Two lessons in listening
Our hearing is the first of our senses to develop while we are in the womb. It’s the first connection…
Home Front: Radio 4's first world war drama will fight out the full four years
Kate Chisholm on the BBC’s ambitious new radio series
Glasgow and the Commonwealth go back a long way; Radio 4 explores a murky past
What’s been missing from the schedules during the Commonwealth Games has been a straightforward reminder about who makes up the…
Does Radio 3 need a new controller?
Where next for Radio 3? Last Friday was the First Night of this year’s Proms season but it was the…
The two men who walked barefoot to the capitals of the four nuclear powers on a peace pilgrimage
You might (if you’re over a certain age) still think it pretty amazing that TV not only allows you to…
The next new presenter of Woman's Hour should be a man
It seems incredible now but when the BBC’s youth station, Radio 1, was launched in 1967 there were no female…
Why I'm switching to Danish radio
Out there in the great ether there’s a whole new world of radio beyond the stations of the BBC and…
The gardener-soldiers of the First World War
First, a confession. Even an ardent radio addict can enjoy a fortnight away from the airwaves, disconnected, switched off, unlistening.…
What's happened to children's radio?
Much praise has been lavished on Radio 2’s 500 Words short-story competition, the winners to be announced on Friday’s Chris…
When Virginia Woolf's husband ruled Sri Lanka's jungles
Tucked away in the schedules, just before midday, just after midweek (on Thursday), just four lines in the Radio Times,…
The best blues singer you’ve never heard of
A rustle of paper as the sleeve is removed. A clunk and click as the needle arm is swung across.…
Nothing beats Book at Bedtime
There I was trapped in the bathroom at 10.55 p.m., unable to leave for fear of missing anything. The time…
The Archers hit a new low by letting Tom dump Kirsty at the altar
Did you hear those bloodcurdling screams from Kirsty? Those long-drawn-out wails that echoed horrifically through the ancient walls of St…
Dolly Parton’s secret for surviving decades of celebrity
It’s a shame Dolly Parton has never gone into politics. She’s someone who’s lived her life very much in the…
BBC radio gets Easter right
Given the decline of Christian belief in the UK, it’s surprising to discover there’s quite so much about the Easter…
Police and miners clash again over Orgreave on Radio 4’s The Reunion
Four could have been dubbed the Frank Radio network this week as the sharp skills of Sue MacGregor, Alan Dein…
Radio that makes you feel the wind on your cheek
After a walk in Richmond Park beset by rush-hour traffic, the Heathrow flight path and a strange swarm of flying…
How Radio 5 Live transformed the airwaves
It’s amazing to think that it’s 20 years since the launch of Radio 5 Live. But it was bright and…
Lives captured in transit
It’s such a simple idea. Take a tape recorder. Hang around at the entrance to a railway station or in…
The sound of growing rhubarb
When the BBC proposed to do away with 6 Music a few years ago, the media-savvy fans of the station…
Listening to genocide – and what came next
It doesn’t take long for an international event of historic importance to fall off the news agenda. Ukraine is still…
The Today programme's 'Phwoof!' moment
‘Phwhoof!’ exclaimed Evan at 8.27, before reluctantly turning us over to the sport report on Saturday morning’s Today (Radio 4).…
When a Chinese and a Japanese visit Tokyo's Yasukuni war shrine
What does freedom mean to you? That’s the question the BBC World Service has been asking of us through its…
Ali risked his life to escape Afghanistan — and now teaches Britons how to survive there
‘Brown is very good — no Cameron. David Cameron no good,’ he said. Just in case we weren’t sure what…
Some things are better heard on radio, than seen
A double dose of BBC1 drama at the weekend (Silent Witness, Casualty) left me wondering whether there’s a link between…
