To think it is ABSOLUTELY AWESOME to live in a country that would put 10 hours of War and Peace on national Radio on New Year's Day...AND has national stations like 1extra??

[vinegarandbrownpaper]

Loving the absorption of W&P..

BBC Radio 4 and Test Match Special are two of the greatest things about this country.

Yanbu! I love the bbc.

Personally, I would've gone mad without R4 and cbeebies as a sahm to pre-preschool dc. I listen to 5Live, R6, R2, the kids love CBBC (the license fee is worth it for Horrible Histories and Deadly 60 alone I say!). My 12yr old watches CBBC every morning while getting ready for school. Although I detest them showing that dance school thing.

Agreed. It's all about standards, and I'm so glad that R4 maintains them. Don't get me wrong, I love a bit of trashy telly and celeb gossip as much as the next person, but it's important for the next generation to know that these things ARE trashy and dumbed down, they're not normal/ average / the pinnacle of achievement.

I haven't been listening but will catch up. I'm so looking forward to The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher on Book at Bedtime

R4 Today wakes me up every morning on my radio alarm- R4 is unrivalled, I hope it never changes.

But the main thing about the BBC is no adverts.

When I saw the title of this thread I thought "I bet EBearhug posted that". Well I was wrong, but she was the first person to reply.

Not that I'm predictable or anything...

I wish we had a working radio, also that I didn't have a 3-year-old at home! I can't do anything for 10 hours straight!

But you can listen to iPlayer or podcasts on whatever your MNing on!

EBearhug well I have known you for quite a few years since we both post elsewhere.

YANBU

I had the flu just before Christmas and listened to Radio 4 ALOT. I would happily pay my licence fee for Radio 4 alone. It is a beautiful thing.

BaconAndAvocado I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately I can't convert my husband, who always wants a local music station on the radio whenever I'm in the car and I really hate it. He's even more ancient than I am, yet still hasn't graduated to Radio 4, so obviously never will.

your DH sounds just like mine.

I can't bear local radio DJs either!!

DH will never experience the joys of Radio 4 or reading a good book for that matter. I do wonder about us sometimes..........

One of my NY resolutions is to start listening to the Archers.

Zero, Sam Reid is a young Aussie actor who's been working in the UK/US for some time. He's in Belle, '71 and The Riot Club. He's awesome on screen; hugely watchable and so human. I'm tempted to listen to W&P now I know he's in it!

But he sounded exactly like Andrew Scott. How is that possible?

Bacon Good luck with that ... We're all sitting on the Archers thread saying we couldn't understand what was going on last night. So many actors have been changed recently that even people who've listened all their (ancient) lives are puzzled to goodness.

(Some people have given up the programme and just stick to the thread ...)

I think they are repeating W&P later on in the year as shorter episodes. Didn't listen, but only because I'm currently reading W&P and only on the second book so don't want to know what's going to happen. Plus we had lots of people round on NYD.

Agree, R4 is one of the best things about this country, I have happy memories of climbing into my parent's bed on Sunday morning as a child and listening to Alistair Cooke's Letter from America. I read the book of the collected letters a few years ago and could still hear his voice in my head. Introduced DD1 to the Christmas Lecture's this year and was reminded all over again how fab the BBC was. Also love cbeebies and their specials like the cbeebies prom (kept the kids quiet at the end of a 6h road trip during the summer holidays - hurray for iplayer).

Zero, I didn't hear it but in general I'd say Andrew Scott's voice is lighter and higher-pitched. Sam R has quite a rich tone to his voice and it's deeper.

We listened to W&P on the way home from Bath yesterday. I'm eternally grateful to Radio 4 for allowing me to absorb fascinating programs as I drive.

I love radio 4 too and would pay the licence fee for that alone. I have loads of podcasts on subscription and listen to them on my phone in the car. I regularly drive for work and my ideal working day is a couple of easy meetings a long drive away so I just spend most of the day driving and listening.

I didn't know about W&P but I've downloaded them and it says they're available on the BBC Radio 4 podcasts section for the next couple of weeks.

Oh wow. 10 hours of war and peace. I'm so sorry I missed it, hadn't realised it was on! I wonder if they'll put it on a podcast?!
I love love love the radio, especially radio 4, would much rather listen to podcasts in the evening than watch telly.

I've now got a selection of DAB radios too, so I can listen to Radio 4Extra when the Archers are on there's nothing on 4.