This is one of two books published towards the end of last year to tie in, unofficially, with Radio 4’s 40th anniversary. And Now On Radio 4 takes a fairly brisk look at the history of the channel, with very little background about what radio had been broadcast in the UK prior to the big changes of 1967.
The format of the book means that we go through an average Radio 4 day, starting with Farming Today and ending with the Shipping Forecast. At each time of the day, the network’s history is examined, and so we find ourselves jumping forwards and backwards as necessary.
The book has a relative lightness of tone which makes it very engaging, and also easy to dip into and out of. But that does also mean that some parts could easily form whole chapters, instead of the two or three pages they end up being awarded.
And there is an annoying editorial practice of having boxouts of subjects take the top two-thirds of up to four pages at a time, meaning that you have to jump back those pages to where you’d been. The non-linear book experience? Call me old fashioned, but I’d like a straighter read.
But when all is said and done, there are a lot things that I learnt about the channel. It’s obvious that a handful of contributors have made up a significant proportion of the book’s firsthand tales, but that gives it a very personal touch.
I look forward to comparing it with David Hendy’s book.