BBC
Not all crap TV is all that crap
Girl is back for half-term so I’ve been able to watch nothing but crap on TV this week. Some of…
What the Great British Bake Off really says about Britain
There was an interesting news item on the television the other day. A transgendered chap was hoping to become the…
Why we should embrace being average
Maybe what we love about radio is the way that most of its programming allows us the luxury of staying…
How could the BBC allow Last Night of the Proms to be hijacked by worthy banalities?
How should we deal with people who sneeze in public places? Stephen Jackson, aged 49, has found himself in court…
Charles Moore’s Notes: Mr Cameron swings wildly between toughness and compassion
Presumably Britain has some sort of policy on immigration, asylum and refugees, but instead of struggling to understand it, you…
The story of the BBC
The BBC was created out of the ether in 1922. Its first director general, Lord Reith, inhabited a cupboard some…
‘I’m about to lose a lot of money’: our theatre critic prepares for his Edinburgh Fringe debut
Our theatre critic, Lloyd Evans, makes his Edinburgh debut
Why are symphony orchestras expected to survive indefinitely?
Watching the Berlin Philharmonic going into conclave to choose a successor to Simon Rattle — after countless hours of secret…
Tony Hall’s diary: the Proms, my walking obsession, and why the BBC is like James Bond
There’s nothing quite like a First Night — and last Friday we launched the Proms, the most celebrated classical music…
Melvyn Bragg’s Diary: a tooth and claw fight on Hampstead Heath
I witnessed what was almost a violent fight to the death on Hampstead Heath the other morning. Broad flawless sunlight,…
The Proms is taxpayers’ money well spent: it’s a national asset like fish and chips and the royal baby
Make no mistake: the Proms, whose 2015 season was launched last night, would not, could not, exist without the BBC,…
New works at the Proms that some would rather dernière than première
This year the Proms are to stage 21 world premières and 11 European, UK or London premières. It is good…
Listen: the gaffe from Nicola Sturgeon that everyone missed
It’s not surprising that politicians have such an on-off relationship with the broadcast media. One slip. One casual comment. One…
Sorry, but you can’t take the Islam out of Islamic State
At last, British politicians have been galvanised into action by the appalling events last weekend in the Tunisian resort of…
Roger Mosey and the questions you don’t ask at the BBC
There was a remarkable scene in one BBC Today programme morning meeting in about 1995, as all the producers gathered…
Me, Jeremy Clarke and a bottle of absinthe
Last Wednesday, 24 June, Pugs held a luncheon in honour of our first member to depart for the Elysian Fields,…
Suicide bombing seems to have become a new Yorkshire tradition
Where would you rather live, Dewsbury or Bradford? I ask because it seems that there are probably some good property…
Heroically unoriginal: Channel 4’s Humans reviewed
You’d think scientists might have realised by now that creating a race of super-robots is about as wise as opening…
Why I love The Bottom Line
Evan Davis’s series on business life, The Bottom Line (made in conjunction with the Open University), has become one of…
Just writing about this radio programme makes me feel nauseous
If you’re in the least bit squeamish you’d better stop reading now. What follows is not for those who blanch…
Charles Moore’s Notes: Cameron should bring back twice-weekly PMQs
David Cameron is taking a bit of trouble to unite his parliamentary party. Having built a coalition outside it last…
James Runcie’s diary: A Willie’s shock at the SNP
I am writing a play about Dr Johnson and his Dictionary. It will be performed in Scotland later this year.…
W1A reviewed: so pitch-perfect as to be profoundly depressing
Ever since the days of Tony Hancock, many of the best British sitcoms — from Dad’s Army to Fawlty Towers,…
Why Bette Davis loathed theatre
It was called Frankly Speaking and by golly it was. The great screen actress Bette Davis was being interviewed by…
Why James Delingpole is addicted to Pointless
Ever since Boy got back from school my work schedule has fallen to pieces. Every few minutes, just when I’ve…
