Feedback on Radio 4
Last week it was lots of complaints about the new Radio 4 website, and somehow I think those complaints will return. But this week it was more about when children’s radio is scheduled on BBC Radio 7. The reality is that children largely don’t listen at scheduled times, yet the BBC has to first broadcast programmes before children can actually listen to them via the iPlayer. So we have the faintly ludicrous situation where programmes go out between 5am and 8am on BBC 7 before they reach the website. Very under 6 year olds are likely to be tuning in their DAB radios at 5am to listen to Cbeebies Radio.
Archive on 4: Carl Sagan – A Personal Journey on Radio 4
Brian Cox presents a programme about Carl Sagan, presenter of the world-renound programme Cosmos. He created a series that had a massive impact on a new generation of budding scientists – like Cox himself – and others interested in the world, and the universe around us.
I do wonder if we make those sorts of programmes today? Alongside Cosmos, there are pioneering series like The Ascent of Man, or the lovingly remembered Connections with James Burke. Do we still make series like that?
There are certainly series like Planet Earth and the recent Nature’s Great Events focusing on wildlife that find primetime appearances on BBC1, but science equivalents no longer do so. While I’m excited to hear about The History Of Science and Seven Wonders Of The Solar System, both are being made for BBC2 and have 6 and 5 episodes respectively. Not the monumental 13 that both Cosmos and The Ascent of Man had.
During the programme, Sagan’s wife mentions that when Cosmos was released on iTunes, it was a runaway best-seller. It’s just a shame that it’s not available on iTunes in the UK. Nor indeed is it available on DVD in the UK. Goodness knows what rights issues are preventing that. Still, it’s importable…
Treasure Quest on BBC Radio Norfolk
This is an odd one. It’s basically the old Channel 4 series, Treasure Hunt, but on the radio. The BBC Norfolk website presents the show as “an affectionate homage” to the TV series, who’s music they’ve also borrowed. But it’s a bit different to the series you remember on TV with Anneka Rice (and briefly revived by BBC2 in 2002). For one thing, it’s on the radio. And for another, they’ve not got a helicopter. This is BBC local radio after all.
Instead we get presenter David Clayton in the studio while Becky Betts is in a radio car. The “Questmaster” poses a clue for a location in Norfolk, and listeners have to phone, email or text into the studio with their thoughts about where Betts should go. She keeps up a fairly relentless live commentary, and with limited technology (i.e. no sat-navs or GPS), they race around the Norfolk countryside – within the speed limit – solving clues and moving on to the next one.
It’s an entertaining listen, with locals seemingly popping out of their houses if they realise the radio car is in the areas, but perhaps a bit lost, helping out.
Wikipedia tells me that it’s actually something that originated on BBC Three Counties Radio.
The communications work impressively well – although I’m not sure to what extent they have to drive around in their radio car with the mast extended. In the episode I listened to, only very occassionally did they fall back to mobile phone. It’s also quite neat how they map GPS co-ordinates of Betts’ location live online (even if she can’t see those maps herself!).
It’s certainly entertaining Sunday morning fare, and it can be a struggle to squeeze any music into the show even if it’s three hours long. And I did laugh when Betts needed to use the toilet part-way through the show. You wouldn’t have caught the jump-suited rice having to take a “natural break” like that!