I love Radio 4 BUT.....

[MrsDickens]

....there are some programmes that have me bellowing at the radio like an enraged moose . Like their 'hilarious' comedy slots at 11.30am and 6.30pm. Just endured the horror of a sitcom with Ronnie Corbett as a bumbling grand-dad whose ghastly family ticked every cliche box you can name. Just unbelievably bad, and the memory of many others lingers with me, more's the pity (eg. Pam Ayres' sitcom; that appalling thing about the spies on a boat, and the interminable Scottish woman and her nightmare friends/dog/mother/boyfriend)

So I was wondering - what on Radio 4 can you otherwise-loyal listeners just not abide?

... that's not how you spell portentous, is it?

yes he's v nice (case notes)

I think the afternoon plays are improving - you still get the odd WTF? moment but on the whole they're less dire than they used to be. I caught the end of that Corbett thing this morning - it did sound awful.

What I love about Radio 4 is the odd obscure little programmes you catch by accident and suck you in - I remember being completely absorbed by something about anchovy farming once .

oh and also I appreciate Mark Lawson's interviews on Front Row as he always seems to get what the thing is about & listens to the answers.

Oh, & Kirsty is the best presenter DID has ever had in terms of listening (something previous presenters failed at miserably) & empathising

Case Notes, of course....

Have to mention that I'm getting increasingly impatient with Sandi Toksvig on the News Quiz (although I do love the prog) - she gabbles away SO quickly. But I guess she's one of those R4 people who are always going to pop up somewhere or other, like the aforementioned Clive Anderson.

Having started this thread and moaned very enjoyably about so many people and programmes, I ought at this point to second what others have said and re-state that, despite everything, I do love Radio 4 (believe it or not )

I heard the Ronnie Corbett thing this morning, and I thought it was dire! I was closer to weeping than to laughing!

I'm not too keen on Count Arthur Strong either, but do quite like Gardeners Question Time.

But Fags, Mags and Bags is hilarious - daft and surreal.

Anyhow - I am off to put Radio4 on now, whilst I get supper ready, and then ice ds3's birthday cake - I have mixed grated white chocolate and strawberry millions into butter cream, and I think it is going to be quite nice.

oh I know what you mean, hassled - there was one like that about assistance dogs for people with medical conditions which was gripping

hassled, I remember one of those little programmes that was about what dcs had in their lunchboxes, believe it or not. It was spellbinding. Only 15 mins long, but I was riveted.

I can't bear the afternoon plays. So stilted and unnatural, the only mental image I get is one of actors in a studio standing around a microphone.

i love radio 4, but I also love Jo Whiley, Jezza Vine! Can't stand those supposed to be funny plays, predictable and written by school children, love comedy and find myself listening to the program for the blind on Tuesday night?? Love the history and nature programs on a Wednesday....but haven't had the chance to listen for years, too busy watching reruns of FRiends whilst i drop off!!

I loved the Sat Sport thing too especially the music. The Now Show is a must hear for the family despite language. (Probably because we think the Outnumbered crew have bugged our house for ideas)
Could listen to just a minute/sorry haven't a clue/arthur smith/mark steel all day. So could our foul mouthed ds's.

DS's also loved the last words thing when we heard it en route to Easter Holidays. It's good for the well intentioned but lazy like me who don't read the obits in the paper.

I couldn't live without R4. Worth the listen fee alone.

Food programme is a bit worthy and makes me feel inadequate for not knowing the provenance of the protein cooking in the oven.

I love shouting at moral maze -or agreeing emphatically with Clifford.
Today programmes fixation with election which started c2008 is very dreary and they ran out of things to say about a month ago.

Love radio4
Love Eddie Mair
Love Broadcasting House
Love the news quiz, the Now Show and the Vote Now show.
Secretly love the Today Programme
Can't stand the afternoon plays
Can't stand the Sunday morning god slot. I want news when I wake up on Sunday - a long, leisurely look at the news not random platitudes. Can't they move BH up a bit?
Want some music on radio4.

I quite liked that interminable one about spies on a boat!

Anything with Corbett makes my eyes itch and gets switched off. Sympathy for him that a straight man has no career when he's not hitched to a funny man, but them's the breaks. Other people have to retrain so he can too. And he can't retrain into a funny man because he simply isn't.

Oooooh bitchy. I hadn't realised quite how strongly I felt about him.

Generally I just listen to Today in the mornings, these days.

Have to confess to being a big fan of Gardener's Question Time - I always feel very enthusiastic about my garden after I have listened to it. Regrettably the enthusiasm usually fades to lethargy before I actually do anything about it!

I like Today - I find it's always healthy to get enraged about something first thing in the morning.

And I often find myself channelling Toby Ziegler (West Wing - "Never accept the premise of the question") when politicos are being questioned. That's one of my tests for them - do they fall for it, or do they obey Toby's rule?

Sorry, Jux - it's one of the ones that just sets my teeth on edge! (can't even remember what it's actually called, tbh).

'I've never seen Star Wars' was a great idea, I thought - of course they immediately poached it for telly. Come to think of it, so many great R4 shows have been hi-jacked that way, and then no-one seems to remember they started out on radio, once TV gets a look-in....

I have to sprint to the radio to turn it off or over when it comes to:

'I'm sorry I haven't a clue.'

Anything which features the semi-strangulated Sandy Toksvig. I agree with MsDickens she's very hard on the ear.

Feeeee Glover pisses me off for similar tight-voiced, smug reasons.

Pretty much any radio drama including, and I realise this will be controversial, The Archers.

Dont like The Archers! The theme song gets stuck in my head...

"People we dont care about / Living in the country / People we dont care about / Living in a farm.."

Midweek gets the biggest aaaaaargh, the Radio 2 button is reached for frantically as soon as it comes on.

In Our Time - yawntastic - Melvyn Bragg has to have the most soporific delivery ever in the history of radio. Wish they'd put him on at bed-time actually, would come in useful.

gardeners question time.dont give a flying fuck

The afternoon play. Dire. Always. Depressed people who always seem to very posh people or drunk and maudlin Irishmen. I turn that off. Otherwise I'll listen to anything and just zone out if it's not too interesting.

How does everyone else listen? Do you just switch it on and let it burble away, as I tend to do? Dh is amazed that I put the radio on whenever I'm in the kitchen; he'd never hear R4 if he didn't live with me. On the other hand, he is also amazed when I know all sorts of eccentric bits of information, which of course I've picked up from R4

I do that too MrsD, I love a burble in the kitchen - and in the car too.

I have no time to garden and opnly have a small one anyway, but I looooooooooooooove Gardeners question time.

I tried to get into radio 4 once but I just can't. Radio 1940, we call it