Read this: 14/10/2022 Radio 4 Feedback

BBC sounds music Radio podcasts welcome to the new series of feedback, Buckingham Palace announced the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the second the king of the Queen consort or remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow and have continuing coverage of this of course.

We'll have a programme coming up on BBC News across BBC News very shortly as we cover the death of Her Majesty

It was a huge moment possibly the biggest moment in a broadcasters career.

You can hear the tremors in the voices of Seasons presenters, but it's what happens next that we're going to be looking at today the reputation of The Corporation is a red probably damage to buy this one-sided sycophantic coverage BBC royal Correspondents and it's director of journalism are here to respond to your comments also is vitol behold to BBC Two account adequacy and reporting in providing commentary on our lives for the BBC as the be prepared for its 100th birthday.

We hear your thoughts on its future and Kate Bush music featured in a recent archive on 4 2 review.

Kate Bush the power of strange things but that was really wasn't that good 15 but first I'm sure many of you remember where you where when you heard the news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II was hosting an event in London the guests already arrived and I was discussing with the organisers if we go ahead all call it off when the confirmation came through more importantly.

I already knew I was to be part of the BBC radio commentary team for the formal proceedings over 10 days, so there wasn't much time for personal reflection as like many colleagues at the BBC I knew that my diary would be up ended and I would be preparing for some of the most.

Broadcasts of my career and the story continues to dominate the airwaves throughout the morning period right up to the day of the funeral but even in Death the monarchy is a divisive issue and while many people clearly love the coverage.

Are there is worth less than impressed by the tone and the sheer weight of it, so did the BBC get it right accurately reflecting the mood of a nation or did it become a passive extension of the established I've been discussing out with royal Paris Johnny diamond and the BBC director-general ISM Jonathan Munro I Began by asking Johnny diamond about his thoughts at the moment when he heard the news and what happened directly after I think it was an enormous sense of Focus after a lot of time spent thinking about how I would feel a sense.

Absolutely ruthless focus on the task ahead and also what I thought.

I would have to do which was to clear my own emotions entirely Out of My Head which was normally find that quite easy when I'm doing the job, but it was more of a task this time round Jonathan what were your priority when you heard the news.

I think the main priorities tunnel rather than Speed getting the town right on a story like this one.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime wanting a career type of story.

I think speed was not that important.

You don't want to sit on your hands for too long when you know the news is true, but making sure that are on a team in particular, and I'll technical teams were ready to go in a way that pose and dignified and appropriate tone was available.

I think that was probably the biggest Jonathan Tim Davie the director-general said there were three things to BBC needed to get ride.

Instruments of Her Majesty's death the clutch control mourning period and the coverage of the formal ceremony tell us a little more about that clutch control I wonder we constantly monitoring public reaction when deciding the weights and the tone of the coverage have fluid we were able to be when deciding how much of the schedule to devote to it and how much was a procedure that was already in place that you then follow procedure that was already in place gave us to the framework to your question.

Yes, we were closed in touch with his reaction which is pretty instant nowadays and that's very welcome the customer also events that happened that weren't in the sort of planned for example when Princes William and Harry when did Windsor know that was going to happen until about half an hour before it did happen and any making different decisions for different networks so for television that was a visual thing we stayed on the air.

With that coverage for the whole of that walkabout.

It's less of an interesting rolling thing for radio so we didn't interrupt Radio 4 for example to put that on there, but it was prominent in the bulletin followed at 18 and 5 lives are really radio service due to the amount of it.

So you make different decisions depending on what platform you doing well listeners of course have been in touch with us on feedback and some have had very high praise for the radio coverage.

This is David a farmer from Perthshire I just wanted to comment on the excellent Radio 4 coverage of funeral.

I'm a farmer.

I was listening cutting oats on my Combine Harvester so I had the broadcast from the end of the Today programme right through to The Breaking of the one that Windsor the commentary choice of words that detailed knowledge and the judging of spaced allow the actual sounds of the day through when words are not needed it all contributed to a vivid.

Landmark and historic event queen of the world and today's funeral witness to that truth.

Hello, my name is Connie from Macclesfield Cheshire and I want to say how much I enjoyed the Radio 4 Today programme and the morning of the Queen's funeral.

It was beautifully descriptive beautiful language and so clear it made it impossible to not stop and listen to it, but not everyone was so full of Praise for example is game coverage of the funeral specially in Radeon thing is completely overshadowed when the important things radio should be covering in sort of real-time like I get people need to know about a death but not on the level of proper camper, but it back now especially when pressing issues.

I mean you've got the issues with the cost of living I mean you've got you crying.

I mean there are far more pressing issue in just a woman who is in power is dead Kay Richards the coverage was often the grotesquely sycophantic too much and Toulon obviously had to be covered.

The presumption was that the majority of people wanted almost two weeks of it any evidence I suppose it's a one-off.

I can't think of any other deserving public figure Jonathan someone is clearly really appreciated the coverage but others thought it was too differential and too much thanks for the appreciative comments but I also rather agree with that last comment but there aren't many of commander of attention.

I'm sure that's right.

There aren't probably no more in in our lifetimes, but if you think back to before I time and we looked at the side of a peacock make monarchies of Victoria or Henry VIII the Register of historic figures Elizabeth have there been in those days.

I think people expect us to do a really thorough job at the time of their death to the point that was made about other stories.

I absolutely agree.

There's always a balance to strike here actually moved to Reading with ukraine.war a couple of days after the

But there's always an equation, what was happening in Ukraine about period was clearly extremely newsworthy wasn't a defining day in the way for example is seen in the last few days.

There's nothing quite as big as that we got it all correct at all times, but we do strive to keep a mix in the program.

I totally understand that people I was not interested until I took the job as well.

Cos when I didn't care at all, but if you take the fact that this is the longest reign that the 1000-year monarchy runs history that we are a constitutional monarchy that the BBC is a national broadcaster.

What are you going to get from the BBC at this time apart from that? It is almost what we are therefore and then it stopped and normal business resumed know the amount of coverage and repetition was something Zoe Williams picked up on in her column in the Guardian

Radio and I've lived in this case of Silence since there was no final straw particular anti royal sentiment.

I have nothing against fervent monarchism sincerely expressed it was me the sound of people eating royalism the performance of respect above all the repetitiveness 6 days ago.

I gave it one more chance only to find Today programme trying to a pop the Nation's solemnity by talking more slowly honestly the insult we have to hear the same thing and apparently infinite number of time but now it's going to take much longer.

You read out the Williams regarding boring about the monarchy.

She's Williams a very good morning to you.

It was very

Switch on underneath it have an attitude to the Royal family being completely universal you know almost worship full and I don't think the BBC should be assuming that everybody in the country girls like that.

You know it's a public service broadcaster.

It's not an arm of the establishment or it shouldn't Jonathan what's your reaction to those comments? I think columnists can have views about what we do about horror stories and that was interesting I read some of the criticism of what we did with interest ultimately we got it make editorial decisions content decisions based on the side of volume and events that we covering what time on the historic nature of them in this particular case so on the balance of expectations of the BBC I think most members of the audience were with us in those decisions that we talk but everybody know where does impartiality come into this listening Christmas is far from alone in his view that the reputation of The Corporation

Is it damage to buy this one-sided sycophantic coverage your Earth 12 position as an objective impartial broadcaster is now indefensible Johnny was there room for objectivity was it to differential is there room for objectivity.

There's always room for objectivity that think she's different from what a considerable number of people feel is the lack of debate about the place of the monarchy about the distance of a constitutional monarchy that leads inexorably into was this the time to have that debate.

I think it is difficult to say that you were going to have a full-throated debate future of the monarchy as many in the nation mourned the loss of the Queen is for others to decide also to have that debate and for us then to cover it and we are.

Slightly in the situation that we were in the first few weeks of lockdown were very serious decisions have been made very little today, but very very few people who close my claim to represent significant numbers were feeling able to speak out.

We'll see what happens in the months to come but I do not believe impartiality was breached in the reporting of the death and the ceremonies afterwards far from it.

Just to be crystal Clear is the BBC impartial royal family and on the future of the monarchy.

We have a thing called due impartiality.

What's the relevant on a certain story and all voices in a debate are welcome so people take a view that bridge has moved to a different form of governance in some shape or form at some time or other absolutely can be heard on the BBC and I'm sure that what happened.

I do just think that the due in.

At the moment of death is a bit different but the impostor is due all relevant at that particular moment isn't necessarily the same as the impartial as relevant at the time of the beginning of a new monarchy when the coronation happens with that.

Let's just move on to that because Andrew Alan has been in touch here's what he had to the coverage of rather have said when did not in any way reflects social reality constantly courage shoulders of the nation was in morning and that is just not true so many of the population do not support you and democratic and delete this ideology of the oldies comments and does like mine will make executives rethink coverage of future royal events.

Will you cover positively than not my King movement as a legitimate public voice Johnny you've touched on this already, but presumably going forward.

This is something that's going to be in your room.

It gets really interesting interesting to me anyway.

Whether the job change.

It's a lot from this point on and it does taking the debate about how we Govern ourselves.

We just have to wait and see I would say we tend to cover new plan you.

Obviously there is some degree of planning, but they're to cover it as it happens and when it happens rather in my view them to sort of do it because a group of people insist this is an argument that is important when it emerges let's do it I wanted to end just with this comment from our listener.

Ian Callaghan the key for me now.

You had a BBC covers for Coronation like the accession of the new king this will be a political event and needs to be treated as such by the national broadcaster that treatment must reflect a substantial minority of people in the UK overall and about half of 18 to 24 year olds according to surveys will believe the coronation shouldn't be happening at all then.

The right to believe that and the BBC needs to ensure that gives a voice to their concerns and a voice moreover that reflects the size of the Republic and constituency in our democracy.

Not just sitting here all day.

No Jonathan I know that we know the date for the coronation now.

I'm not sure how many other details of the events have been shared with you yet, but hi different will your fridge be to the coronation that point you know from that member of your audience.

I think we do need to find a place for all views the gym impartiality.

We're not trying to achieve false equivalence and say that that view is held by an equal number of people that as those who support the monarchy and the size of the crowds that turn out for Royal events would support that evidence all views that contribute to a debate about the future of the monarchy are welcome on the

See and we will I'm sure that when we do that.

We will find ways of ventilating up to bait because the BBC's roll, actually is to host proper debate is a moderate discussions between different parts of society so that audiences can make their own mind Johnny do you think that you'll be coming to the coronation from a different viewpoint than the one that you came to the funeral and I go back to the the basics.

I'm I'm there to report what happens.

I could not agree more with Jonathan about airing the Debate it's so important and it's so important part of our role.

So you know letter see what comes in the next few months.

I think it's fascinating.

I still come to it as a as a reporter and correspondent and I look forward to do my work royal correspondent Jonny dymond and director of journalism Jonathan Munro thank you both know if you're a regular listen to Radio 4 at probably.

Keep your notice that she is 100 years old this year and I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that the BBC is currently in the Fight of its life as the over the fundamentals of the corporations existence we are determined to make feedback part of the shaping and airing of that debate in the run-up to charge a renewal in 2026.

It's vital that licence fee payers voices are not only heard but listen to and that's our job to hold the BBC to account for how it spend your money to kick offs activate.

We've asked a selection of listeners from across the UK to give us their take on the future of the BBC with background music appropriately enough from a prom by the Public Service Broadcasting it needs to be a place that artist can flourish and I think that has been the tradition of the BBC and I think that.

Play BBC Radio is on at my home everyday radio on as with any mainstream institution.

It is vital behold.the by town on its adequacy and reporting in providing commentary on our lives one thing I would improve about BBC Radio is that I don't want to reach out to a younger audience.

I think it's a good idea to create a show with an idea that lets kids listen to radio and thinking of world like this.

We need a younger generation listening for kids in my class listen to rubbish music and so when I go home.

I like listen to six music because he's got good tunes.

I like like The Beastie Boys Prada prince.

I like BBC Radio because it has such a variety of Voices and shows contained under the one brand name and I can choose what kind of music I want to listen to based on my mood and what's on BBC sounds also like to see them routine there remit for Edith really unbiased news in the future.

I feel that's very important as remove and Sinitta where are news organisations are both up by billionaires station and wire is a broadcaster for the people owned by the people.

And if you want to be part of the discussion about the future shape of the BBC please do get in touch.

It's the same as always but with one important difference you can send an email to a bbc.co.uk you can comment on Twitter with the hashtag BBC R4 feedback and you can leave a phone message on 0333 444 5000 send a WhatsApp message to the same number and leave a voice note so if you're listening something the Archers for example and something pops into your head you can send it straight to us in a new regular series on feedback something were calling The Vox box.

Review will be in a room together to chew over and review a program or podcast importantly.

I won't be there to print them or steer the conversation.

It will just be your own takes.

What you're the first two people in the box box are €21 Francis and Laurie who's running over a recent archive on 4 Kate Bush the power of strange things which recent musical rebirth after her son Running Up That Hill featured in the popular Netflix series Stranger Things my name is Lori I'm 21 and I am an actor and musician based in Glasgow is Colin I'm 21 and I'm a right to singer songwriter based in Glasgow I feel like a lot of what's being talked about is how much she celebrated for her like authenticity in her natural extensions.

I don't know I feel like it's interesting that the timing of like her popularity again like why is it that our Generation are so fascinated by this craving some music by something really do something Sophie article about her music as well which is like helicopter dick for a girl like me who's love poetry and late night cafe's confused my suburban parents and football playing little brother.

I feel like Kate Bush's quite like a British icon, and she's not because she's loved all around the world but having an American presenter because I felt like it was being a little bit fetishizing of a little bit like I was surprised by the American accent at the beginning of this is very dramatic.

I really liked hearing from.

Like they put in recordings of Harlech interviews and stuff as like what she sounds so like hugs when I first started singing incredibly play invoice I mean I could sing into but that was about it and sweet when she started raining she's so young a young woman could become anything she imagined playing by the rules of men I mean fantastically came from somewhere.

I didn't get that they like the rest of the generation that is putting down other women that doing that.

So there's not one way to be a feminist.

I like be like a powerful woman that takes form the tells the tale of Maverick psychoanalyst building machine to change the weather by accessing the erotic energy in the atmosphere a lot of the way hair like songs were described to be like really intellectual to understand to her art the meaning behind her are it felt like a little bit pretentious sometimes going on about like what the odd means and why that the intellectual and tells us about that is like no it's like this kitchen get some attention, but I just never imagined that it would be anything like this.

I don't think it challenge my opinion on who to be honest.

I didn't realise she was give you that like down to earth and humble like I thought she was a bit like a witch.

She not a bad thing but like this like cereal in the clothes, but the 21-year Old Francis and Laurie there and if you would like to go at reviewing anything you've heard on BBC Radio 4 box box with a family member or a friend would love to hear from you contact details coming up after the programme.

No that's about all for the week, but just time to flag up that next time we're going to be looking at the seemingly unstoppable appeal of true Crime on podcasts and radio the 10 part series about the 1990s.

Murder of 6-year old rikki Neave the Boy in the woods recently prompted a mixed response from listeners with more than 20-years for the chance to investigate the distressing shared shopping and just to say the least have the program been dealing with an event further back in time and presented in a more objective style without September says on The Sensational for me as it could have been interesting and informative but it was educational and it's certainly was not entertaining people have started asking questions about Ricky's mother roof.

Why wasn't that these please press conferences in my opinion the Boy in the woods was professionally presented.

It was unbiased and clearly expertly researched.

It didn't tell one side of the story.

So much more the podcast was delivered in a way that made me want to listen and the depth of the story was told sensitively with no hanging questions, so have you reached saturation point with the true Crime genre and does it really Belong on a public service network like Radio 4.

Please do get in touch and tell us what you think but for now.