlessly and you haven't changed the subject and once you covered something.

I think you then got to leave it.

We've got the courage to do that.

We can't just go on and on and on banging on essentially the same points.

I think it's a reasonable warning shot to us actually when it comes to the election itself as remember we got the Democratic convention coming out for the end of August and then we got the election and we want to cover it and I think for the reasons I just out like that.

It's important that we do but yeah, I know I'm I'm very sensitive to that and of course as broadcasting on on Radio 4 you also do americast which is obviously something that listeners can choose to go to if they really want to know much more about what's going on.

I mean my goodness.

I just so I do that Today programme obviously I do this and a few other things I did a Panorama the BBC TV and earlier in the only thing.

I'm literally the only thing people come up to me stranger to me and talk about his americast it it really is striking to me that it it strikes a chord with people and analogue people really feel enthusiastic about it until kind of part of the community of people who who listen to it.

That's been throwing to do it.

It's really interesting and enjoyable kind of extension to broadcasting and what's interesting as well as that you actually get listeners from around the world particularly from America here is Morgan from California words with the joint episode between Lewis cast and America's and July 21st, which covered the recent political upheaval in the US from the very moment but I decided to step down.

The welfare analysis and in-depth background information including about what might happen next was so remarkable I especially love the warm engaging and really the measured for a topic.

It's something that we don't often here in the US and it came it ok huge relief.

Thank you.

So very much.

It's really interesting this mean that message from America I think would be quite widely echoed by people who are not necessarily all of them on the left or all of them on the right or indeed all of them in the centre and otherwise people who don't start their lives from a political standpoint, but actually start their lives and they're listening from the standpoint of I wonder what's and I wonder what reasonable analysis of what's going on where that might take me into in terms of knowledge and and informing my own opinions and that of course famously is what has been lost in.

I think a lot of Americans then maybe don't want that genuinely want analysis that is from people who don't have a dog in the fight and I suppose that's where we come from on the BBC and my goodness in audience terms and it was certainly benefiting Justin Webb thank you very much and we've also had this statement from the BBC presidential election has political and diplomatic implications across the audience research shows there is a high level of interest in the story with the recent significant developments of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump and president Biden pull out of the race the BBC has provided context and analysis for listeners reflect the historical significance of these events we have and will continue to report on other national and international stories, but probably not as much.

What this program next week goes on behind the scenes? I hope to meet up with some of the cast and I'll be putting your questions and comments to the drummer's editor Jeremy how can feedback isn't the only radio programme take you on a summer trip many listeners tell us their dad doesn't begin by listening to politicians arguing over the latest debacle and Westminster instead.

They wake up to quite a different signs.

You've been flooding or inbox this week about the recent Radio 3 breakfast road trip with Petroc Trelawny it's Monday the 22nd of July your listening to BBC Radio 3 good morning to you for my Petroc Trelawny welcome to breakfast.

We're out of the studio.

I'm looking out.

My name's for Leicestershire from Nottingham and I've loved every minute of the Radio 3 Breakfast Show this week, what a brilliant Odyssey around the northeast.

I found it such an enriching blend of history geography culture literature and of course music from Dennis in Sutherland very special week of exploration and Discovery communicated by Petroc enabled by the sound magicians and wrangled by the Producers do you have a oven by the huge effort involved hello my name is Tom Murtha and I'm calling from spernal through music sound and voice truckle Audi's to see hear and feel this wonderful part of the country through the magic of radio residents the biggest open space on my left the tavern you can almost hear that.

Glasses in the coming out from within and the sound of the Roman soldiers drinking cups and having banter Vindolanda really did give me goosebumps will catch up to Lorna Jones mean.

I not from the northeast of England but from the Albert Hall where he's preparing to present the Proms petrol.

Thank you so much for joining us.

I know you've got a really busy schedule at the moment are in box is just full of Praise for your breakfast shows from the north east London last week now.

I know you've done a few roadshows now and some including some wonderful travels and Northern Ireland what is this about getting out of the studio that you think capture the listeners imagination.

There's a bit of local history.

There's a bit of music but it's all come.

On one particular place and people can imagine where we are look at pictures of where we are here the sounds of waves crashing on the beach the wind gently blowing the trees at dawn chorus bird song in the morning.

There is something very very special about getting out of the city.

I'm in these programs a big part of it is the sound of where we are and city sound never quite as attractive as being on a remote beach or being down a gland or being on the side of a Northern Irish Lough as we have been in years gone by and it really means a lot to listeners.

My name is Jim I'm from Appleby Cumbria really appreciated the description of the countryside Petroc as delivered despite has not been to see it aligned with the music that we've been able to hear so it's made experience even more special and I really really enjoyed Sally Minogue from Canterbury Petroc Trelawny takes on the role.

Not just a presenter but of wordsmith and the logistics on the sound engine.

Must be tricky has most getting all the timing to work with life performance figures of the weather necessity for alternative arrangements and so on when you're listening it all feels completely natural Helen Ireland from Leamington Spa thanks to everyone involved in Radio 3 breakfast journey of exploration around the northeast of England Patriots Delaunay Susan Kenyon Martin Webb and the rest of the production and technical teams Excel themselves, it was perfectly crafted.

We enjoyed history nature charity local culture live performances and recorded music carefully chosen to Lincoln with places and theme petrol Helen like many other to contact me back actually mentioned the whole team there and it's always good isn't it as presenters to see the recognition that because this clearly involves a lot of preparation from a very talented.

Bunch of people who actually make this work smoothly for you absolutely and one of the joys of radio is you can do that with a very small team at the Royal Albert Hall today cos I'm presenting a problem for BBC Four at the weekend the nature of television means that there are dozens of people involved in bringing a show to the are we did the whole week or breakfast 15 hours a broadcasting with just five of us and one fantastic production manager back at Broadcasting House Monica Harris Broadcasting House obi engineer job mate, who is based out of the BBC in Glasgow rugby Heywood who is balancing the sand making it sound so glorious and clean and fresh and exciting on it and then two producers Susan Ken and Martin Webb and I have to say they were working really long days.

You know we be on sites by 5 in the morning to be on our 6:30 that be a dreg of a couple of hours when she came off at 9:30.

We all them into a cafe and have breakfast before driving onto the neck.

Play someone with an hour and a half drive between location then they got a ring for the next day that sort of finish at 7 we grab something to eat and then it's time to go to bed.

So it's a pretty intensive following week of broadcasting.

There is something very satisfying about doing it particularly when you know it's trying with people's imagination and people are saying how much they are enjoying it, then it makes those those long as extra worthwhile switching your head as you just said to the Proms just pretty full on it must be such a different experience of appreciating music and boys are away from the coast of time model in this all these places to a concert hall at the reach of classical music doesn't really I was just thinking of two two contrasts that happened to me that when we started this week.

We had the first night of the when I was in the Radio 3 box at the Royal Albert Hall it was an incredibly hot day.

There was a lot of fibre in the building.

We had what 100 members of the BBC Symphony chorus 80 players from the beach.

The orchestra 2000 members of the BBC singers and then on Monday I was introducing more music this time played on solo Heart by Emily Hoyle she is the principal harpist wdr Symphony Orchestra in Cologne but she's a Geordie Born and Bred she was back in Newcastle when we that says she brought her heart with her to Lindisfarne we carried it up the castle steps we were going abroad outside but actually the rain proof too much of a problem so we converted the National Trust ticket office into a concert hall, and it sounded really good.

We had to borrow duvets from the hotel to wrap up the this puzzle box of computer equipment in the corner, but that were very well and I just had this lovely image of two very different musical events one with sort of 300 people in a concert hall that takes 6000 on with one person playing the harp and one person in the live audience mean well.

That's not good luck with the rest of the Proms and thank you so much for joining us on feedback and how lovely to hear Emily help.

In the National Trust ticket office in Lindisfarne well, that's all for this week from me and all the team.

Thank you for listening and for giving us your feedback to buy in 1962 President John F Kennedy articulated his vision for why we or rather America would choose to go to the moon in the Kennedy archive you hear cold war competition front and centre says that when we take these Giant Steps they should always be for the benefit of all humankind.

Who gets to go and how it impacts of rest of us and space itself a vital questions to answer in a looming new era of space travel so come with me decide to explore the moral dilemmas that sit at the heart of space exploration and why they should matter to you sideways a New Frontier listen now on BBC sounds.