From Sue to Who?

[Crusoe]

So, Sue Lawley’ s leaving but who will take her place? According to The Grauniad, these are the front runners:

Andrew “Jug Ears” Marr
One of the BBC's biggest talents is under-used with his Sunday AM show and Radio 4's Start the Week. Marr has the interviewing credentials, an amiable delivery and is adept at doing highbrow without pomposity and populism without patronising.

Jonathan “I’m Not David!” Dimbleby
Dimbleby is leaving his ITV Sunday show after 10 years when the current run ends in May. He is a heavyweight interviewer but could he tease out the interesting snippets from more populist guests?

Jeremy “Come On!” Paxman
The Newsnight presenter is rumoured to fancy the job, but would he be able to rein in his muscular interrogation technique and would guests be put off by his hard-man reputation?

Schoolmarm Sue MacGregor
Left the Today programme in 2002 after 18 years. MacGregor, the consummate broadcaster, has both hard edge and common touch. She presents Radio 4's A Good Read and The Reunion but Radio 4 listeners would be happy to hear more of her.

Fi “Girly” Glover
Currently on maternity leave from Radio 4's Broadcasting House, the BBC has struggled to find a niche for her since her days on Radio 5 Live. Could be considered not heavyweight enough.

Of them, I think that Andrew Marr might be OK or Sue MacGregor, who is a pretty good broadcaster. Being a musical show, though, it might be good to have it hosted by someone with a musical background – say Andy Kershaw or Charlie Gillett obviously I’m biased and have just picked two of my favourite broadcasters). Or perhaps it could be a rota of broadcasters like that used to wind down “Home Truths”.

Perhaps John Shuttleworth should present: as a singer-songwriter, himself, he will have interesting insights into the music and his years of family trials and tribulations with Mary, Darren and Karen should allow him to empathise with his guests’ stories. No, I can’t see Markl Damazer going for it, either.

[Tiger Lil']

I've given Fi Glover a vote because

she's a girl - and i like to support them

and

despite ghastly withdrawal when Eddie left Broadcasting House, i got used to her and now moan at her replacement.... whoever he is - so bad I have not bothered to find out....just get him off air asap

PLEASE!

[desert the desert island]

i think they should bin the sleepy lagoon - the format is ready for the mothballs. although i used to be a gilliatt fan, i have recently decided that he is a bit too samey... so from that point of view he could suit DID if they don't bin it - in which case i suggest they move it to bbc7 alongside the clitheroe kid and deal with the slot in perhaps the following fashion:

i am not in favour of another musician/DJ tackling such a format - michael berkely does a very good job on private passions, it would be rather more interesting to have someone who has an ability to pose questions which produce interesting answers - thus hopefully creating interesting listening. somehow i think a journalist who is accustomed to doing proper research may be more suited. i really can do without another aging DJ's (there are so many of them) comments on mostly indifferent excerpts of eight more or less predictable records. i mean how often will he be able to debate the frequently repeated choices. it would be tantamount to cruel terms of employment, tortuous to the listener. do we really want to go the the european court of human rights? the private passion format allows for more of a music in depth journey during the interview - the music is quite a focal point in fact.

my suggestion: give the slot, without the ball and chain called DID format, to someone with ability like marr or paxman and let them come up with a more novel celebrity interview format.... discuss a theme which interests the guest, something he feels strongly about... one gets more of an idea of a person when they discuss something, perhaps if music is to be one dimension, it could be around a theme which matters in the interviewee's life or whatever... kind of music relating to a topic.

i appreciate that the bbc is fond of its palliative type programmes, which deliver the listener the goo of comfort listening. essentially this is what the 'celebrity interview' on DID in a pathetic sort of way is - generally it is a 'don't-you-think-i-am-wonderful/lovely/electable-with-amazing(which they rarely are)-choices-of-popular-records-platform' . horribly nice. there is, of course, also the demographic consideration - but a programme which runs over sixty years does not even meet that criteria - they should perhaps boost some programme created as 'late' as the 60s for this purpose - although this has really been done via bbc7, with ned in charge of programming for his age-group - although i notice it is getting more with it... that should tell you...

i do not think it is beyond the reach of an excellent broadcaster to rise to the challenge to come up with something more entertaining/engaging/listenable-to along the celebrity inview lines. after all most guest really only appear like in other similar programmes when they have something to plug... an interesting format could make it the place to be interviewed... like parkinson at one time, perhaps still...

[Lux]

tigerlily said:

I've given Fi Glover a vote because

she's a girl - and i like to support them

and

despite ghastly withdrawal when Eddie left Broadcasting House, i got used to her and now moan at her replacement.... whoever he is - so bad I have not bothered to find out....just get him off air asap

PLEASE!

Are you feeling OK, Tiger Lil? You just don't seem yourself recently.

I suggest Prof Anthony Clare or Ray Gosling.

[Tiger Lil']

Are you feeling OK, Tiger Lil? You just don't seem yourself recently.


I am fine thank you Lux. But Mr Lily and I would really like Broardcasting House to wake up and realise that Paddy O'Connell (i bothered to look it up just now) is utterly CR**!

[Crusoe]

tigerlily said:

I've given Fi Glover a vote because

she's a girl - and i like to support them

and

despite ghastly withdrawal when Eddie left Broadcasting House, i got used to her and now moan at her replacement.... whoever he is - so bad I have not bothered to find out....just get him off air asap

PLEASE!

Hmm, I’m not entirely sure about Fi Glover, Lil. She was seen as a bit of a rising star at one time but I’ve a feeling that Broadcasting House isn’t really the right vehicle for her. I’ve not listened to it much since Eddie Mair moved to PM.

I haven’t listened to Paddy O’Connell doing it. His Friday afternoon banter with Eddie is always entertaining, although I’ve a feeling this may not be Mr O’Connell’s doing.

Actually, have you thought of staying in bed for longer on Sunday mornings? It might be the best solution.

[Crusoe]

Lux said:

I suggest Prof Anthony Clare or Ray Gosling.

Both excellent suggestions, Lux, although I’ve a feeling that Ray Gosling is considered “yesterday’s man” by the bright young management whiz-kids at the beeb (I know that most of them are probably older than me but this is the beeb we’re talking about). Also, I think that the reason In the Psychiatrist’s Chair stopped was because Prof. Clare didn’t want to do it anymore, so he may not be available. Shame.

[Crusoe]

desert said:

although i used to be a gilliatt fan, i have recently decided that he is a bit too samey.

It was not that long ago that I found that Charlie’s Saturday night programme from Radio London is available to listen to on the internet and I still enjoy it greatly. It seems to have more variety than many “world” and “specialist” music programmes, which often seem quite dry and quite narrowly focussed. But perhaps my opinion will change over time.

desert said:

michael berkely does a very good job on private passions, it would be rather more interesting to have someone who has an ability to pose questions which produce interesting answers

This is certainly true. That’s one of the reasons I thought of Charlie: he has a friendly demeanour which should suit the DID format and he always seems to relate well to his radio ping pong guests which made me think that he would actually be a good presenter of the programme irrespective of the fact that he’s a music writer. Similarly I have always enjoyed the style of Andy Kershaw’s broadcasting which was a reason for suggesting him, although I admit that, in both cases, the fact that they are most closely associated with music programmes and that DID is not really a music programme probably counts against them.

I take the point that DID as a format may be past it’s sell by date, although it would be a shame because I do think that people’s genuine musical choices can give some insight into their characters. There is too much of a tendency to try to link the music to times in people’s lives: “my mother used to play this piece on the piano”, “this tune was all the rage when I was up at Oxford,” etc. I think that this gives a false impression: most genuine love of music is based on less easy to describe factors which do not serve as hand cues for a biography. It is also easy to abuse the concept: so many people picking the records that they think will make them look cool/ clever/ in touch/ sensitive/ whatever, rather than what they actually like.

desert said:

my suggestion: give the slot, without the ball and chain called DID format, to someone with ability like marr or paxman and let them come up with a more novel celebrity interview format...

I’m not sure that even Marr or Paxman would be that good: skill at cutting through politicians’ flannel doesn’t necessarily imply an ability to delve into people’s souls. It is probably a very special skill. I agree with Lux that Prof. Clare would be an excellent choice, although, unfortunately, it probably won’t be him.

Of the bookies’ favourites, I think that Sue MacGregor would probably be the best: she seems to make a reasonable job of The Reunion and A Good Read which is, I suppose, a sort of “three way Desert Island Books”.

desert said:

an interesting format could make it the place to be interviewed... like parkinson at one time, perhaps still...

Didn’t Parky host DID, for a brief time?

[Tiger Lil']

webb said:

Actually, have you thought of staying in bed for longer on Sunday mornings? It might be the best solution.

errr....yes...it's my perfect sunday morning - lying in bed listening to Broadcasting House....these days we just mutter and sigh and say who is this person ruining the program.

Increasingly I wonder who is in charge at the beeb .... as a tax and licence payer I have long imagined it to be us.....my imagination is becoming less vivid as they continue to take the proverbial.

[Ive forgotten]

Bring back Margaret Howard...

[Crusoe]

tigerlily said:

lying in bed listening to Broadcasting House....these days we just mutter and sigh and say who is this person ruining the program.
.

Looks like tea, toast and the ‘papers, instead, then.

tigerlily said:

Increasingly I wonder who is in charge at the beeb .... as a tax and licence payer I have long imagined it to be us.....my imagination is becoming less vivid as they continue to take the proverbial.

Those anti gulf war T-shirts could be adapted for hundreds of uses, these days.

“Paddy O’Connell on Broadcasting House?

Not in My Name”

tigerlily said:

my perfect sunday morning.

Actually, talking of Sunday mornings, there’s a new series of DID that I really ought to post about. Give it a couple of days…

[Crusoe]

Turns out it’s Kirsty Young. I hadn’t seen that coming although apparently it’s been the talk of people who talk about such things for the last couple of weeks.

I suppose the theory was to choose someone who would not depart radically from the way Sue Lawley has presented the programme but I’m not sure if she was that good, to be honest.