Read this: 05/08/2022 Radio 4 Feedback

BBC sounds music Radio podcasts hello, you might think that being a BBC weather forecast that is a relatively uncontroversial choice fashion, you would be wrong take the claim that the UK Experience the highest ever temperature a few weeks ago highest temperature ever.

It was always like this in the summer when I was a child was it really I'll check with BBC weather presenter Tomasz Schafernaker and ask him about the abuse he and some of his colleagues have been receiving when they talk of climate change feedback.

I'll be talking to another recipient of abuse the BBC's Scottish editor he has to cover the Independence is you and satisfiable nationalists and unionists and ensure that the complex issues involved aren't overly simplified problematic will be responding to.

Over the coverage of Scottish news and care if I want Cerys Matthews and music I'll go to Radio 6 music but this is not what I want from Radio 4.

What can it be that has offended her when others have nothing but find out later in feedback BBC weather forecasters have been getting abuse and I've been online following last month's extreme heat in the UK where in some parts of the country temperatures top 40 degrees centigrade much of the abuse is from climate change sceptics who accept dealing with recent extreme temperatures others think the recent.

Hot weather is not unprecedented.

What about the summer of 1976 for example or Geordie me now is the BBC

Allergies to Tomasz Schafernaker been suffering abuse as well to be honest, it's something that a lot of us a used to anyway working in weather forecast things I think about said it's probably one of the areas of science if you like that's open to scrutiny pretty much every single day compared to say maybe scientist that work in Labs so we're getting feedback, but yes, I think when the weather turns extreme and not just during heat waves, but generally when the weather is extreme.

We do obviously get a lot of keyboard meteorologists us, where is the messages just when people talk about the time and the weather we sometimes use the terms as if for the same they're not are they could you differentiate between yeah, of course what climate is something that we deal with 30 years or so and different parts of the world clearly have a different climates weather is the variation from day today so in our part of the world.

There are lots of variations in.

Between every season the climate is the average of these variations but each variation itself each daily variation.

That is what we call Mother some of our think you've been over ending things a bit including Richard highest temperature ever met office old records in an office clear out when they moved from Bracknell to Exeter it was always like this in the summer when I was a child in the 1960s and 1970s Summers were very hot sauce on the side of people say the summer of 1976 suggesting.

It is now was it so 1976 is something that comes up quite lots and social media now the temperatures that occurred in 76 during the summer weren't as high as what we experienced in the last couple of weeks last few weeks or so the difference with the heatwave that we recently had.

The temperatures pizza much higher levels in a little bit more and also the temperatures were a lot more widespread across the UK so we were talking about the high 30s as Northern England which is pretty crazy for our climate so we talking about two different things here in 1976.

It was the lack of rainfall and a sustained period of high temperatures this year.

It was extreme temperatures over very large area of UK but they didn't quite last as long that question of the high temperatures Sheridan has this I'm a 4 miles from Santander Downham and at 5:34 this afternoon my satellite controlled clock recorded the temperature as 41.4 degrees in the back garden.

So can you explain the Sheridan would that be accurate know the thermometer which many of us have either in our gardens wherever?

Is is quite often picking up not just the temperature of the air itself, but it's also picking up the temperature of the material that's exposed to the sunshine.

It could also be picking cheats off the fences of the sheds also the area tends to be quite shielded from a breeze so temperatures Tend To Be Higher anyway.

The way how you measure in a standard whey anywhere around the world is in something called a Stevenson screen.

It's basically a white box that protect it from direct sunlight.

It's a certain height above the it's away from trees and buildings and it allows air to circulate through it and that's how we can compare like-for-like.

So whether that Stevenson screen is in the middle of the Arabian Desert whether it's here in the UK the conditions how we measure that temperature are the same but you can't take the temperature of your garden fence or in the shed.

Think you've got rain would she rather likes his carry on I have a question.

Why do so many weather forecast is on Radio 4 something bad something we don't want I live in Mid Wales and like so many other people living in deep reality rely on a spring coil.

Spring is dry has been 4 weeks Sir Thomas to plead guilty scary suggest to train as a bad thing quite often.

It's a lifesaver on no I wouldn't say that's entirely true because if you look at our forecasts over the last few weeks or so we really try to emphasise that rainfall is so important and the other point to also remember is that we provide dozens and dozens of forecasts a day sometimes we focus on different parts of the country and it is possible that if you TuneIn on two into one particular forecast where we might be concentrating on a

Area of the country for example Western parts of Scotland where quite often it rains anyway, we may well for example say that's all it's another day of rain in western part of Scotland a week of it already passed we don't want as rainfall anymore with somebody that's listening to that message and live saying southern parts of the UK or an area.

That's been very dry.

May take that message to them, but what I will tell you is that we absolutely try to avoid putting our opinion on whether we think is good or bad but clearly if we get 30 days of rain.

I can guarantee that on the 31st day of rain in my forecast.

I will tell you that not another one.

This is exactly what we don't want.

We want some sunshine and find the times can I ask you about what I might go Vita day pass.

I've always been struck by the fact that you give me their waiting to delivery 2 minutes weather forecast just before 8 and then they today present to ask next question and the Answer goes on and

You have gone if that was being 2-minutes is now 60 seconds or 40 seconds.

How do you do that? How do you cut the forecasted to let you know that's when the complaints come in you have to look at the forecast and decide which bits are most important.

What it is that you have to communicate and anything else.

That's kind of run-of-the-mill weather all the kind of weather that really isn't going to be any more neither Here nor There we have to miss out so it's basically feeling down the weather forecast is there a particular presenter you would like to identify pronoun no no no no they're all very accommodating.

I can tell you I think it's is I think it's The Producers that make up the time well sometimes very good.

Thank you very much.

Thank you now.

It must have you also the grandson of one of the greatest composers of the 20th century Sergei Prokofiev that's a clip from add to playlist presented by Cerys Matthews which finds connections between the most unlikely pieces of music the third series has just come to an end and has proved very popular with Alison and Watkins add to playlist of magical program.

I've never listen to music so carefully each presenting specialist as such a different take two men presenters are such a lovely gentle wave introducing a choice and links between the pieces of tantalising.

Please pass on my thanks for such a captivating joyful programme.

This is Clive farming up in the Scottish Borders

Add to playlist encompasses such a wide range of music the fascinating connections presented by to accomplished and engaging individuals to program which the BBC should be justifiably proud.

I learnt so much of each broadcast one of the presenters Jeffrey blotchy join me earlier and I asked him first where there is surprised by the success of the program.

Did he think it would work you know what has someone that loves music and loves culture and some of whose deeply optimistic.

I knew it would resonate with will it like music and Culture so that much.

I always had a 100% faith in the response.

You just hitting.

Hope don't you really and you just hope that the atmosphere the magic if you already created the studio the ones complimenting which is essentially what is this doing on Radio 4? It's from James if I want.

Matthews in music I'll go to Radio 6 music but this is not what I want from Radio 4 and it seems like a major cop-out to schedule this program.

I feel betrayed and yes that you do this again and eat away at the usual great programmes on Radio 4 now Geoffrey obviously didn't commission this program, but why do you think it fits on Radio 2 to me it's essential an expiration and a celebration of culture and I think the Radio 4 has always been all about that.

It's all about exploring culture Society Communities Histories and narratives and peeling away the lid on these conversations for something which is not just enjoyable but also educational so a show like this which is essentially looking at music as a route into culture.

I think it's a good fit for Radio 4 and I'm not sure if there's an archetypal Radio 4 listen Arriva it's just people that want to explore culture and like ideas and also like to celebrate.

Why they doing it so yeah, that's

What's my response to the Producers do we grow up well if your child growing up you definitely want to have musically your parents don't like so you define itself against if you like your parents taste and whatever but you're super also kept in musical ghettos and then we don't understand or appreciate the links between music.

Yeah, I think that's part of it.

So music is often quite tribal in the sense of the word.

It's one of the identifiers of a group of people or a community that your part of and in that sense it can be quite hard to see out of that so what I've got a playlist is the warmest like travelling nomad karasmai with we're looking for connections with deliberately seeking out links to on explicit obvious which is what makes it so excited because it is a journey for you.

I mean if you made the journey already and you know downloading what you've done or you genuinely exploring things are there programs where you think?

Ropes and ever and ever saw that is 100% in real-time exploring music and finding new insights.

I can't stress that enough you might not believe me as my leave the studio and every time we just looking over thinking we learnt so much so yeah, it's a real-time journey of exploration which I think is a lot of part of life.

Can you give me an example of connections? You didn't think of that when you heard you thought bingo for example.

There was a blues classic.

I'm a woman by Koko Taylor and that was link.

So not sure how I managed to do it tonight.

If I buy Dolly Parton somatic links can be really really powerful she got something there about the female empowerment and so on but then sometimes as a structural link, so there's a blues kind of root in a lot of money.

What's the music something really explicit about that blues route and remember guess that particular.

It was Joe stilgoe he played 925, but then showed us how the tiny futile.

If you called it could become this very very recognisable blues rhythm and that kind of thing is amazing because you sometimes feel that I'm here instinctively, but you don't know what's going on technically and have someone explain that to you is actually magical the eyes wide and that point that the reason I can link that musically if you're playing your blues at home off second.

That's some good music.

I mean people might remember Bob Dylan being.

Judas because you don't mind electric instead of staying with acoustic guitar and then meet people all the time which I like blues.

I don't like anything else.

It's a strange defensive mechanism.

So why you like blues prefer beliefs but also like other things and anymore on the classical music and then does seem to still be this sort of class barrier on the sometimes or a fear of classical music and what you don't have seems to move any fair music at all.

We know I think though what we do and I think it's something that like this is brilliant at this treating save space with which to explore the joy of music without any of those insecurities and that's what the Show feels like so when we sit and record it's very much like a chat around a table in fact.

It is around the table.

Just have to have a grand piano which other instruments people along with them so the Spirit of of community is quite strong.

I think that's at the core of the show and I think that's what comes through the Airways which.

People respond positively or thanks to presenter Jeffrey bowyer-chapman and of course all the add to playlist programmes are on BBC sounds and please do let us know your thoughts about that interview or anything else to do with BBC Radio and podcasts.

This is how you can get in touch you can send an email to feedback at bbc.co.uk or write a letter the address feedback PO Box 672 34, London se1p 4ax can follow our activity on Twitter by using at BBC R4 feedback or you can call us and leave a phone message 0344 444 0544 landline charges apply, but it could cost more on some mobile network all those details are on our website and the Scottish National Party was sent to me.

When Boris Johnson was forced to stand down as the UK's prime minister as they regarded him as one of their best recruiting sergeants, but some of us supporters would cheer this week when Tory leadership Trust refer to their first minister Nicola Sturgeon as an attention seeker before ruling out a second independence referendum.

There was much talk of pots kettles Nicola Sturgeon has said she wants a referendum on Scottish independence in October next year and the UK supreme court is currently deciding if she has the legal powers to press ahead with with a decision expected in the autumn the last time.

There was a referendum on the question was in 2014 when 55% of Scottish voters voted to stay within the UK over time questions were raised over the impartiality of the BBC's coverage in a moment.

I will be talking to the BBC Scottish editor about how difficult it is to be impartial.

The first as the issue of independence is raised once more we ask producer Robbie Armstrong to go onto the streets of Glasgow and sample views about the BBC's coverage.

CWC small the coming appears to be less in Portugal is the British state broadcaster, so state broadcasters what it is, and what is that to you? Thank you always have that degree of bias when it was what the States government is trying to propose also they get a employees who is on the board and stuff then so yeah.

That's always going to be someone can I take leave and put but also it's not the worst but could be better if you have to have a balance for the new thing.

What was the BBC's coverage of the Independence question is like planted one-sided but there seems to be generally ok, but so far.

I think it's been quite balanced.

They've had this many people against it as for it, so yeah.

And that's interesting living down south.

What was the coverage like of it and obviously you didn't really get to hear all the arguments kind of got sort of Westminster College talking about it.

So it was a bit hard to judge.

What was going on in that way, is it good to have the BBC Scotland channel to look and BBC Scotland news stories with the weather in when you watch BBC general they talk about the heatwave, but the heatwave downstairs potatoes not up here.

I think it is good to have a separate Scottish part of the BBC

I have to say was not massively impressed by the BBC coverage of the referendum last time round, but there is a tendency to chase after a kind of very limited selection of talking points the conversations.

I was hearing at the back of the bus.

Just burnt down Pollokshaws Road actually and lots more expensive lot more interesting because people have felt back in 2014 would really disgusting what sort of a country they wished to live in and how we might get there.

There was very very little evidence in the overall coverage is very much more political horse race tendency to crash it all down to her.

Yes vs.

No I think that fundamental framing is problematic.

Well, I'm delighted to be joined by Scotland at James Cook James does vox pops, so we just heard a representative of what you hear well.

Yes, I think they are to be fair.

I think their Representatives in the sense that they reflect and mixed degree of opinion about the BBC in about the quality and breadth of our coverage in Scotland I would say that what we strive for is to provide an Accuracy first and foremost and then secondly fairness.

I would say to those people have commented that I would like to reassure them that we day in day out spend hours among ourselves saying is that fair have we deflect to the other side filly is at a different perspective we should consider that these are our conversations that happened day in day out in BBC News dreams that I'm over the past are quarter of a century not in the way you've got two jobs.

Haven't you got it explain Scotland to the Scottish people and then you also have to explain Scotland to the rest of the UK if we do with the first part of course.

Play Lost people will try the United Kingdom particularly saying the north of England is that the BBC dominated by London South East Westminster the same thing in Scotland that Yorkshire is dominated by the and I'm from a little temple 44 between Dundee and Aberdeen and I'm acutely aware of this and you will often hear me tediously my colleagues might say in editorial meeting saying what would you think of this and so we do I do try to take that into account and we all saw we make a great effort to get around the country in terms of our coverage every story.

We look at we can we will try to get out of Glasgow trying to get to somewhere.

That's different that is perhaps underrepresented.

I mean to be honest with your order.

It's entirely selfish as well.

It's a beautiful country and yeah, but most people in London will think it's either Glasgow it's Edinburgh it's just the SNP essentially and what Nicola Sturgeon is thinking and what do you think that the rest of the UK Mrs if you?

About Scott gets wrong about Scotland political will thus a great degree of nuance hiding beneath, what appears to be a binary debate we often talk about this concept of Scottish independence in the constitutional debate as if there is on one side the Scottish National Party on the other side various opponents in favour of the Union actually it's a binary concept of course of Scotland were to become independent politics would continue politics would not stop in an independent Scotland we would then continue to have it about what sort of we want to live in I do think so that one of the things that's happened and how much the media are accountable for this is a matter of the bead is the politics has become start kid has become some frozen and Scotland because it's very difficult in lots of discussions about policy to get beyond the big question the national question as some people well.

I wonder whether or not you might have learnt from the different.

Some people have about the BBC generally dealing with brexit.

I mean a common criticism is that we dealt with the argument about whether we should leave but we didn't actually flash in the argument about the nature of society are sad ones with left in terms of Scotland again as you been saying that debate is always should stop being in but not can you actually advanced the comments and say what sort of Scotland do people want presumably be bloody SNP won't want to do that because that all has a potential of dividing the support but do that.

Do you think it's your responsibility to start to explore Scotland after independence of course it is but I think that splits into two sections one the transition to independence because the primary concern of a large number of voters in Scotland and particularly voters to express scepticism about our opposition to independence.

Is what would happen in the first 5 or 10-years the suggestion from opponents of independence is that Scotland woodface austerity for years to come as the economy was rebalance Scotland try to design a new state and that that period would be difficult to Scottish National Party say at what I'm partly acknowledging that that it would not be straight-forward or simple or necessarily easy and they say of course that long run it would be worth it because the Scotland that would be created would be more centre-left, Scotland and that would be more than tune with the Scottish Alexa it's so we do and I think we did in 2014 during the referendum campaign.

I think we rigorously and robustly scrutinised the proposition of independence that was being advanced by the SNP and their supporters, but did we get to a detailed discussion about the very long-term future for Scotland and and how things might change after Scotland became independent perhaps we could have done that in more detail but I think in a few.

Referendum campaign if there is one post brexit the will probably be more discussion about the current makeup of the United Kingdom and Scotland's role, within it and whether or not VAT is filling the needs and wishes of the Scottish and indeed the UK electoral predecessor when she has gone to America new of course of work in America yourself the BBC before she left to become more about the Bible and hatred of Scottish politics is that dialling hatred going away now or do you fear that? It may rise as the issue of independence come a little closer? I honestly I'm not sure that independence and the Debate will make a dramatic difference, but I don't know if the short answer that is significant abuse not just from people in favour of independence although.

I think the over the peace certainly my anecdotal experience has been there has been more of that criticism done on the other side of that is beginning to change.

All sides might it worsened in an independence campaign yes, but I just think we need to take a step back here and look at the the wider environment this isn't a particularly a peculiarly Scottish problem.

This is a problem driven by the way that are modern information ecosystem works the algorithms of some of the largest companies in the world are designed not to ensure the spread of accurate factual useful information, but to ensure that profits are made for these companies by making their users feel righteous and there's a lot of confirmation bias going on in the information people see about our reporting and about politics and general and a serious concern for anyone who's what age is the future of democracy and journalism within our thanks just got my dad at James Cook and that's it for this week next week will be talking to Alison in radio foreskin mission editor for draw.

Fiction do let me know what questions you have for her until then goodbye.