Feedback Forum

Andrea Catherwood presents the programme that hears your views on BBC audio.

This week, the first ever Feedback Forum brings together groups of keen listeners who enjoy all kinds of speech content. Radio 4 loyalists, together with younger listeners who don't own radios, and who get all their content "on-demand", share what they like and dislike from BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

There's a lot of enthusiasm for some of the network's long running favourites. In Our Time has been devoured by young and old listeners, who admire the 85 year old presenter, Melvyn Bragg, for his "sassiness" and authority.

The Archers, with it's new timeslots, and podcast, generates strong emotions, with the sentencing of George Grundy gripping the group.

The arrival of Emma Barnett on the Today programme brings praise for a more informal and youthful approach, but also some irritation with what one person says is too much ongoing enthusiasm for her new job.

Marianna Spring's library of content on conspiracies leads some in the group to consider their own listening, and there is a lively debate about whether a diet of pure "on-demand" content means algorithms pulling listeners into echo chambers.

2024 was a year of high audiences across all radio with Radio 4 attracting approaching 10 million listeners a week. But persuading the next generation to tune in is crucial to its long term future, so the production team ask some of the keen podcasters to try out some radio content. Find out if minds are changed in this special edition of Feedback.

Presenter: Andrea Catherwood Producer: Marie Helly Assistant Producer: Rebecca Guthrie Executive Producer: David Prest

A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4