Radio 4
Created | Updated Mar 29, 2002
Radio 4 has so much to say about the culture of Britain. It is almost comically archaic, yet the modernisation earlier this year caused a storm among the listeners. It is the radio station of the intellectuals. I'm not sure if there's anything quite like it in America, or anywhere else in the world for that matter, and the Worldservice isn't a patch on it (for example, the Worldservice has strangely long soundbites of music, much akin to satirical television programmes like Brass Eye). This may seem rather trivial, but Radio 4 listeners are a distinctive type, and indeed the fact that the station has survived this far into the century is fairly amazing. Waking up to the soothing (uh-hum) voices of the presenters of 'The Today Programme', and falling asleep to some familiar radio play, has become a ritual for me. The humour, quintessentially British and of the BBC, is wonderful - particularly 'Loose Ends', 'Just a Minute' and 'I'm Sorry, I Haven't a Clue'. Even 'The Archers' have a special place in my heart...when I'm feeling charitable. So do yourselves a favour. Next time you're near a radio and in the vicinity of the UK, tune into Radio 4...trust me. It will be worth it.
