Read this: 27/08/2021 Radio 4 Feedback

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I think it overlooked problem is the lack of BBC staff from a diverse range of disciplines and professions for example the BBC's most high-profile commentators on technology and Engineering issues have answered humanities backgrounds such as Rory cellan-jones languages.

I'll be putting those fuse to the man himself Rory cellan-jones, who is the latest familiar to figure to announce his leaving the corporation in his case after 40 years before the mast O2 in feedback was William Miller right to try and complete his father Jonathan's explore of memory Miller Jr was a little confused by the concept that memories only exist when we retrieve them.

He wasn't the only one.

I'm not sure if I was confused I convinced.

I'll be talking to.

About the difficulties of making a documentary about your own very demanding Dad have my father being alive and well and being able to look at the programme who just said you've only just scrape the surface and you got that bit and this week.

We asked to lock correspondence to listen to One or BBC Radio 5.

Live's household names well.

Perhaps never heard of Nicky Campbell I've never listen to Radio 5 live so much like Kim I thought it was going to be an any questions or any of those awful things where I was so anticipating that but you feel like god, what she got find out what she made of Nicky Campbell's phone in did it bring more to the coverage of events in Afghanistan

Ronnie Catherine Jones is the BBC technology correspondent but not for much longer Rory has seen it all from the.com bubble of the late 90s to where we are now with a minicomputer pockets able to access online information.

Wherever we happened to be he is much admired and has been described as the non geeks gig so I asked him why is he leaving well? I've got to that age and would have been at the BBC for 40 years and celebrated my 40th anniversary on September 1st and I think you know maybe just time to do a few new things.

I've amazing run at the BBC but it's time to the others have a go.

Will you send a bit missed? It here's some emails from similar Stephen pumfrey time of the Naira I've enjoyed his contributions to BBC TV and tech tent on the world service as someone of the same age.

Who is tech-savvy NIS I'm amazed that he has.

On top of his field and old enough to retire enjoy Leisure Rory David on Twitter will be sorry to see you.

Go whilst I'm interested in technology.

I don't really understand it, but you've help me make it easier to understand has she been tough keeping on top of everything because you witnessed a revolution in the last 3240 years and the an extraordinary and ongoing Revolution yes, well.

I was lucky enough to be appointed technology correspondent in 2007 had been a business card one of the years and I've been fascinated in the late 90s by the.com Revolution which was by far the most interesting.

Am I very first story big story was the unveiling of the iPhone and that really set the path for what became the smartphone hear what day is maybe.

It's another problem to get certain stories passed your editors.

He is this email from Peter Rory cellan-jones have been an excellent technology correspondent.

Usually found an interesting and sometimes slightly Leftfield aspects of technology most importantly his enthusiasm and avoid uncritical and Bernard oversimplification less Incisive commentators are prone to being an underused resources BBC technology coverage.

Overall has been quite patchy particularly on mainstream TV I wonder if you feel that you know major changes unless they speak in a dramatic way the news tents to neglect so if you can track an important technology development doesn't quite peexo is it difficult to get it onto the news it is that has been a constant struggle more particularly those in the last 405 years when there's been such a huge amount of big news of you know the the main Bridges can't ignore brexit a trumpeter and so on but I think you make a good point about gradual change with technology is not usually that you can say.

Play artificial intelligence happened, but you do want your audience to know about AI so you have to find pigs on which to hang it to sell to edit who's got a very crowded.

I wonder if it's a problem also with editors and I myself in the past I can be there from dance background and that something is pointed out by Andrew I think it overlooked problem is the lack of staff from a diverse range of disciplines and professions for example the BBC's most high-profile commentators on technology and Engineering issues have answered humanities backgrounds such as re kettle and Jones languages and Tim Harford PPE consequently.

I know that myself and most other engineering and technical staff find the BBC's coverage of technology and Engineering is aspirating naive misguided and often just plain wrong to do that's a fair point Roy did you initially have to struggle a bit because of your eyes background and you find editors who?

Frankie don't have well like me in the past don't have the language and by the way completely unfair on Tim Harford who is one of the great explain as of economics and is a very distinguished economist.

This is PPE degree all the kina to communicate starts to speak to the right people to stand up really for the science.

I've spent a lot of time and the last couple of years exploring or covering these ridiculous conspiracy theories prince about 5G and I've always been keen to listen to the majority scientific opinion.

I'm not qualified to tell you what the Sciences but I'm qualified perhaps to understand.

What is the majority thinking? What is the consensus about that and you have this problem? Have you got a bit convincing the authority of specialist to get communicate with the journalist Who

Doesn't understand a lot of this and this is precisely the point when we did something about your pregnant extent in The Comforts and feature.

We do two listeners another manager and her daughter Emily engineer review the program and who is pectin dangerous.

Is it if you find yourself having to be bridging impossible device that has been the tightrope that I V A knifing all BBC this walk as protected and a general audience who have got some interesting technology, but possibly not the deepest knowledge, and I think the edition you're speaking about is one which was pretty technical it was about the semiconductor industry, but I'm actually quite proud of what te10 does Dunnes in that sort of area.

We have covered issues like the shortage of chips.

What that means and that whole industry and how vital it is for a future before a lot of other programs have done there sometimes we get it wrong from the other side and with criticised that we weren't specialist enough so.

The tightrope we have to walk well if intend to think slightly more personal things looking to your future.

We've had this email from Karen as I'd like to ask Rory cellan-jones a great and brave man if there was anything technological he simply could not live without what would it be excluding medical Lifesavers I'm interested in personal gadgets.

She's refine that that you are struggling not struggling you you have Parkinson's Disease which you're dealing with but aside from that.

What could you not live without well? I think is a very simple answer which is the smartphone people always ask me what's next and I say we're still in the middle of this extraordinary Revolution which putting these powerful computers in everybody's hands as raw.

Did it still more and more about lives have been controlled by those phones for good and ill we were huge enthusiastic about my first and then we waking up to.

They can be allied with powerful social networks.

I am completely addicted to my phone.

I look at it first thing in the morning and I put it down last thing at night to slight disapprove home.

My name is Rory cellan-jones Twitter Holly that's the other thing I'm completely addictive behaviours Rory Ian are finished with broadcasting.

Are you I mean? It's impossible to oranges whatever is going to give up entire.

Oh, I've got vague and fluid plans to do all sorts of things writing a book based on an extraordinary archive of my mother's that she left when she died she was a secretary at the BBC from 1941 to the mid 70s and there's all sorts of interesting stuff in there.

I hope to do some podcasting some freelance journalism.

Yeah, maybe some broadcasting will see what comes along well our listeners will hope that you do not more broadcasting anyway on their behalf and thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

That was the soon-to-be former BBC technology correspondent Rory cellan-jones, please do let us know your thoughts about that interview or anything else to do with BBC Radio and podcast Terry Caulfield 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 672 34 London se1p 4ax.

You can follow your activity on Twitter by using at BBC R4 feedback.

You can call us on 0343 444 5449 toddlers apply, but it could cost more on mobile networks all those details are on our website each week.

We're asking to BBC Radio live.

To step out of their comfort zone and listen to a program that would normally be on their radar this week.

We have Tim Samsung from Chalfont St Peter in Buckinghamshire and and goodchild from Sheffield know I may give us a sense of your taste by telling us, what will be in your top 3 programmes if you were stranded on a desert island.

I have our own correspondent.

They would have great lives and maybe a little container just that I would have the film programme definitely well.

They got another them in mind at the end of the year.

We'll see what it's like and how about you? What would be the Old top 3 if you're on that desert island my top 3 programs would be Steve Wright in the afternoon on Radio 2 for the music to get me through the afternoons the reunion Radio 4 and I also enjoyed the Monday night club on Radio 5 live because I like to listen to the football chat after the weekends results of course we asked you to listen to none of those things.

But instead to your call broadcast at 9 am on Radio 5 live for an hour in which TV presenter Nicky Campbell debates and takes calls on the days big story and we asked you to listen to an episode on Afghanistan this was before the fall of Kabul but when it was clear that the Taliban were making extensive games throughout the country that somehow describe.

It was quite what I expected.

I had always thought that that program between 9 and 10 was a literally a phoning on the days events where the general public would call in after Nicky Campbell gave her sort of slightly pseudo controversial statement and then there will be an hour of people arguing angrily against each other up till 10, then they would go onto the next programme and any experience of this program.

Did you have any expectations of Campbell I've never listen to Radio 5 live?

So much like Kim I thought it was going to be in any questions or any of those awful things with people I was so anticipating that from the title is in fact what I got was a very very well managed fascinating and very informative our well.

I think 5 Live pride itself on its release from hearing from people that don't often get on there, but this program it did sort of two things didn't it? Talk to experts who had a personal experience of Afghanistan and authority and then it listens to obviously the the phone calls that came in and people's views and attitudes team did manage that combination of information and debate well.

Yes, what time is the first part in terms of information? I found the comments from the former UK ambassador to be very interesting from the Independent journalist was very interesting and the comments from.

The former Afghanistan refugee from North London what's on the most heart-wrenching radio live listen to for a long time so I didn't have any answer Andy and I completely understand what bringing in the second.

Why did you come to the UK the big problem happened to me when it was all broken up by the news and sport halfway through the program it felt as if the themes and the ideas which started in the first part of the program suddenly stopped and it felt as if the last part was very rushed smart speaker.

How did you feel about this suddenly? Just hold it there with the strategy in Afghanistan Allah tell you about.

Football results so what's going on the cricket field hated it.

It was incredibly jarring cos I'd also been rather missteps.

When it when the programme first article it was a very garish bit of music at 9 on the button, is it worth so have that coming again? Just after hearing.

I just terrible moving account as just said that's totally out of unnecessary.

I felt cos it's unfair to judge such a news program on what happened subsequently.

Did you look back on the programme? I think they missed something crucial.

No, I didn't say I like the programme was a really useful kind of entry into what is a complicated aspect of world politics and it was really useful book to get you through about now.

This is invidious question I supposed to ask be compared to the News programmes today, so or the news bulletins on Radio 4.

Do you think you've got as much or I did more from Radio 5 then you've got from.

I would say that radiophile.

Get me so diplomatic, but I think Radio 5 does the news bulletins in a particularly different way to Radio 4 Today programme and things like that.

I think this one was a lot more open and I personally found it a lot more valuable.

So if I asked the question that was asked at the end of these when you have your comfort zone, but I think I know the answer you weren't well.

I wasn't entirely out of my comfort zone, but in terms of the fact that I was genuinely shocked what I was after a while what I was listening to it wasn't the phone in which I thought it was Tim's cleaning his comfort zone.

What about you? And I certainly wouldn't be ever listening to Radio 5 news program.

However.

I completely agree with Tim and so far as this was a most unexpected and enjoyable maybe the wrong word but immersive and will you go back will you try to gain another?

Call with Nicky Campbell out of interest just turned in at 9 the next morning.

I was informed.

It was going to be about the league.

I had no idea what the league was it turned me the Premier League I don't think I'll be abandoning in our own time 9 for that listen to the Premier League together.

I love my photo.

I could take you through it.

Well.

I said we can't really say that you're / a great many sitting down and Tim thank you very much and do let us know if you would like to be put out of your comfort zone.

Alexa Jonathan Miller possessed one of the greatest Minds of his generation he was a polymath writer comedian, Dr broadcaster film opera and Theatre director and a dazzling conversation is he had a lifelong fascination with the brain and believe the most important cognitive function humans possess is memory without it or you can't learn Huawei you.

Are you are your memory without it? He thought you wouldn't exist Jonathan Miller died in 2019 aged 85 and before outside too cold.

He was intending to make a documentary about memory instead.

He rapidly lost his own in last week's archive on phone.

Jonathan Miller lost memories writer and broadcasting executive William millichap the bathroom.

He profile his father's life and piece together the documentary Jonathan was going to make with his producer Richard Denton this is.

Reviews for the program Michael Thomas Krakow Poland the programme was as much about the man himself is brilliant mind and significant contribution to the creative arts and Sciences in addition to the Cruel and insidious impact of this appalling and currently in curable disease the program with it's well chosen material was at once informative and deeply moving BBC Radio as it's best is very interesting about Leo because yes.

Alison Baker just wanted to pass on what a brilliant tributes the archive lost memories programme was by William Miller I was a great admirer of Jonathan Miller for many years and it would be great to hear the in the chair interview with Anthony Clare again desmo Miller Jr was a little confused by the concept that memories only exist when we retrieve them he wasn't the only one.

I'm sure this is somehow to the idea of false memories and very implanting the program also included some clips of Dr Miller that vividly illustrated the effects of Alzheimer's disease.

He couldn't remember marry his wife and when discussing up the name Suzanne came into his head, but he couldn't say anything about his work the polymer lost her words fortunately for the it didn't happen until his ninth decade when he was making his documentary prisoner of consciousness.

He asked lies wife this heartbreaking question.

How hard is it to have a relationship with someone and retain a sense that it is him when he himself has got such an inadequate sense of his own extension back in time as a person is unchanged his on my mother responded to the same question only a couple of months for my father died.

It's Not A Meeting of Minds and anyway.

Well, I'm delighted to be joined by William Miller why did you want to make this program? It was about three things wasn't it was about Alzheimer's it was about memory which is Terry important and it was a celebration in some ways of your father.

Did you want to do all those three things always one more important than the other do I think original bophonet I felt that there was unfinished business for my father.

He had always wanted to make his Magnus opus on memory it was something that fascinated him and you're a logical arguments and the philosophical arguments about what is memory.

Where is it and what happens when it goes wrong.

So that had been the original mission was to sort of for me to try and explore on my terms the things that my father was really interested in and then because we were given a one-hour archive on 4 which is an amazing sloth irie.

Then the opportunity to use his enormous archive to bring in top of back to life again was this incredible opportunity and your father had Alzheimer's for number of years before you died and gradually obviously slipped away in terms of understanding and who you were what was it like to hear him in his prime would be honest it it was an Unbelievable my family spent tree pod years where he really disappeared.

I mean I'll simas steals the person away and you're left with a sort of shell as might want describe.

What's the point in living in a house where the documents have left years before and to be able to go back and find him alive and well is the most extraordinary experience I suppose for me.

It was a normal therapy for dealing with the loss of my father to find him alive and well and that is best because you've written a book.

That's the Crescent few years ago had been brought up.

Place in North London where you talk about competitive typing and that was the sound of your you and you going to send him when she were well that your father said he had attached issues and then he was so preoccupied with other people with their work that there was a lot of time for you as an individual.

Did you feel that and to an extent now in this much more reconciled your father than you did in the book? Well? I think I had time as an individual sheet.

I think I shake myself as an individual but unlike many people with their fathers or their mothers.

I don't think it by him because he was very attached and I think that in a way what the program offered me was to deal with my father on my terms rather than his terms your father said that is essentially memories identity and without memory we have no idea to the search for memory and the meaning of well.

It's a really complicated area and there's no question about it at my

Alive and well and being able to look at the programme who does said you've only just scrape the surface and you got that bit wrong, but I wanted to explore memory in a way that I understood it.

I think the problem for me with my father has been alive.

Can I asked him those questions it would have taken him a day to answer them and I wanted to be able to ask my father and the people my father would have had those conversations with on my terms in way of understood the listings of love the program, but there's no I said that you did come across and I could a little confused by the concept that memories only exist when we retrieve them which is quite a thought but I know I'm and it was interesting because I made this program with my father's television producer Richard Denton and he really did understand the journey my father had wanted to take exploring what is memory and I think they were moments where I had these ideas that like a computer memories of somewhere in a draw when you recollect things there so clearing your head you sort of feel them.

Somewhere but they don't actually exist somewhere the source of gather together somehow electronically or chemically in ones head and retrieved and actually what fascinated my father's a philosophical.

I'm actually no one really knows what they are and how they put together and how you recollect and in terms of understanding do you at the end of this program? Do you think you understood your father better than you did in life you understood him better in the understood the things that he was most passionate about and I always had wanted to have a relationship with my father where we could have those conversations and in a way he put up a barrier because he may very difficult to talk to about those things and so for me to go and meet the people that my father would have those conversations with and perhaps find out more about those subjects on my terms mended actually in a strange.

I could become closer to my father in Memoriam and yet at the last there was a glitch Sophia people might think you were misinterpreting all that just shortly before he died.

Recognise your mother and son by the 70s with my mother I have three years and she's very old when she died and they didn't have Alzheimer's for long but at 3 years for a moment to when they look to you as if the clouds have parted and they suddenly saw you and to a degree of your mother had an experienced that with your father's well.

There was this incredibly touching moment literally 8 hours before he died when he held her hand and call her delightful girl which was a crazy here to used often with her throughout their marriage and you know there's that extraordinary moment which was a year or so before he died where he denies he's ever been married and that he doesn't recognise her as his wife and and that was a sort of terrible heartbreaking moment for my mother and you think what is his head that still says this is a woman.

I love this is the woman I was married and have lived with for over 60 years and then this moment literally hours before he dies very hold her hand and he said delightful girl and you.

No, there is some element of recognition and an acknowledgement that this was a woman who was in Love with because the words were special to them yeah absolutely no thanks to William Miller and his archive on 4 programme is now available on BBC sounds and that's it for feedback for this week and indeed for the series to join us again when we return in October and please keep on letting us know which topics you would like us to tackle this is the programme where you set the agenda and so then keep on keeping safe goodbye.

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I'm Greg Jenner and I'm here to tell you that you're dead to me is back for a 4th series.

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