To think the majority of radio 4 drama is awful?

[Mogginthemog]

Today’s offerings I’ve cringed through were something called, “Tom Wrigglesworth’s hang-ups’ and, “Introduction and Allegro”, about a string quartet. Both supposedly comedies and both pathetically unfunny and irritating. I’ve been at home far more than usual due to illness and bad weather and just about every drama that’s come on I’ve ended up turning off. I don’t understand why they can do factual programmes so well yet don’t seem to be able to find people to write decent drama.

I don’t know if I’m being unreasonable and am totally out of kilter with what decent drama involves or whether most of it is actually a pile of rubbish.

YANBU.

I do like R4 and think it's got some excellent programmes and documentaries. But comedy? No. It's painful.

I don't mind accents. I have one myself, but people on the radio are paid to speak so enunciation and pronunciation matters. Oooooh you are a card!

You need to be listening to Radio4extra - much, much better.

Recent good dramas have been Lost Horizon and Strangers and Brothers - also the classic Home Front. Also great for panel shows - 99p challenge, the unbelievable truth and comedy such as Dead Ringers and Old Harry's Game.

Good Omens and Anansi Boys are the only things worth listening to on Radio 4 at the moment...and a Life Scientific.

I can't hear a R4 drama without thinking of "The Swans Have Burst" in this takedown. It's a very funny 4 minutes, done with love

I fall asleep to the afternoon play daily! In fact if it’s half good and I listen, it’s quite annoying that I miss out on my afternoon kip.

Some of the stuff on 4 extra is really good though. The comedy hour can be dodgy, except for The Navy Lark which is a total delight.

Sex on radio does not work. Period.

@blueyacht, that’s amazing!

@auntyelle I've watched it a few times and it always makes me laugh

blueyacht thanks for that. Soooo funny and spot on :)

Tristan Fraser-Dunlop

“Smelting and trigonometry”

I work with large numbers of people who don't have English as their first language and frequently suggest they tune in to Radio 4 when they're looking for ways to improve their language skills.

That YouTube clip is hilarious!

Coloursthatweremyjoy - thank you! I've just found it.

glad to be of service. I should be on commission really.

Yabu.

r4 is the only thing that keeps us farmers sane on our tractors in the summertime.

Well the ones over 30 anyway.

Yanbu. The drama is shite!
But I love the factual stuff... Woman's Hour, From Our Own Correspondent, book of the week, the film program... I am one of those dressed Londoners born & bred but also LOVE Farming Today

(Dreaded not dressed!)

I feel the same way. I used to look forward to R4 drama but now I turn it off after a few minutes. The weekday afternoon slot is the worst.

I really liked Pliny and Me too.(Mary Beard listened to it, critically, so that OK by me) I wish the whole of Sir Henry at Rawlinsons End was on, Viv Stanshall was a proper English eccentric genius and his voice was like butter on hot crumpets.

That video is great. He even included the slurpy kissing noises.

Sex on radio does not work. Period.

Absolutely.

Another vote for Good Omens and Anansi Boys on over Christmas. Ooh, I am Legend was on there recently too, as well as the supremely spooky Whistle and I'll come to you.

I find it much easier to use the iPlayer app to seek out the decent series. I usually filter by Horror, Sci-Fi or period dramas...there are some v good series to be found, but it's true that you have to scroll through a lot of dross to find the gems.

Looks like Anasi Boys is still on iPlayer until midnight tonight. Thanks for the rec.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09ghqjr

I just want to revive the thread to say that I thought the Wednesday 11pm comedy this week was ace - properly lol. The first one, though the second 15 mins was good too.

Also funny in a 'meta' sense in the context of the thread and of R4 itself, in that it was British Asian comic talking about his increasingly 'white' middle class life. So R4 diversity, circling back to classic R4-ness.

Also, I love Stephen K Amos. Kind of similar themes.

Gosh, that drama about the antibiotics though... Worthy but mind numbingly dull!

Someone upthread mentioned the Toby Young London gangster serial - that was GF Newman's The Corrupted, and kept me listening too. Also anything by Nick Warburton or David Pownall is worth a go - Pownall's monologue about Jan Palach, Torch Number One, is something that sticks in my mind years later. I missed Stone - must see if I can catch up.

But on the whole, no, YANBU. Almost all the comedy is dire* and the drama plodding and hammy.

*But not Stephen K Amos or David Sedaris, obviously. Or John Finnemore. I can't believe it's over ten years since LInda Smith died. RIP.