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?

SO glad I came across this thread, thankyou StayingDavidTennant'sGirl: "...I have mixed grated white chocolate and strawberry millions into butter cream,... "

R4 is my default station from 9am. The Today programme does my head in though - I cannot be doing with all that vitriol and testosterone before I've had my coffee. Otherwise I listen pretty much all day.

I love More or Less, All in the Mind (Claudia much better than Raj), The Now Show, the often obscure 11am documentaries, ISIHAC, and PM. I think Eddie Mair should be crowned King.

I usually give up on the afternoon play after 15 mins or so, but once in a while there's a hidden gem. I think Quote Unquote and Count Arthur Strong are the only things I actually switch off.

Gardeners Question Time makes scream

'Like their 'hilarious' comedy slots at 11.30am and 6.30pm'

I loathe these too. And Loose Ends is tedious.

Something Understood. I am already cross with myself if I'm still awake at 11.30 on a Sunday night, but when this comes on despair sinks in. Something To Make You Ponder The Meaninglessness of Your Life and the Fact it's Monday Again Tomorrow.

i love AND hate all the programmes mentioned thus far, but i cannot believe that more of you don't switch off for The Meanie Programme. ... all those wealthy thatcher voting fuckheads worried about keeping their millions...

I do agree about Eddie Mair, I would vote him for PM any day. I would also marry him, although I fear he wouldn't be that keen. His Clegg interview was masterly.

I hate the Today programme. The rudeness and the questions along the lines of "When did you last beat your wife".

There was an interview with Evan Davies where he mentioned the fact he was seen as "soft" when interviewing George Osbourne. He said that what had gone wrong was that George had answered all the questions openly and honestly and he thought it was important not to shout at people when they did that. I do agree, I wish the other presenters did.

Go For It was unbearable - I used always to be in the bath when it came on and was always so annoyed. I can't imagine that any child was actually wanted to listen to it: just some awful parent breathing over them, making them. Grrr. Barney. Grrrr.

.....I can't stand Jane Garvey. She isn't funny and says frankly too much.

I so fancied Eddie Mair that I Googled him and instantly went off him... sorry Eddie, still love him, just don't want his children.

Also he's gay, dublingal

Well I know what annoys me:

"Today" presenters interrupting and thinking they're cleverer than the interviewee.

"Moral Maze" - where to start? The panel are always soooo smugly superior - I can't bear this programme and have to switch it off.

The Food Programme - it always seems to be on when I'm making lunch at the weekend and it's so relentlessly middle class and dull - they're always talking to some organic watercress producer or a restaurant that only serves 5 echt varieties of ice-cream and I never imagined anyone could make food - food! - as boring as they do. It makes me want to tear my eyelashes out one by one. Not confused but brain-dead by the end of it.

Otherwise - love Radio 4! (ends on positive note as I'm away this weekend and will be listening to the Radio Tay talk-in programme on Sunday at my mum's instead - now that really is the bottom of the barrel!)

No! Shocked... (shakes heads in disbelief)... sigh. Phew, lucky escape!

I can't stand the Money Programme (it's the phone-in aspect really) and Count Arthur Strong, yuk.

But as Aitch said, I kind of love and hate everything else. Even GQT

couldn't agree more, and the sodding phone in is ALWAYS ON.

Eddie Mair is GAY? really? what about Nils Blythe? (sp?)

and that paddy fella, he's gay too. get him and eddie together and it's flirtarama.

No idea about Nils but I do love 'Up Shares, Down Shares'......

I love love love Radio 4! It saw me through months of breastfeeding, was always quite sad when the world service took over. I love Sailing By... Yeah, there are some tedious programmes, but I imagine someone must love Quote Unquote... musn't they??

But I totally love The News Quiz... hate Poetry Please and Something Understood - pe-awk.

Love Woman's Hour and now, after being one of those who was reticent, have discovered the charms of Jane Garvey, and yes, although Jenni would scare me in real life, love listening to her... as a listener you never have to be on the wrong side of JM so I feel safe to let her be the head girl

I imagine Nigel Rees does, VeryHungry....

Who wakes up to R4? I've tried, I really have, and God knows Sarah Kennedy's bizarre painful rambling is enough to make me want to wake up to Farming Today, but I just don't wake up properly to R4. All that talking, with not enough timechecks, and no music to punctuate my bleary-eyed stupour (I need the discipline of 'I'll get up after this song') - R4 is just too soporific pre-Today Programme. I always end up falling back to sleep. Though some days when Sarah's really lost the plot, I do swap over once I'm awake enough to find the right button.

Paddy O'Connell is gay too?!

Sheesh.

I have woken up to R4 since I was... er... about 19. I like it, the talking works for me, better than music as I tend to fall asleep during a song

Farming Today is a bit dull though.

Yes, R4 got me through many many a long bf too.