Read this: 19/04/2020 Radio 4 Feedback

BBC sounds music Radio podcasts with coronavirus coverage the last thing I want to hear I get another one broadcast telling me the same information is target is the coronavirus newscast the successor of brexitcast.

I'll ask it editor if it does offer anything different and it contains too much politics and two little Medical Science ultimately it's up to the audience to make up their minds but we absolutely provide the full picture this year radio for lent talks where about identity and included a contribution from a transgender priest didn't go down well with some of our listeners.

I simply cannot comprehend the current obsession with classifying everyone at generation gender identity sexual orientation political sympathies environmental awareness, etc.

Etc, ad nauseam.

I'll be talking to Anglican priest Rachel

Let's talk and asking you how the pandemic has informed her views one of the things that this virus has demonstrated is that precariousness is inscribed into and in this week's out of your comfort zone feature mother and daughter are divided about a presenter fortunately.

It's not me.

She didn't have any feeling so it kind of made me switch off a little bit so I didn't want to hear her voice was an astronaut.

I felt like it gave it a real human Element mother and daughter continue their debate between feedback.

Can they agree on anything?

And we got roofing to help us with all the numbers I gotta get through but first of all it's some letters everyone give me know are we did it.

I was going to go give me a low give me a you.

Give me and Laura as usual but it will be alright and what they've done today and also crucially what they've not done today.

Ok, so the obr is the office for budget responsibility extract from Radio 5 Live's coronavirus.

Newscast which is being broadcast every weekday, and features political journalist Adam Fleming Laura Coombs Berg Chris Mason medical correspondent Fergus Walsh in a previous life.

It was the weekly brexitcast which found itself on television as well last autumn on BBC One on the Thursday evening at the end of January brexit cost Bolton to newscast to found itself around a month ago coronavirus, newscast this is what some of you had to say it.

Podcasts many incarnations in recent months at Thompson Surrey I wanted to write to express my disappointment the BBC podcast brexitcast is set to end after 31st January to become News cast I feel that would become yet another podcast obsessed with discussing politics and personalities as indeed it has been moving towards lately.

It has been revised withdrawal agreement rather than engaging with the complex, but important issues of UK policy arising from its departure from the EU Stella the TV version which become self-conscious to me.

I have thoroughly enjoyed all the versions and used it to get through the heartache of lies and misinformation.

It's nice to be nice.

You were the egos aren't bigger than the moon refreshingly different but almost like mates in a bar.

I'd like a bit.

Indian two key issues like where does thinktank money come from who is behind the more aggressive hedge funds who is making millions out of Britain's Demise well, I'm delighted to be joined by the editor of The Irish news costeno surface is also the editor of BBC News podcast thank you very much for joining us and now the podcast has gone through many reincarnations brexitcast was very much at least you could argue that coronavirus.

Newscast is more of a medical Story how challenging has this been for your mainly political commentators.

Yeah, I think primarily is a medical story, but you know as we've seen over the past few weeks.

It's also a huge political story is a huge business story economic stories that there are so many elements story.

It's taken over all elements of Our Lives we've had to adjust the line up slightly so we have regularly have Fergus Walsh is on medical correspondent, but you know having.

Kingsburg our political editor every night is just absolutely pivotal because so many of the decisions that have been made.

You know regarding the lockdown regarding relief for businesses are ultimately the decision.

So it is vital that Laura is they're giving us her insights, but somebody said to us yeah, but you know she is essentially a switch on silver political experts.

They asked the political questions we now want to know if we want information.

We want reporting there is so much.

We don't know so put the political analysis of you like secondary get us the medical analysis get us the first absolutely and that's what we're doing in bucket loads actually Roger I think if you listen to the podcast so Fergus Walsh's is with us most nights and if not his colleague health correspondent James he lives under a vowel with us and they're really getting under the bonnet of the medical story Adam Fleming who is just fantastic presenter kind of acts as the guide and the voice of the listener.

Asking the questions that we all want to know that it's all I think about all the stories were not hearing about for example.

We just heard this week about the number of people who are not going to A&E the number of dying because of the things other than coronavirus because they are not going to hospital.

It's all of those things people want to know about and they think the word you're experts are your political experts are they are dealing with the facts in front of them and inevitably in this case for example.

She's in Westminster most of the time.

They can't be out there asking the questions perhaps we want to know what's on the on the data point that we just did a really interesting episode where we had that Ruth Alexander from Radio 4 more or less who is taking us through the different interpretations of the rate and the comparisons between the UK and other countries and how is quite complicated to interpret that story so we did that with Fergus Walsh there are medical correspondent.

We had Laura therefore the political context of.

How the government is choosing to interpret the data in the UK to actually we did really provide the audience with a full picture of you know this is how we are interpreting the figures UK this Saturday doing it to another countries and it's kind of up to the audience to make their mind up about what is the right or wrong way to do that so you have to make up your mind ultimately obviously on what you talking also the sources of authority you trust and a lot of delivery confused at the moment.

Hey.

There's a lot of data.

That's not clear their son has been interpreted very differently by very different authorities.

How do you deal with that? I'd say that our job only use cast is not to score the government or the opposition or the medical establishment.

It's to reflect the opinions valid criticisms and analyse the situation look at the detail and we try to not get into a sort of slanging match or we don't do interviews that you might hear on certain.

Really with kind of political figures or establishment figures so we can have some play a clip from the press conference and Laura can give her analysis and then ultimately it's up to the audience to make up their minds but we are currently provide the full picture and really get into the details of the story of how long do you think the podcast will concentrate primarily on things coronavirus at some distance like how Swift have had enough.

Is it time to broaden the agenda? I mean will you ever get back to her as it were standard newscast yeah, we will absolutely at some point.

I'm not sure when that will be but the evidence at the moment the data from our audience teams.

Just showing the listeners and viewers are coming to the BBC in unprecedented numbers to find out information and hear analysis about the coronavirus touring how it's all I live so I think the moment you know what we saying is that listening has sustained and has grown actually on the in the podcast feed for example return so we made the decision that.

Bring brexitcast to an end when we hit a milestone at the end of January and it was a difficult decision to take but we realise then that as your listeners.

That is just reflected their who is the time to start talking about all the things that we're going on in the world and going on in politics.

So will you get so will you go back to brick? Yeah, absolutely one of the things we were very clear about with a brilliant and loyal listeners to record.

It was there absolutely when just because we are changing the name of the podcast in use case we will absolutely reflect what's going on in the second round of brexit negotiations and looking at the future relationship in another rock corresponding said the next time when you're covering.

Could you go more into the detail of what's being negotiated? Don't talk so much about the Politics of feel a bit whatever just give us the detailed scrutiny of what is happening.

If you are a religious listener to brexitcast you would have got that in bucket loads.

We really really did go into the nitty-gritty of the negotiations Adam Fleming was.

Negotiation and we know we'll joked about his binders in the slides that he would analyse but we really did bring that to the listeners and we will continue to do that when there is something to say about the brexit process.

We will not be a good at all to revisit that story was very much and probably more relaxed coronavirus very different beast isn't it? It's very sobering.

How do you deal with the tone? I think the town is absolutely really critical to the podcast and we created this space where it feels like you're eavesdropping on for informed friends having a conversation over a glass of wine and our motto on the podcast was always that we take the story incredibly seriously but we don't take ourselves very seriously and that tone has you know we've had to question ourselves around the tone especially around the coronavirus story absolutely but I think one of the beauties of of the podcasting space as you've got a very very intimate relationship with the audience.

Do regularly is show workings and we will say to our audience of the start of the podcast you know this can be some really really terrible news today and that kind of frames the tone for the rest of the podcast we going to tackle a kind of lighter subject.

We will will explain what we're going to do so people are aware of that the town is going to shift and I understand that my thanks to the BBC editor of news podcasts de Los Angeles us know your thoughts on that interview and anything else to do with BBC Radio local or national of course the corporations podcast this is how you can get in touch you can send an email to feedback at bbc.co.uk or write a letter to the address is feedback PO Box 67234 London ec1p for as you can follow activity on Twitter by using at BBC R4 feedback or you can call us and leave a phone message on 03.

4445 standard landline charges apply, but it could cost more on some mobile networks all these details are on our website which week are asking to BBC Radio listeners to step out of their comfort zone's and listen to a program that would normally be on their radar.

We have mother and daughter Eve and live akehurst from Lewes in East Sussex mummy, what would be your top if you were stranded on a desert island my top things I listen to the most are Sorry I Haven't a Clue In Our Time and start the week.

Love your 17 so maybe you've never heard of I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue but anyway you're studying A Levels at the moment and we're introducing you to radio to a certain extent because you don't listen to it much do you what do you listen to?

I normally listen to stuff on Spotify by podcasts like off Menu podcast with James Acaster and Ed gamble, but yeah, I'm new kind of to radio and I'm going on in the background with my mum playing it in the kitchen, but yeah, I haven't really ever tuned in which may well be outside your comfort zone.

It's called the Hubble Legacy it's available on BBC sounds and Eve how would you describe the program the program was about the history of the Hubble how it has a society from it's conception to its retirement which is coming up soon.

So yeah, it was interesting a bit too long and too technical in the beginning, but I did learn a lot that I didn't know about Hubble and this program had almost an hour long too long for you.

I mean, I'm not used to sitting down for an hour stretch of time and just listening.

I did find it interesting because I'm quite interested in science and stuff about the Hubble telescope that you didn't know did you know much about the history of it at all like I've seen pictures of some of the photographs of come out of it, but I didn't know anything about the history of its conception and all of the astronauts and stuff that were involved in its launch.

What was the former astronaut Nicole Scott Dawson artist and they used clips of the way in which the Harbour was developed through the period and sublinear way which gave it a structure but the claim was that it had a profound Effect not just on the way we see the world but also an ass and Culture do you think even made that case?

Certain extent when the technical side was being talked about with all these kind of monotone flat Timmy voices.

I kind of did switch off a little bit but as soon as the poser came on and that piece of music was really moving I could understand completely what he got from it because I just thought it encompassed my feelings about something like that in space and what it could do for our world since I can remember I wanted to be an astronaut if I'm being honest I still want to be an astronaut just waiting for the other two Eric Whitacre the composer of deep filled a 2015 work commissioned by the Minnesota Orchestra and BBC Radio 3 and inspired by Hubble

UCD suggesting the presenters voice didn't fascinate you did I think it was very monotone kind of very American sound.

She didn't have any feeling I suppose because she's not a professional presenter, but it really came through so it kind of made me switch off a little bit because I did voice on the other side.

She had real authority because she's been there because she been doing that for me that often overcomes their you know any problems with the voice because of the general presenters who were just picking up this project.

Do it pass on to something else with the presenter like that.

You're dealing with somebody has lived it and I thought that did come across did live did you think that that real authority definitely enjoyed was the fact that they had interviews and also the astronaut.

I felt like it gave it a real human Element that part of it really interested me too kind of imagine what it would be like to be up in space and I'm experienced something like that.

Yeah that bit of family fascinating but also live the claim is that it has revolutionized our attitude about our place in the universe that when you see so many trillions and trillions and planets in the most extraordinary almost endless sense of existence.

It has two places when you looked at the photographs from Hubble and thinking of that's really changed my view of the world definitely I mean like I remember the first time that I saw that when they are exposed to an area of deep space and they saw all of those galaxies.

I mean you can't really visualise the kind of scale of the universe, but I don't know it definitely put it all in.

What is an hour-long program and of course archive on 4 is often on Radio 4? Do you think you'll go back to it Eve to Cavan for or will you that was interesting? I'm glad that I've listened to it, but not again.

I would go back to it providing it was a subject that I was interested in because I like the idea of together different views of one particular scenario or a subject and not having a voice telling you things necessary, so you're allowed to kind of make you draw your own conclusions, so yes definitely I would the subject was out of comfort zone, but listen to another try another I will and what about your daughter live will you I mean I don't think I'll go out of my way to listen to Radio 4 or the archive bit of it.

I think that if it was on on the radio was listening to it.

I might not immediately leave the room and go and do something else instead tune in and see what they're talking about.

I did find it interesting well.

Thanks very much for taking part and live in Hurst mother and daughter from West Sussex and just a reminder that the Hubble Legacy is still available on BBC sounds trillions and trillions of universes I wonder if any of them has a radio station, what date was the end of the period of Leinster during which some people give up things they love is an act of discipline a bit redundant this year.

You would have thought but during lent Radio 4 broadcast six talks which week a different speaker gave their personal perspective on an aspect of the Christian story leading up to Easter this year's theme was identity losing gaining it struggling with it.

And owning it in the first or Anglican priests Rachel man reflected on Jesus is journey of self-discovery and his struggle to accept his appointed row and how this is her to accept her own identity as a trans woman.

This is what some have you had to say about all six lent talks st.

Albans and I thought there seemed identity was a really up-to-date response to the period of lent Rachel man, who is ordained in the Church of England gave the first talk about trans identity and made it clear why identity is a good topic for lent each of the speakers faced problems associated with their own identity and grew stronger overcoming them we commonly think of lent as being a time to give things up but this gives a much more positive and dynamic view of it to Mount Stephen from.

Trust me I've had a surfeit of gender and identity issues on Radio 4 in recent months to the extent that my response is now to turn off or switch to Radio 3.

It's only guaranteed that feeling time to listen to The lent talks something I would normally do Stephen pumfrey.

There are some good reflections, but they would be just as good if not better if not stretch to have some connection with the lens and Easter theology and tradition well.

I'm delighted to be joined by Rachel man who's in the sitting room? Let me put you Stephen Humphreys stretched.

Perhaps your talk to fit into the Lantern Eastern theology and tradition.

We were aware of any stretching feel so from my point of view as far as I'm concerned.

It's one of the Dynamics at the heart of the religious that when one thinks about one's own Story 1 inevitably has to think about.

No, that's placed in good story and vice versa so for me actually to reflect on the personal always takes us further and deeper if we're people of faith into the religious and your place was that identity being authentic being true to your identity is key and you then compared what you said it wanted to confirm Jesus bit of course you did in a way.

That's a very dangerous thing to do isn't it to compare your own particular situation to that of Jesus will I absolutely want to give some back up and say that I don't think I was saying that my situation was directly analogous rather.

I wanted to place my story into that bigger story actually that's the invitation.

That's made to all people of faith to say ok.

I love my little Story how do I place it into this bigger story of

God facing temptation or struggles about who he is called to be but you are asking me for the Jesus being fully man did not understand at the Beginning his precise role that therefore in the desert and elsewhere.

There is a struggle to find his identity before he realises ultimately who he is and in the Garden of gethsemane.

What he must face.

He said that is your belief that all of us have to be authentic and true to our identity and find that identity.

How did you find your identity in the way in which I describe which is essentially in that embodied contextual personal sort of way.

I mean I have to acknowledge that I have very strong sense of what we might call gender dysphoria from her a very early age.

I had a sense that things were quite right, but the fullness of self-understanding only emerge.

Overtime I think that's true for all of us.

I think being trans is actually just one variant on her a profound human spectrum where we're all trying to figure out exactly who we are and at times and I live things come into focus and at other times.

They go out of focus and in coming to terms with my gender identity.

I think I I found that I could then start to concentrate on other things in my identity.

I want to do think it was such a suitable subject for lent.

What was the brief you were given when you first talk to the programs producer was actually very generous in the case of here's the story we want you to talk about for example Jesus temptation in the desert.

It was more a case of saying if we acknowledge that we are all called to grow into the likeness of Christ and that's certainly something that Christians believe how then can someone who has been outside.

Different experience identity like a trans person wrestle with that given that very broad brief that meant that I could then look at the different kinds of stories that I wanted to locate my story in and as you thought about it and those who wrote is did you change your views anyway or did they evolve? That's a good question.

I think one of the things that really came out.

I think as I wrote.

I think we only figure out who who what we think and believe about certain things as we write them slightly for writers like me.

I really wanted to major much more on the communal elements the way in which actually we are formed in community with an individual istick Society and actually Christianity is a very common religion and I think that's what shifted as a developed the piece of course you recorded this before the lockdown and you've just been to a

Why you could not celebrate with in Euro church with your operation as you could do something online, but it must have been the most lonely Easter in a way that you've ever experienced as a parish priest and putting it is to say that this Easter has had something of the character of holy Saturday that sense of of absence and lack of connection however, I still believe that Grace's abundant and God is good and when it came to East today and we had our online service there was a profound sense of connection.

It wasn't an embodied connection.

That's the beauty of Christianity is that it's very very physical and it's face-to-face and grounded but that shouldn't have been connected up by spirit was tremendous in fact it was almost a foretaste of what Christians want to experience at Pentecost that sense of the spirit drawing everyone together my thanks to the river.

Rachel man just before we go no one guessed from coronavirus should matter more than another but many of us must have been particularly saddened by the news this week that Tim Brooke-Taylor died television news concentrated on his role in the goodies, but most of us will remember him for his over 50-years long contribution to BBC Radio comedy stretching from I'm so I'll read that again to of course.

I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue and you thanks Tim this week next week will be talking to the head of BBC News output Gavin Allen about well whatever you tell if you want to know from him.

So please send us your thoughts questions and concerns.

Keep safe keep separate goodbye.