Radio 4

I used to think anyone that listened to Radio 4 was mad! My former landlord used to have it switched on all night while he was asleep and it drove me up the wall. I thought "why would anyone want to listen to a load of people jabbering on all night?" I am very, very passionate about music and I just couldn't understand how anyone would want to listen to the radio for any other purpose. That was until I made friends with someone who liked playing it in the background when I went round, and I actually bothered listening to it. It is in fact stimulating, interesting and enjoyable to listen to. It is most famous for its long-running radio ...  Read the complete review

I am one of the mythical Radio 4 listeners who is under 50! I'm only 30, but I have been listening to it everyday for the past ten years, despite its fuddy duddy reputation. I value the BBC in general for its quality journalism and broadcasting (although it produces a lot of rubbish as well - BBC 3 anyone?), and I find that Radio 4 is the perfect showcase for the best of the BBC. In terms of news, I rarely read the news sections of the newspaper, despite being very interested in current affairs and politics. I find that I manage to keep well informed by listening to the flagship Today programme in the shower in the mornings and during my daily ...  Read the complete review

Last weekend I saw a newspaper advertising an interview with the controller of BBC Radio 4, asking "Is Radio 4 too posh?" Of course Radio 4 is posh. That's what it is. It's not Radio 1, it's not Radio 2, it's not 5 Live and it's not Radio Leicester. It is beautifully eclectic, largely intelligent and undeniably posh. But I defend it to the hilt because a bit of posh is just fine with me. It is undeniably true that many of the continuity announcers speak in Received Pronunciation as if they were wearing black ties, and some programmes go far over my head (namely 'In Our Time with the über-Renaissance man Melvyn Bragg), but as a flagship spoken word ...  Read the complete review

I drive for over two hours to work daily and so have got very familiar with various radio stations. I used to listen to Radio 4 in the mornings but politics at that hour just got a little too much. I know that John Humphries is known to be a quality political broadcaster but the way he talks over people irks me and his much admired doggedness comes across to me as unpleasantness (Bah Humbug!) There is much to love on Radio 4, The News Quiz which can be very funny, The Last Word, a strangely entertaining obituary show, many quality plays which can be soothing and invloving on a journey and the review show Open Book . It is nice to unexpectedly come across a ...  Read the complete review

I wake up really early in the morning and the first thing I do is hear the radio which is permanently tuned to Radio 4. I tend to listen to it a great deal as I spend so much time on the PC and like almost all of the programmes because they are so varied. In my opinion Radio 4 has the best news updates and interviews. Their news on the 'Today' programme is really 'meaty' and I love Humphries' grilling of guests - he makes Paxman look like a teddy bear! Another favourite is Woman's Hour - NOT just for women - I tend to be selective here as I'm not that keen on listening to interviews with ageing pop stars - but interesting topics ...  Read the complete review