Read this: 09/07/2021 Radio 4 Feedback

BBC sounds music Radio podcasts not a lot of weeks ago by elections a ministerial resignation heatons in Canada rapidly rising covid cases in England football team reaching a final for the first time in 55 years LOL of course, but in The Beatles some listeners channelling Eric Morecambe North necessarily in the right order or indeed at the right length and with the right words government cronyism for example underreport the cronyism, but it was language do people found on it on occasions was less than clear, then.

I take that point and will certainly learnt from that that was the BBC's deputy director of news John Monroe and Leitrim feedback.

He'll be answering listeners criticisms and discussing the vexed issue of impartiality and I bet you five and I'm up for it.

How you going to take me to?

I take it apart and he says that's easy.

Hey baby taking a stair lift to have that comedy writer John Etherington talks to us about her award-winning series conversations from a long marriage which is delighted so many of you and your comfort zone feature this week two listeners different generations review of World Service documentary about emojis with a give it a :-) my sort of test on a program like this is would I go home and bore my wife and something that learn from it and there were a few sort of interesting things that I did learn from it, but do they actually enjoy it find out later in feedback.

On Tuesday the BBC published it's annual report on the main news line was that he did cut presenter salaries by 10% you can access the details on the BBC website 40% of people named the BBC as their most important source of information and news about the pandemic at 80% of UK adults only use BBC News services each week to be joined by the deputy director BBC News Jonathan Munro before that big game on Wednesday I put your come and see him but before that I asked about the question of impartiality which was such a large part of the annual report the clear impression is that the BBC at the top thinks it's organisation has a problem with impartiality.

Does it? What about perceptions of impartiality Roger us an important caveat on the word impartiality because it's in the eye of the beholder to an extent if you look at the social media reaction to the annual report.

Provide reasonably evenly the number of people who thought we were leaning politically one-way compared to those who thought we're leaving politically the opposite way and that's because people come from their own perceptions and probably behaviour many of us would recognise but in a polarized Society which undoubtedly we are politically this has been you know difficult Challenge for the BBC particularly through some of the political events of the last few years, but on the positive side.

We are easily the highest rated broadcaster for impartiality more than our friendly rivals on other channels put together in terms of our section on a strong Foundation on which to build but we're not complacent about it, but can we move on now from impartiality some of the questions listeners of sent him first one.

I've got his about what we might call Matt Hancock affair and is from listening Nikki Jones I've just been listening to the radio 4 p.m.

Coverage following the publication of a photo of Matt Hancock and is there several issues here?

Editor of the sun in one interview the most troubling is that this woman was appointed as an independent scrutiny of not as an aid to Matt Hancock however throughout the rest of the program all headlines the BBC continues to refer to this woman as and there's an enormous difference and it seems that the BBC is colluding in the cover-up of the critical issue of cronyism juicing been better to have referred to Gina coladangelo as a non-executive director we did referred to as that although not in every case in every sentence in every reference and I think they'd Krypton as a bit of short and if people found that misleading doughnuts Fayre points and was to oversee and monitor performance of mad.

He was appointed by send Health Secretary and the questions about what process was gone through another appointment and we raise always questions with politicians around about that day and and work available to be held to account.

I'm not you think that.

Review the expression aid less recently used once price but actually use non-executive director more frequently what I think every report it should be clear what her role was I don't want to get into the words an issue about loss of one or more of the other but if there any reporting that was unclear about the role was then that shouldn't have been the case just on the point that your sister makes them about living in the cronyism that really is quite a stretch.

I think I after all we did lead our programs for several days in a row on the mat, Hancock affair you may nobody resigned in the middle of a live football match but do a new special on BBC One as soon as the football match was over we didn't underreport the cronyism, but it was language do people found on occasions was less than clear that I take that point and will certainly learnt from that will turn into football we've got this question from Nigel Pascoe has the BBC taking a day off what is important in the world? I think the first item on the lunchtime news was 13 minutes about the England soccer match.

Much as I enjoy sport when I know many do not this is ridiculous at the time of pandemic and also to know the serious news the BBC is taking it off the covid Ball as it is gone away.

It is reinforcing the public perception that all is Rosie the rising rates in many areas of the UK from Cornwall one.

Such area in the world picture make for more news Johnson leonora.

Always related here one is the extent of coverage of a certain story in this case the football and the second of the effect of that on the space for other store festival to suggest that we turned our back on the pandemic.

I don't accept that at all.

We've done an incredible amount of coverage on the pandemic and continue to do that from home and Abroad that doesn't mean to say that every bullet and has to lead on the pandemic for nearly a year and a half and they've been occasions.

We've stepped away from that into other news and I think the football is an example.

Thought that it was right step away from the pandemic as a lead story on those days when the football was particularly newsworthy as a talking list of probably would do not disagree with you about 13 minutes.

I mean the question whether it should lead and you've answered that one but the length of time given to it some lisnadill.

Thing is just proportion but I accept that some distance to think that I think we all accept the sport.

It's not just for transport is an example of a story which tends to divide the audience but it's worth bearing in mind that nearly 21 million people watch the last live match on the BBC so in terms of an indication of interest that's easy the biggest audience of any events in this year's television schedules, but from time to time taking a lead from the level of public interest in the story is the right thing to do assuming of course solicitors an important caveat, but there isn't an overwhelming development in a story like the pandemic on the same day that would change the equation completely that on the days with leg with football.

Our judgement was the pandemic was an important and a series story on any given day, but nothing has happened on that specific day to push that to the top of the running order another question related to news coverage was in particular.

How you cover long-running stories this one is about climate change and it comes from this natoni, but I would like to know why BBC News under reports the timer to measure it is a present danger to the Future of mankind, but it's a fraction of the time devoted to covid-19 climate emergency is covered such as the heat Dome in North America just treated as a one-off interested item and not linked to the many other signs that the climate catastrophe is accelerating Donna Summer I knew you won't accept the Wanderer climate change but you think there is a real danger with an underlying story which is very important that only when he picks.

Do you deal with it and the lot of other things you should be covering because son in the

Obviously, it is being most important is UEFA I think a lot of people will accept the most important issue.

We face in the long-term sale existential stories.

We cover and a challenge you want.

It's undoubtedly the case that the scale of coverage of the pandemic has absorbed airtime in a way that we haven't seen on a running story for probably most of his life times and therefore most of the stories have found less elbowroom in our output as a result of that.

I think that's undeniably the case but I got good news for Mr Barrett and other people who feel that this is an area.

That would like to see more of which is that we announce that we are appointing our first climate editor a very senior journalist who will lead our coverage of climate that appointment will be made very soon in plenty of time for example for the cop26 summit in Glasgow in November will be a lot of coverage running up that so much about all of the issues that are play there.

It's obviously a crucial gathering of worldly.

Personal virtual and we intend to be the leading place for audiences to go to to get coverage and analysis of that anything that's agreed at that something is it you or to have a more distinctive agenda in other words they suspect well this listen suspect that you follow newspapers rather than leave them.

This is John Henderson concert news presenter frequently start an item with there's a story in The Telegraph today the sun so look I don't pay my licence fee to know what's in The Telegraph so rather than getting my news from world at 1 p.m.

Etc.

My NewsNow comes from programs.

Such as analysis Farming Today file on 4 from our own correspondent and the BBC has many experienced reporters on their shows with important news stories yet.

They are not involved in the mainstream BBC News enough the suggestion.

Century following agenda, which is framed by the newspapers and they should have more convictions of your on Andy reports that your angels to doing you should be more independent of the news media.

I think it's the question.

What are really push back against I don't think we're following the newspapers at all.

There is a significant amount of journalism on the BBC day and day out which is hugely distinctive and very difficult look for example at the investigative work with John and the week of minority and jinjiang in China that wasn't sad by any newspaper.

Look at the coverage of the Israeli actually against the Gaza strip that wasn't said by any newspaper the extensive coverage of the state of A&E wards in hospitals across the UK during the pandemic that was not set by any newspaper, but there are stories that newspapers break which I genuinely newsworthy an important and in the public interest for us to follow up on and I finally can return not to question content but the means of delivery and son that dries many of August as mad has for some time and I

Midsummer members of my own household, this is from listener Georgetown by in the 21st Century can the BBC News programs not find a reliable way of talking to politicians experts members of the public cetera who are not in the studio is a day program the world at one and delight infuriating interrupted by losing the line two contributors.

Can you give us hope that in future Jonathan there will be fewer sudden Silence is a line game goes down as always hope yeah, it's been tricky because we're in the hands of technology which allows us to take contributors from their homes on broadband forecast Wallasey as opposed to the phone which has our old friend and very reliable but doesn't sound as good obviously we tried various platforms and technologies ultimately were off and reliant on the strength of the internet and brought.

The home of the person who is contributing and we can't control that so sometimes that does drop out we doing relatively little presenting from home now or there's some and they've been some problems with that to try to increase the resilience of people systems in their own homes, but we can't don't want to insist that our staff all live permanently online and places hardwired to the BBC they're entitled to live where they want to live and sometimes.

There's a bit of vulnerability on their activity as a result of the BBC's deputy director of news Jonathan Munro and do let us know your thoughts about that interview anything else to do with BBC Radio and podcasts.

This is how you can get in touch come in Gorey send an email to feedback and bbc.co.uk or write a letter addresses feedback PO Box 672 34 London se1p 4ax you can follow your activity on Twitter by you.

At BBC R4 feedbag, or you can call us on 0303 444 5444 on some mobile networks all those details on our website each week for asking to BBC Radio listeners to step out of their comfort zones and listen to a program that would normally be on their radar this week.

We have a media sturgeon.

She lives and works in Plymouth and Scott Gardiner Sheffield Born and Bred listening habits.

What would be your top field programs if you were stranded on that mythical desert island definitely Saturday Live life Science and probably just a minute.

What about you your top 3 definitely Desert Island Discs p.m.

And a bit of light received the News Quiz

I might not be like relief it was edition of the documentary on the world service.

It was called to smiley faces and was part 1 of a series which looks at the history of the emoji you can have got series on BBC sounds.

How do you describe the programme explain what it's about it hard to explain it was everything that you didn't know that you wanted to know about emoji it was history of the emoji you know the history of Japan and how it fits into Modern culture so small in can sometimes be hard to make them out at all, but dismissing them as insignificant would be a mistake because emoji presentation and things that struck me as it was about 4 minutes and 45 seconds into a program slightly over 20 minutes before you actually started the program as it was the first I'll tell you.

In a bit down the two presenters, won Australian one American having a chat with each other night me and that has no fashion person thinks get on with the story.

Tell me but actually this is probably a director of the podcast isn't it? Did you think that anyway you listening to podcast Amelia rather than normal broadcast program like a podcast and I like when that can handle when a program creates a sort of a sense of where you are.

I feel like it's like a documentary on TV you would have the footage creating a sense of what they were going to introduce.

I think the emoji programme did that quite well.

It's a very friendly present.

It's much more casual.

I feel like I'm with them on the journey when they're trying to find out something that I really enjoyed the source of the energy and enthusiasm and passion for the subject.

Show me in really made me feel such as quite engaged.

It's one of those programs if I was driving along and it was a little bit duller my overactive mind would just one drop into something else and it would just be a noise in the background but actually it was peppered with interesting stuff and then and quite fast paced and quite polished came across for me one of the things.

I found interesting about the subject was this thing about language was the idea of use an emoji to soften text and it's also struck me some was like a condiments to two words.

I think it was used to the sense that the Japanese and put it on the suggestion was the Japanese in particular a very sensitive and don't like to offend people who want to do that emojis could soften any possible offence omastar sort of just in case you think I'm being a bit rude.

He is an emoji and a reluctance now for people and Amelia tell me if I've got this wrong, but certainly our kid.

Are really reluctant to pick up the phone and speak to people because they got so used to texting and then it's texting with emojis that convey little bit more sophisticated emotion and sometimes you just feel like so just pick up the phone just pick up the phone and you can get across your absolutely right people my age hate speaking on the phone.

I think it's really interest especially when you're dating on dating apps, and this is where it originated for me that someone who uses dating apps emojis are like an essential part of dating now central part of using a dating app because you're trying to form this relationship with someone over text and you can use emojis to flirt you can use emojis to make sure that you know they know the friendly and not Stern offender do not embarrassed yourself because if the emojis wrong.

It's not your voice is not what you've said.

Just change the emoji it's a sort of distance.

14 isn't it isn't people can use them if they are shy or they're too embarrassed to be a bit flirty then you can use an emoji to do that for you and it's so much easier to click a button then say it to someone face-to-face, but then when you meet it changes when you meet up with that person and this is why the whole dating scene the people my age is weird.

Copy and paste you can play with 50 different people at the same time is actually I don't go there and secondly.

Will you listen to the next episode of the series immediate festival I wasn't out my comfort zone in this is exactly the kind of show that I would use to listen to but I didn't know how much I didn't know about emojis so I felt out of my comfort zone in that way, but it does show that I would really looking forward to listening to the rest of the episodes.

Well, I was out of my comfort zone in the I wouldn't really listen to World Service the only times.

I've ever heard build services may be driving and van through the middle of an item struggling to listen to anything so would I listen to it again? I think that the cute is part of a series of the next one was about the dark side of emojis and with everything that's going off in the world and I'm not sure I'm going to invite the door by the villagers into my life.

So so probably well.

Thank you very much for talking to me for this out of pizza.

Thank you very much for media and Scott thank you.

Do let us know if you would like to be put out of your comfort Zone by the way that World Service documentary to smiley faces presented by Vivienne nunis and Sarah treanor is now on BBC sounds.

Conversations from a long marriage the Radio 4 comedy starring Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam has recently won the award for the best radio comedy programme of the Earth given by the voice of the listener and your organisation which will not come as a surprise to many feedback listeners the comedy features a couple of been married don't always happy leave for over 40 years children of the sixties.

They still free spirits still draw the other by their passion for music and for each other and verbal jousting a Beatrice and Benedict for our time.

Am I boring you yes, you can also be boring 8-in rampaging on about traffic wardens and processed cheese, where are boring couple to watch on TV about that is just think I don't mind I find quite comforting.

I had to be in a rut with anyone.

I'd be happy to be in a rock with you.

That's nice for unhelpful Anne-Marie on from Cambridge this has been such a funny positive and life-affirming series.

It's great to see or onto here and older couple enjoying each other and enjoying sex.

I hope that will be more series and please give John and some scope for more writing her perspective on relationships makes a welcome change Paul Merton London this retired couple found himself snorting sniggering and even downright belly laughing over dinner Jan Etherington superb script has been perfectly cast we're not sure whether Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam should be paid a bonus or have his doctrine German themselves so much, but they are utterly brilliant and it does feel rather nice to be just occasionally the target audience get every joke and reference.

All those responsible well, I'm delighted by Jan Etherington the writer herself first college and congratulations on the award and the second question what Took You So Long I mean you when does comedy Award for co-writing something about 35 years ago and this is your first solo Siri I have written so many series of my husband Gavin Petrie his microwriter for many many years and still my partner still speaking just in case you wanted but this one came about because I have been writing contributing sketches to airs on the air with my producer Claire Jones for Pam Ayres and Sharon I had a discussion about the wanted to write a two-hander about people that I really believed him that were people like me who have grown up in the 60s in love with music and still felt something to contribute.

They were passionate.

They were funny and they were still dancing in the Street Martha Reeves and the Vandellas so I wanted someone who vitamins that and did you put on tape recorder on a conversation?

Husband to a long happy marriage and he said you tell me and I'll agree still haven't enjoy sex.

It's shocking really wants to write about that new have one of them and I am one of them and I don't see any reason why passion has to stop when you get to your pension most people have the best fun as they get older I think because there's no kids to worry about their problems you know with work and you're usually happily retired.

Are you doing since you really long and it makes a relationship and what I wanted to share with a marriage that comes through that is here as with kids and dogs and Drama

But still have jealousy and passion and romance and arguments and fury and I don't like you very much at the moment, but there is love there.

That's what I think people.

I just think about it because I thought you might be difficult.

They will be problems.

It's not wrong but a lot of fun and there's a lot of fun and got a fun isn't that nice because we have a young engineering out in the studio and he description this conversation with my girlfriend this morning and there is a server connection because it is a everybody's and that's the greatest compliment Joanna when she read the script was you've been listening at my window jamb and I saw that exactly what I write.

He wants to hear did you write it for Joanna Lumley close in your mind?

When I'm doing something, I'll have to make a decision what would Joanna Lumley do before I met her because I think she's a sort of character that we'd all love to bits of person.

I'm enjoying has not just beautiful.

She's very very funny and I knew how good she had been and everything for travel program so have fab and I wanted to write something cos she epitomizes how we want to be so got her but then in a crucially getting the equal and you choose watch Alan now.

He's of course I wonderful actor classical actor comedy actor whatever but why did you go for well and Joanna lovely together are two of the best voices in broadcasting Joanna said all my friends want to be married to Roger Allam and you know I'd seen anything quite severe things been detectors and think so my photos of sparkle and it turns out that everybody does want to be married to Roger I love having hurt in married to Joanna Lumley so I think it's lovely Lisa romantic lead and it's lovely that they're both totally equal.

I don't want to be the husband doesn't know about dishwashers.

I don't want her to be a depressed wife who can't explain things.

I don't want to be emotionally constipated.

I want to be equal and strong since then we doing it successful writer series that they're absolutely in your head the Faces they are and you're playing to the money, but they always more either they bring out the light the shade the embassy the course is the Beats and they are so much to The Script itself was just listening to those two is I mean I can't stop laughing in the Studio with him.

It's a lovely thing my thanks to write a Jan Etherington and does a Christmas special coming down the line and the third series of early next year rejoicing in my household, and that's it for this week to let us know what you would like us to discuss next week this your program after all until then goodbye.