Read this: 16/07/2021 Radio 4 Feedback

BBC sounds music Radio podcasts which should they have been in partial particularly when England played Scotland in an earlier group match because in the view of this listener, they were not if a BBC political presenter Express to clear support for Political policy or bloated when a party lost they would be sacked.

So why is it acceptable for sports presenters to support? Just one of the home Nations will be talking to the form of BBC director of Sport Roger Mosey about whether the corporation should be impartial in its sports coverage and does Radio 4 everything need to be rethought programs out of 3 where there is near complete agreement across the panel.

I think that's unfortunate for the series was there too much consensus and not enough radical thinking in the later.

Series on education, I'll be talking to it said is this spice up your life at 25 years ago.

We wanted to put two listeners out of their comfort zones by listening to a Radio 2 documentary about the Spice Girls at quarter of a century on they were not impressed by the pop groups political judgement one of the major statements about Margaret Thatcher being the number one spice girl growing up in South Yorkshire in the 70s and 80s Margaret Thatcher wasn't terribly popular and that sort of implanted in my mind but with a bit of hindsight.

I probably won't that tune into the problems of the industrial, North

Last Sunday England lost more than a football match against Italy what should have been a celebration of the best in football was besmirched by racism and hooliganism and here at feedback.

We receive criticism about the BBC's coverage of the matches themselves especially when England was involved Sumner stop the corporations much wanted impartiality went out of the window.

How does bemoan the impact of blanket coverage of football on other sporting occasions notably Wimbledon and the Tour de France but they discuss this town by Roger Mosey the former editorial director BBC and during this time The Corporation it was also the director of Sport controller BBC Radio 5 Live and the BBC's director of coverage of the London 2012 Olympics Sir Roger when you're in charge of coverage of the Olympics for example, did you tell your commentators to be in partial divide and it's pretty simple one and a divide was that new should be.

Partial and sport could be as partizanas it wanted and that maybe a bit more special dividing install BBC I think you do want in the Olympics and also in Euro 2020 very happy indeed for Gary Lineker to be cheering on England I am less happy if I BBC newsreader is doing it and that divides seems to work and maybe sometimes.

It's a bit blurred but that thing to wait for Patrick McCafferty when England played Scotland almost all the five live presenters commentators and pundits made it quite clear who they were supporting.

Where was the impartiality and balance get on at the O2 UK teams involved if a BBC political presenter Express declare support for political party or bloated party lost.

They would be sacked.

So why is it acceptable for sports presenters to support? Just one of the home Nations that I'm sure BBC would say that they didn't.

But do you think sometimes that inevitably perhaps England gets more attention than the smaller Nations of Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland or indeed the Republic of it can do did during this tournament if I was still controller Radio 5 Live M25 live today would want to broadcast both to England fans and to Scotland fans where you have if you like what I might go geometry is the five live is a radio station for the UK but there is Radio Scotland or Radio Wales and strong Scottish and Welsh broadcasting outlets which can be passes and you do need somewhere and radio where you can have plenty of people being equally passionate for England but it comes to the commentary and the game itself.

I would not expect a national UK radio station to be too much on one side of England v Scotland well, BBC spokesperson gave us this stage using the England v Scotland game on 5 live as an example lead commentator.

Barry was joined by former England player Chris Waddle and former Scotland player Pat Nevin for balance on both sides and four insight and knowledge on each teams players and game 5 live on one of the biggest games of the euros between two of the three home Nations in the tournament, so what you had a sport.

Would you say to be an absolute requirement that when England plays at any one of the other nations in the UK that there should be representatives from those other nations as well as English Representatives in the commentary box and it was something that the BBC still does and we try to do if you can have separate coverage for the different Nations I can also be an attractive way of doing it so certainly BBC where is used to opt-out music from a network coverage for a rugby match involving Wales that means they can be as much as you like you still got the problem with the UK wide coverage is also Broadcasting

As well as it does allow for a bit more divergence and the challenges that there isn't a radio England so the home for England passion has to be carefully plotted than it is for the nation sports fans as well think there's been too much football is to carolhill I as a football fan and tired of the time devoted to it today compared with the tennis for example know the sport has arrived at final yet and tennis has hardly been mentioned this morning never my departure of the great Federer Francis Simpson I am as excited as anyone about the football but what about Mark Cavendish won yesterday stage of the Tour finish is 30 first stage win 5 years after his last an amazing and emotional come back yet the Today programme doesn't even give it to mention two.

Is more important than cav what animation and such a shame Roger Mosey let's take the cycling anyway first time in oven dishes achievement has been up to astonishing list of she wouldn't know that really from the BBC do you think cycling has a hard time getting onto the BBC you have to look at the audience figures for the major sports and football and England Germany and the final against Italy which if you're getting 20 to 30 million viewers which is enormous number the average audience for the Wimbledon finals round about 5 million the audience for a major cycling event outside the Olympics might only be 1 or 2 million.

So you have public broadcasting is there you can rely on the commercial networks to do the most popular things are the advertisers will want them to do that but it's the BBC is a public service organisation that should actually focus on things as well that are less popular but the Public Service Broadcasting on the station also has.

And I am delighted that free-to-air major football remains on the BBC and ITV and I need to make the most of it Eric felten football follower occasionally go to matches and regularly watch Match of the Day but I'm finding the excessive coverage of England in the Euro 2020 tournament tedious example football crept into almost every item on a programme on the days before and after the final instead of being constrained to the hourly sports god.

Why are you doing? This? It seems to me that the presenters and produces a desperate to appear in touch Radio 5 Live was established for sport coverage, so put the build up an analysis of them football there the Today programme is now advertising itself for the trailers for it.

They want to feel there in touch with her, but do you think they did too much on the soccer to me? There was a bit too much on Radio 4.

Yes.

No let me tell you a story as something myself with BBC dinosaur so when I became controller.

Why did 1996a 25 years ago I had a conversation with John Birch about the fact that morning on 5 Live they had LED the news with a minor development in the Northern Ireland peace process when the second story was about in England football international with a really big story then I said to John it seems to me that on 5 live the new should lead with sport and we debated it and we agree that that would be a good thing to do and I think what has happened in the last 25 years is a football has spread and encroached upon more editorial areas a number of people said that the Radio 4 6 on the fact.

It was 0-0 in England vs.

Germany was an old editorial decision when the People by definition listen to Radio 4 that point will not the people watching BBC Television or this is where you live so you're talking about the agenda on which is a great worry for a lot of people that sport is crowding-out other stories.

I mean the BBC has enough network she would think or

To accommodate everybody are you suggesting that Radio 4 should stick to largely a non-sporting.

I think you need to offer people genuine choice to put it in website terms also strange to me at times and if you went to the BBC News website now like a lot of people went to the BBC News website for coronavirus.

What's happening in America and I found endless football stories about the scale and dominance of football in the output so I hope central control of news gathering and other general news operation isn't going to meet you.

Just get this one top or I would you like to or not.

You can get 20 minutes of football where Roger Mosey thank you very much.

We did ask to induce someone from the BBC about this but no one was available we were provided with statement instead.

It was up to each individual program editor and producer how much coverage they gave to one of the biggest sporting tournaments to happen in a few years plus the tournament where three of them.

Competing and where one of them made it to their first final in 55 years and do let us know your thoughts about that interview or anything else to do with BBC Radio and podcast sorry has the details of how you get in touch you can send an email to feedback and bbc.co.uk or write a letter the address is feedback PO Box 6234 London se1p 4ax you can follow our activity on Twitter by using at BBC R4 feedbag or cornice and even on 03333440524 standard landline charges apply, but it could cost more on some mobile networks all those details on our website for asking to BBC Radio listeners to step.

Tempertons and listen to a program that would normally be on their radar this week.

We have a media sturgeon who lives and works in Plymouth that's got Barton Sheffield born and bred to get a sense of your taste.

What would be your top 2 programmes if you were stranded on a desert island definitely Saturday Live Life Scientific and just a minute and what about you Scott your favourite top 3 pick my top three would-be Desert Island Discs p.m.

And news quiz on a Friday or Saturday will you ask your customers done a day's but instead to spice up your life 25 years ago part part one of the series on Radio 2 which is looking better that midnight is period and you can hear the cross on BBC sounds and describe the programme explain what it's all about I suppose it is history to you since.

I'm not sure even if you were born when the Spice Girls have their first hit was born in 94 so would have been yeah.

Have you heard in the cradle that it was like a biography of the Spice Girls and they can a buzz that they create during that time.

I'd say and people's reviews that program will be celebrating one of the most iconic pop groups of all time the Spice Girls do for 93 minutes and 1997 I got a managed Spice World the movie later when you aware as your parents were fond of the Spice Girls what is a call around you even when you're in the car, no my my mum would play mercy reggae, so that's what we can we listen to Growing Up but I asked her and she said that we did have them on tapes and so my parties did consist of the Spice Girls hits, what's the rating surprising sending Scott anything you didn't know the one surprising thing no interesting thing for me was the stuff context.

The way they were embraced by the royals and the politicians and things and they were talking about a contrast with Wilson in the 60s and sort of beatlemania, so I thought that was quite interesting but the presenter was have got Richard E Grant's there perhaps presume is good present but also because he was in the film The Spice World he's even then 45 he said rather ruefully someone older than he did a good job and contributed personal reminiscences.

Well.

I love Richard E Grant I love his films is all the films is my recent films.

I love listening to him.

Talk shows he say to me Otley disinterested and they said I don't know if it's in times of kovid, but I sort of had this vision of him.

Sat in his back bedroom is wardrobe with a duvet over him on his own trying to sort of record this from a script, but it very much sounded to me like you was going through the motions, but it wasn't just an exercise in the stalgia and listening to pretty pretty good music that has stood the test of time pieces and the

This was really a breakthrough in girl power and the group significantly affected the pop industry and as they were assisted or pave the way for a lot of girl group subsequently and immediate isn't the case was yes, I think that case was made really well, and that is why I was interested in the show and why I would have tuned in if I would myself I'm really interested in the idea that they were the first girl group and that they completely changed the face of girl groups and pop music particularly conifer and how women are Bude in the industry.

You see that is an age difference you see I remember Bananarama before that which must have been what 10 years or so before I certainly came way.

It's undoubtedly Spice Girls is great pub music and it has stood the test of time and it's not necessarily what I'm into but it is such a great news.

I think there is

History obviously, I don't know girl groups and pop music before that but the sense that the program gave off is that it was a change of time and the fact that young women could see these girls kind of misbehaving you're being cheeky.

They were talking about them flirting with the interviewers and just being a bit wild and the fact that girls could look up to that and you know we have to sit here and look pretty and be quiet.

You could actually be yourselves and be celebrated for that.

I think that's quite cool and how girl groups now are using that they can afford their own careers and would you still listen to the music or do you think it's dated a massive pop music listener anyway, but I love that the programme had the songs in between each kind of segment because me and my housemate will pop along to the music and I think it really gave a sense of the hype that they were trying to create through the programme one thing song.

The enthusiasm of that time so it was just before new labour came and on the bill that britpop thing and that the music's really upbeat and optimistic energetic and I think the program do the music rather than the comments got that for me person that was a time.

I will first child was born we were setting a business.

Hope we run so it was the first Big Event we did so in a way that music takes you back to a certain time.

I was listening to a driving actually and you no such a felt quite uplifted by the music.

Yeah, I did I did get that wasn't really that conscious picturing 96A I did get that sense when I listen to the shows reminiscing the end of these discussions.

We always ask whether you're in so Amelia where you at the same.

Yeah, I was out of my comfort zone in the sense that I wouldn't pick this show and it's not something that I normally.

2 and it's not other time that I remember so I was at my comfort zone that how about you Scott out of your comfort.

Well, I was out of my comfort zone in that I wouldn't normally listen to radio for a such a factual programme and I guess I stayed out of my comfort zone because I would have turned up to five minutes.

There was a particularly rotating part for me and probably just be campsite Chris old man records and I would have just done the towel in about point so out of your comfort zone.

Yes Scott how the media.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thanks.

Andy let us know if you would like to be put out your comfort zone.

Rethink is the Radio 4 series which explores how we could and have should change the world after the coronavirus pandemic back in January it's presenter amol Rajan looked at the issue of fairness this time.

It was education over 5 days last week.

He and his guests discuss the following questions what's education for can't screw make-up for what's lacking at home is the current system fit for purpose are we teaching the right subject for the future of the country and what is the role of technology and education in a moment? I'll be talking to the series editor for first clip from Kenneth now Lord Baker the former conservative education secretary who introduced GCSEs back in the 1980s.

No because you just tell us what the ebacc is for those who don't know play DJs in fact and Academic curriculum subjects which is word for word the same curriculum and dancing 1904 the last 10 years.

ODEON curriculum Rowan from Twitter this has been a fascinating week of shows on the future of education post pandemic from an erosion amazing for someone aged to hear Killers bakers GCSEs I no longer fit for purpose from Twitter a pleasure to listen to a discussion and illuminating important issues.

Just a traditional vs.

Progressive so-called debate we really do need to rethink education Felicity white I think there was more creative thinking Express evening in the discussion on education the catastrophic splits in the 19th century between technology and traditional intellectual subjects which did not occur in Germany and other European countries has been a great problem in managing industrial life.

I think that was and still is about snobbery invented by the middle classes in their longing to distance themselves from working classes.

Escape this artificial divide together with the false division between the Arts and the Sciences of the Bridge from church this morning programme was disappointing with scant research about education demonstrated by the panel instead.

We were given a regressive look of education with a rehash of outdated approaches the new imaginative insight for musical.ly ideas that feed into a curriculum that fit our current world in a pandemic Bob on Twitter to programs out of 3 well.

There is near complete across the panel.

I think that's unfortunate for the series well.

I'm delighted by the editor of The series Kirsty read huge contentious subjects, but Bob from criticism wasn't that contentious in your serious because two programs out of 3 does near complete agreement does that failure do you know?

And I disagree with Bob that there was complete agreement across some of the panels.

I think you said near to be photo Bobby said near come please fair enough, then I disagree with Bob still I think there was variety across the panels, but I do think the people who go into education go into it probably for similar reasons so whether their teachers or lecturers education.

They all go into it with the interests of children and young people at the forefront.

Yes, obviously that's the case.

I'm sure the last people but the point here is people didn't expect the consensus to come out the expected.

They're not a fresh challenging ideas that perhaps they haven't thought of and then slightly well Bob anyway start the letdown, but there is a consensus.

I think we were looking for light bravern heat.

We were wanting to have a fight atsushi on air and so for example when we ended up talking about topics such as child poverty and deprivation.

There wasn't really any one who would say you know we shouldn't be tackling this or we shouldn't be trying to mitigate what's going on in the lives of many children in the UK at the moment although people were saying maybe it's not up to teachers to be doing it very different positions Mary beard the classes has tweeted the Education discussion is focusing on a problem solvers, but sadly they are talking about it as it was only design or engineering which taught problem-solving find I think that I've told lot of problem-solving throughout my career.

So what's your response to Mary beard problem-solving and collaboration that came up a lot in the programme on are we in the right subjects, she's right and we did have a very eminent to engineer on the panel and she was speaking very persuasively about how engineering is the subject if you want to.

Problem solvers perhaps we did put slightly too much emphasis on design and engineering but we did also have people on the panel like Jude Kelly there for my director artistic director of the South flying the flag for the teaching of the arts, so wouldn't challenge Mary beard when she said she's a problem solver.

I mean you're very courageous if you know I'd agree and there was someone who said you know please talk of problem-solving of collaboration.

That's just so much what we talking about is educating a competent person and that's what we need to be producing from universities and further education institutions and I think you know that beer recognition on that panel, but classicists as much as engineers could be teaching problem-solving.

What would you say with the most radical put forward or to be carried on and debate will I think there was a very strong drive to get rid of GCSEs from some of our speakers.

They seem to have served their time.

Get me Kenneth Baker was pushing for that big time the author of them which was quite remarkable it was quite remarkable and that was possibly the most radical proposal that was put forward but the other thing that struck me from the was the idea that so many teachers have found themselves doing so much more than just teaching during the pandemic that they've found themselves and their schools be coming for distribution of food for social care for keeping children occupied in more ways than just schooling and that they should be recognised officially economically and it shouldn't necessarily all be down to teachers to do it, but they should be more recognition of the extracurricular things that teachers are doing but they're being forced to do as a result of the pandemic anyway your programs reflected.

What's happening at the moment, but that's not necessarily so.

And you think that actually very decision to do such programs in an editorial view that education isn't what it should be a needs rethink.

Yes, I think education probably does need really I think over the last year and a half the pandemic has Force people to educate their children in different ways.

I think it's forced a new appreciation of the work that teachers do on reparent in the country and it's made us realise that there are different resources at her fingertips that we could use to educate children and young people in different and this was just a start of thinking about how to use those and what could be done in the future and will there be more programs in the roofing series have been almost 150 and the first individual contributions, but you've just done a series on that their's been issues on Furnace now on education is the intention to continue to rethink areas of public Life yes, there is there is

Play for an opinion that has been a useful vehicle for looking at big issues with an open mind we don't really want to have fights we want to have discussions, but at the moment decided on what the next series might be on so if feedback listeners want to suggest any areas that need rethinking then it would be great if they could get in touch via your inbox.

Yes, please do our thanks to series editor Kirsty read and that's it for feedback for this week next week.

We'll be talking to David Pickard director of the BBC Proms so do let us know your thoughts and questions for him.

Will I have to present the program waving a Union Jack until then keep on keeping safe goodbye?