Advertise on podcast: Feedback

It's been a week since the BBC announced the latest round of cuts to Radio 4, and you've been in touch to express your surprise and dismay at the axing of You and Yours, Open Country, Free Thinking, The Artificial Human and Thinking Allowed. Andrea Catherwood hears your opinions, and talks to Lisa Webb, a consumer lawyer from Which?, who weighs in on what the end of You and Yours could mean for consumer advice and rights in the public sphere. We also hear a nomination for our Interview of the Year award - this time it's from listener Robert Lenko, who wanted to put forward a conversation he heard between Lyse Doucet and a young Afghan girl on PM, which marked five years since the Taliban took Afghanistan's capital city, Kabul. Contact details: WhatsApp & Voicemail: 03 333 444 544 X & Instagram: @BBCR4Feedback Email: [email protected] And to subscribe to Feedback on BBC Sounds, search for Feedback, click on the link to like and subscribe - that way you get every new episode in your feed. Presenter: Andrea Catherwood Producer: Pauline Moore Assistant Producer: Rebecca Guthrie Executive Producer: David Prest A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4

Feedback returns for a new series and a new raft of cuts to BBC Radio 4 has just been announced - including consumer affairs programme You and Yours, which has been on air for 56 years. Thinking Allowed, Free Thinking, The Artificial Human, and Open Country are all set to go too. It's part of a wave of savings worth £500m, announced by the Corporation earlier this year. But how will this affect radio listeners? Andrea Catherwood hears your reaction, and speaks to Patricia Nicol, radio and culture columnist for the Times, and Simon O'Hagan, writer for the Radio Times and the audio blog This Sceptred Dial. With those savings in mind, we're also revisiting the topic of BBC charter renewal following the publication of a report by the House of Commons' select committee on Media, Culture, and Sport. The report sets out some recommendations for the Corporation as it prepares for the review in 2028. Steven Barnett, Professor of Communications at the University of Westminster, was a specialist advisor to the committee and joins us to explain some of the findings of the report. Over the summer break we continued to hear from listeners who had been tuning into BBC audio platforms - and that included the people who heard the programmes marking the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. We hear what listeners thought of an episode of The Reunion, which brought together the people at Ground Zero that day, and also from Paul Howard, a retired pilot who heard the drama Welcome to Defiance, told from the perspective of an air traffic controller at work during the attacks. Producer: Pauline Moore Assistant Producer: Rebecca Guthrie Executive Producer: David Prest A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4

Andrea Catherwood puts listener comments to environmental journalists Lucy Taylor and Dan Ashby, whose latest series Dead Rabbit uncovers the shady world of illegal hare coursing, in collaboration with nature broadcaster Chris Packham. Feedback calls on two more voices for our VoxBox to share their thoughts on Radio’s 4 Farming Today. Young farmers Emily Mosley and Nathan Greenwood reflect on how well the station’s long-running agricultural current affairs show serves the farming community and wider audiences. Following a suggestion from a listener, Andrea interviews pianist Colin Sell, who has accompanied comedians on I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue for over five decades but whose voice is rarely heard on Radio 4. And finally, one message from a listener in Wales about continuity announcer Richard Evans' nightly sign off in Welsh prompted us to get in touch with Richard, and ask him to lend a hand in closing the final episode of this series. Presenter: Andrea Catherwood
 Producer: Rebecca Guthrie
 Assistant Producer: Jac Phillimore
 Executive Producer: David Prest A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4

The 2026 BBC Proms season is underway, and so presenter Andrea Catherwood heads to the Royal Albert Hall to talk to Radio 3 controller Sam Jackson to discuss this year's schedule, which includes a prog rock themed concert and appearances from international orchestras such as the Berlin Philaharmonic and the Spanish National Orchestra. We present him with your comments and critiques, and ask if the Proms are under any pressure from the cuts facing the BBC. We also hear more of your thoughts about the recent round of BBC Radio 4's quiz pilots, which broadcast over summer. And a nomination for Interview of the Year comes in from one listener who heard a conversation between Paddy O'Connell and journalist Lord Peter Hennessy, as Peter steps back from public life following a diagnosis of Parkinson's. Presenter: Andrea Catherwood Producer: Pauline Moore Assistant Producer: Rebecca Guthrie Executive Producer: David Prest A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4

If you're a longtime Radio 4 listener, you'll know the important place that quizzes occupy in the schedule. That's why listeners have been in touch with Feedback to share their thoughts about a range of pilots for new quizzes that could potentially find a home on the network. Andrea Catherwood hears your views and talks to two hotshot quizzers - one a Mastermind champion - who give their opinions on whether or not these pilots get top marks. Radio 1 has announced a round of changes to the station's schedule and presenter line-up, with some on-air talent due to leave the station later this year. One listener shares what these changes mean to her, and Andrea talks to Sarah Carson, Chief Culture Writer and Contributing Editor at the i Paper, who gives her analysis on what they signify for Radio 1 in the long run. And following last week's interview with Evan Davis about his new series Common Ground, we hear from listeners who were disappointed to know that the opportunity for Evan to travel around the UK will be limited by budget cuts. Presenter: Andrea Catherwood Producer: Pauline Moore Assistant Producer: Rebecca Guthrie Executive Producer: David Prest A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4

Evan Davis, usually found behind the microphone for Radio 4's PM, has been travelling around England and Wales recording people's opinions on the big things that divide us as a society - from immigration, to language, to class. It was all for a short series called Common Ground, part of ongoing programming from Radio 4 on the topic of social cohesion. But what did listeners think? Evan joins Feedback presenter Andrea Catherwood to discuss his goals in making the series and the nature of listener responses. You're Dead To Me is one of BBC Audio's most popular podcasts, but it took a recent episode on Medieval Saints for it to appear on Feedback. We hear from a Priest and Friar from the Dominican Order, who entered our VoxBox to give their thoughts about the podcast's take on everything from reliquaries to saint-making. We've also heard from listeners with thoughts about a running gag that was sprinkled throughout the latest run of Dead Ringers, which parodied BBC Radio 4's investigative series To Catch A King. Finally, there's another nomination for our Interview of The Year Award. It's an interview conducted by Jonny Dymond in a recent edition of The World At One with a pair of keen marathon runners that made one listener contact us to highlight it for the top spot. Presenter: Andrea Catherwood Producer: Pauline Moore Assistant Producer: Rebecca Guthrie Executive Producer: David Prest A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4

The radio drama Life and Time finished its third series recently. The six inter-linked plays explore the experiences of prisoners and prison staff. The main theme running through all the plays is the system of imprisonment for public protection sentences - IPPs. These were open-ended sentences with no fixed release date, which was instead decided by parole boards. Listeners have been getting in touch with their thoughts and critiques and Andrea Catherwood puts your views on the series to its award-winning writer James Fritz. It was recently announced that 6Music would be getting an extension - Indie Forever, a 24 hour stream set to launch on BBC Sounds on 22nd July. It follows the extensions to BBC Radio 1 and Radio 3, made public last year. But do listeners want more indie? We hear from you. Also, there's another nomination for our Interview of the Year. This week listener Barbara puts forward an interview she heard on The World Tonight. Presenter James Coomarasamy was talking to Natalie Needham, whose baby died after being discharged from a NHS maternity ward in Nottingham. The interview followed the findings of an inquiry into the largest maternity scandal in NHS history. If you'd like to get in touch with the Feedback team, you can send a WhatsApp voice note to Oh Three, Triple Three, Triple Four, Five Double Four [03 333 444 544]. You can also ring that number and leave a voice message. On X and instagram it’s @BBC R4Feedback. The email is [email protected] Presenter: Andrea Catherwood Producer: Pauline Moore Assistant Producer: Rebecca Guthrie Executive Producer; David Prest A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4

The BBC recently reported that they'd tracked down Twana Jamal, one of the most prolific people smugglers in recent history - who had previously been arrested in France but was living and working in the UK. The investigation was carried out by journalists Sue Mitchell and Rob Lawrie for Radio 4's Intrigue series To Catch a King, and they found Jamal ahead of the police or the Home Office. This sparked a question from a listener - about how journalists interact with authorities to uncover serious crimes. Presenter Andrea Catherwood sits down with journalist Sam Poling, whose own work on BBC documentary and podcast Who Killed Emma led to an arrest and later a conviction, to ask how it works. We also return to the subject of BBC cuts. We'll hear more of your thoughts and from an expert on the topic of the cuts and charter renewal. Dr Tom Chivers from Goldsmiths, University of London, gives his views on how much the cuts will affect the BBC's relationship with the public as the corporation prepares for a new chapter. Presenter: Andrea Catherwood Producer: Pauline Moore Assistant Producer: Rebecca Guthrie Executive Producer: David Prest A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4

Andrea Catherwood hears your comments on the cuts to BBC Radio 4 news programmes and talks to a former Radio commissioner about her experience of bringing in changes to Radio 4. Also, our listeners share their views on the news coverage over the past few weeks as Keir Starmer announced his resignation as Prime Minister and Andy Burnham, the newly elected MP for Makerfield, arrived at London Euston station to a press pack. And a recent distressing episode of a dog attack on sheep in The Archers has motivated listeners to get in touch. A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4

It's a new series of Feedback. Andrea Catherwood sits down with Misha Glenny, former foreign correspondent and investigative journalist to talk about taking on the reins of In Our Time, following Melvyn Bragg's departure from the programme last year. Did Misha's long years in the fields of academia, Investigative journalism and being a BBC Foreign correspondence prepare him from taking on topics that range from cybernetics to Handel's Messiah? We also received a comment from a listener who feels that the Today programme is changing editorially with too much chat between presenters. And coverage of the new social media ban for under 16s in the UK has been featured heavily on BBC radio's news programme. A listener shares their opinion on PM's recent coverage of this move. Finally, another nomination for our annual search for Interview of the Year. This time it's for an episode of Private Passions on Radio 3, in which presenter Michael Berkeley interviews sports and nature writer Simon Barnes. Presenter: Andrea Catherwood Producer: Pauline Moore Assistant Producer: Rebecca Guthrie Executive Producer: David Prest A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4

Recent headlines have announced that the BBC is set to implement a massive wave of cuts across all of its programming, in order to make a saving of £500 million. The first of these major cuts has just been announced and listeners will soon notice the effects of these changes, with Radio 4 programmes like much-loved The World Tonight being axed. But who's making these choices, and why weren't listeners consulted first? Andrea Catherwood talks to John McAndrew, the Director of BBC's Live and Daily News to get some answers. Radio 4 might not be the first place you look to for football, and admittedly some listeners might view it as a safe haven from the world's most played sport. But David Baddiel's recent series 60 Years of Hurt for The History Podcast aimed to pin down what "Englishness" means through the history of the England's men's football team. David joins Andrea to hear listener feedback on the series. Presenter: Andrea Catherwood Producer: Pauline Moore Assistant Producer: Rebecca Guthrie Executive Producer: David Prest A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4

It's the end of this series of Feedback, and Andrea Catherwood is talking to someone who has just brought his own long run at the BBC to a definitive close. Fergal Keane has covered conflicts and events all over the world as a BBC News correspondent, and now he's stepping away. Andrea asks him for his reflections on bearing witness to many world conflicts for 37 years at the Corporation. And last week we spoke to Jonathan Kanagasooriam, the person in charge of strategy for a new raft of video podcasts from BBC Sounds. You've been in touch with your thoughts about the discussion. Finally, the team behind obituary programme Last Word have recently produced a series about approaching a big fear in a new way. In Doing Death Differently, presenter Matthew Bannister looks at our changing attitudes and approaches to death. Andrea sits down with Matthew to share your views on the series and discuss the different ways we memorialise the departed. Presenter: Andrea Catherwood Producer: Pauline Moore Assistant Producer: Rebecca Guthrie Executive Producer: David Prest A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4

The BBC has just released a new raft of visualised podcasts - podcasts productions that you can watch as well as listen to. Some are being released on YouTube and some on iPlayer, but all have audio-only versions available on BBC Sounds too. It's part of a strategy to grow listenership beyond the audiences that usually listens to linear radio. But is it where everything is ultimately headed? Andrea Catherwood talks to Jonathan Kanagasooriam, Managing Editor for Podcast Strategy and Video Podcasts at BBC Sounds, about how he's catering for those who like to watch podcasts. And the closure of long wave has been set for the end of this year - we hear an update from the BBC. Finally, we hear from two fans of the longrunning Elis James and John Robins podcast, which has a home on BBC 5 Live. It's been on the airwaves for years, but a recent announcement has indicated that the pod is now moving visualised versions of their recordings behind a paywall on Patreon. Longtime listeners Emma and Chris give their take. Presenter: Andrea Catherwood Producer: Pauline Moore Assistant Producer: Rebecca Guthrie Executive Producer: David Prest A Whistledown Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4

Listeners have been telling us their thoughts about a recent episode of Radical with Amol Rajan, in which he interviewed Dr Suzanne O'Sullivan, a physician specialising in neurology and clinical neurophysiology. It was an in-depth discussion about the potential dangers of "over-diagnosis" - but some listeners felt that Dr O'Sullivan's views could have been challenged more. We get some answers to your questions. A long-running and award-winning Radio 4 drama series has just come to an end. Faith, Hope and Glory has run for 43 episodes since 2021, and has recently wrapped up telling its ambitious, generation-spanning story about the emergence of modern multicultural Britain. Listeners have been in touch with their thoughts about the series, and so Andrea Catherwood sits down with one of the writers, Roy Williams, and director Jessica Dromgoole, to talk about how they weaved the story together. And lastly, there's another nomination for our Interview of the Year award. Listener Maggie nominates the recent interview with legendary photographer Don McCullin on Radio 4's This Cultural Life, who shared his cultural touchstones while reflecting on his challenging experiences in his early life and as a working war photographer. Listen to find out why she thinks it deserves the top spot. Presenter: Andrea Catherwood Producer: Pauline Moore Assistant Producer: Rebecca Guthrie Executive Producer: David Prest A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4

Andrea Catherwood meets with Paddy O'Connell, longtime presenter of Broadcasting House. But this time we're going behind the scenes as Paddy has granted the Feedback team special access to the programme's inbox - and like Feedback's listeners, Broadcasting House's listeners have a lot to say. And how do you get the balance right when reporting on news during a day that is supposed to be dedicated to calm? Paddy gives his thoughts. And some listeners had questions about a recent episode of Any Answers. Why did it only deal with one subject? Finally, it's time for another edition of our VoxBox - this time it's two friends and PR professionals, Lauren and Dan, giving their take on the BBC's programme all about crisis management, When It Hits The Fan. Does the series do its best to inform, educate, and entertain, or is it all spin? Presenter: Andrea Catherwood Producer: Pauline Moore Assistant Producer: Rebecca Guthrie Executive Producer: David Prest A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4