musings

Who needs Rice Krispies when BBC’s Today programme at breakfast time on Radio 4 provides more than enough Snap, Crackle and Pop? No other TV or radio programme has the constant intrusive and distracting background noise of paper being shuffled and sorted. What’s worse, I think it’s getting louder. This morning for instance, it sounded like someone in the studio was enjoying a packet of salt ’n’ vinegar.

This rise in extraneous noise volume corresponds with a general decline in the quality of the programme I have noticed over the years. I’m old enough to remember when Jack de Manio was the presenter. His was an easy, warm, reassuringly aristocratic style. I bet he wore a bow tie and had his butler standing by to turn the pages. But perhaps the Golden Age for Today was when John Timpson and Brian Redhead were presenters. In their interviews they were incisive without being strident, and they too exuded a warmth which made it a pleasure to tune in.

Nowadays I find it quite stressful in the mornings - particularly when John Humphrys argues with the guests like a self-important schoolboy in the playground. I often have to reach for the ‘off’ switch just to return a sense of calm to the breakfast table. And when he’s on with James Naughtie the last five minutes before 9 o’clock are nothing short of frantic. They so love the sound of their own voices that it’s as if they can’t bear the thought of the microphone being switched off. As the seconds tick away they seem determined to cram in as many words as possible. I half expect one morning to hear Nicholas Parsons award someone an extra point for speaking when the pips start.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 5th, 2007 at 11:22 am and is filed under reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.