Radio 4 for beginners

[strawberrie]

So, I've decided that in a bid to become better informed about current affairs, culture and generally the world beyond my immediate neighbourhood I'd like to get into radio 4. Once the kids go back to school/nursery next week I'll have a bit of time around the house and would like some good informed, witty and interesting stuff to listen to. So what's good? Anything's got to be better than Jeremy Vine...

Tweet of the day
Ballymurphy
Revolting People
Old Harrys Game
The Navy Lark - all brilliant commedies

Baldi
Inspector McLevy - both excellent crime dramas

Will try that pomBear, thank you.

'More or Less' should surely be called 'Greater or Fewer'

Thinking allowed!!

Laurie Taylor

Ah, yes pomBearPooPouffe, Germany: Memories of a Nation was excellent. Of all the episodes, this was the stand out for me:

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04k6t31

An extraordinary 15 minutes of radio.

The Reunion. Fascinating insights into things you remember in outline, like the decision to build the Millennium Dome. And a great one about the Fastnet Race disaster.

All of the above. Plus Test Match Special with Aggers.

Seriouslyffs YES

Nauticant: yes. Though actually the entartete kunst one frightened me more.

I Love you and yours; it gets all the stories that watchdog don't want, my favourite bits are when people complain that they didn't read the small print and it still applies -so unfair!

I haven't rtft but I have said for years I will happily pay my licence fee if I have R4. You can put BBC1 in a ditch, I won't miss it. R4 kept me sane when my DDs (15mo apart) were toddlers & it is what I listen to now walking a collie pup.

I don't like everything they broadcast, but I think it is a lifeline to many people, particularly the elderly, and me. I would be lost without it.

I think the only thing that makes me turn the radio off is Counterpoint and Brain of Britain. Everything else i'll quite happily listen too. Though i do wish Punt and Dennis would realise that Mitch Benn is utter twaddle, as are most of the 'upcoming' comedians featured on the Now Show. Am thrilled that In and Out of the Kitchen is back!

Ooo i love Brain of Britain !!

Particularly ridiculous but unintentionally hilarious R4 shows :

Round Britain quiz - no system whatsoever to scoring, the too-friendly quizmaster chats through the questions, randomly bestowing help and deciding completely arbitrarily how many points to allocate each team

Saturday Live - DH particularly hates the Partridge - esque 'JP'

All afternoon plays- depiction of all northerners as cloth cap wearing stereotypes and always Meera Syal as the 'no nonsense Brummie'

Im always excited whenever i hear Maxine Peake on either the 15min Drama or the Afternoon Drama - its always fab.

The more you tune in, the more there'll be times when you can't move from the room or car where you're listening. Am I the only one who keeps lists of programmes I must go back and listen properly to - lists which become terrifyingly long and impossible to actually do?

The Claire Balding walking programme is called Ramblings I think.
I love that. She joins people for a walk and talks to them. Fab.

Caught bits of programmes this week about Mary Shelley and her mother and another about Byron's daughter Allegra who died in an Italian convent school. Didn't catch it all but that's what I like. You can drift in and out.

Some of the dramas are great some not. Like TV.

Some of the current affairs stuff like From our own correspondent can be a bit grim if I'm having a bad day at work so then I have to flick around the local stations to check out for traffic news, Radio 5 when not too sporty, a bit of classic but always drift back to 4. It sort of creeps up on you...

mswibble : I agree, Maxine Peake is always outstanding.

I'm not looking forward to Nick Robinson joining Today. Him & Humphreys together would be a bit much at any time of day, but particularly at 7am...

Does anyone actually like Saturday live?

I don't mind Saturday Live. I quite like starting Saturday mornings in silence, and that would be more difficult with a good programme on at that time.

I love the Maxine Peake police drama. I'm looking forward to late night woman's hour on Thursday with Lauren Laverne. There's an interesting series on the world of work at the moment.

IhavesuchacrushonMaxinePeakeomg

And bertrandrussell We can disagree on the Archers as you clearly have many other fine and correct opinions. Also I can never despise Bertrand Russell. Impossible!

Is anyone else still mourning the loss of Simon Mayo from Radio 5? He was where I went when Radio 4 was doing drama in one of its 3 accents (Shakespeare, Dickens or Police). I really liked him doing PMQs.