Radio 4 plays ...

[XmisterIS]

Is it me, or have they recently all become incredibly depressing?! I listen to R4 when I can't sleep - the sound of talking seems to send me off. Probably reminds me of hearing my parents through the wall, talking in the livingroom when I went to bed as a kid.

Anyway, I digress - for the last few months (or more), all the R4 plays seem to be about really depressing topics! They used to at least do the odd cheerful one. I'd prefer to hear old-fashioned boy's own adventure stories rather than endless tales of unrequited love, cancer, murder, death, estrangement, more death, etc!!

 

[Angelfishsolo]

I only tend to listen to them when camping so I'll let you know when I come back from the MTB Marathon 1st week in July

Is it me, or have they recently all become incredibly depressing?! I listen to R4 when I can't sleep - the sound of talking seems to send me off. Probably reminds me of hearing my parents through the wall, talking in the livingroom when I went to bed as a kid.

Anyway, I digress - for the last few months (or more), all the R4 plays seem to be about really depressing topics! They used to at least do the odd cheerful one. I'd prefer to hear old-fashioned boy's own adventure stories rather than endless tales of unrequited love, cancer, murder, death, estrangement, more death, etc!!

 

[colly]

I often listen to R4 during the day and you are right. So depressing at times I turn off.

In fact I find it irritating that some of them are so ''worthy'' . Can't they find anything that is non pc, doesn't have a 'message' for us unwashed, and has some characters that have a bit about them?

Maybe I have just been catching the dull stuff.

And the funny stuff is getting less and less funny by the millisecond.

What is that God awful thing on with ''Dr Who'' in it? Well the actor who plays him. It is about as amusing as chronic piles.

I heard something last week called, I think.....'Pollyoaks' . Shows promise.

 

[potsy]

I really like the R4 stuff, though some of it is hit and miss.
My particular favourite being the Charles Paris stuff, Count Arthur, On the Blog, and Fags Mags and Bags

I tend to download them and listen at my leisure, makes the time at work go a bit quicker

 

[Yellow Fang]

Have to agree about the plays being rather poor.

 

[ohnovino]

I gave up on them a long time ago, when they all became "one woman's journey as she learns to come to terms with _____".

 

[XmisterIS]

I gave up on them a long time ago, when they all became "one woman's journey as she learns to come to terms with _____".

Yeah, I know, luckily I've usually fallen asleep by the time they go on air. There are so many good short stories by classic writers out there that they don't need to do those silly plays. Take Asimov, Bradbury, Banks, Clarke for excellent Sci Fi, just for starters! There's enough short story material there to keep R4 going for several years.

 

[brockers]

I gave up on them a long time ago, when they all became "one woman's journey as she learns to come to terms with _____".

Isn't that Radio 4 in a nutshell these days? Certainly seems to be every time I tune in.

I find those plays extremely dull and worthy. I even had a neighbour who spent a year (a year!) working on one, which was broadcast five years ago. This one was about immigrants and a doomed inter-cultural love affair. Tedious.

 

[Globalti]

Don't worry, the BBC will improve when they move to Manchester. Suddenly the big city gloom will be lifted and they will all be infused with the cheery northern spirit.

 

[Glow worm]

I don't catch as many as I used to, but years ago I used to record radio plays on cassette tapes and listen when I had more time. I remember some crackers, especially some really funny ones by a fella called Giles Cooper. BBC World Service used to broadcast some good half hour long ones too, before it became a tedious rolling news programme. I've still got the tapes in the loft I think. The last one I heard 'live' was a month or two ago and called 'The bat man'- about a cantankerous guy (played by Bill Nighy), the Cornish coast, a widow, and er..bats! I thought it was great.

Radio 3 used to have some truly dreadful plays, and maybe still do? If you want 3 hours of turgid impenetrable drivel, - try a Radio 3 play!

Edit: Excellent news- I have discovered that Radio 3 do still have plays and there's even one on tonight called 'Money'. Here's the description: Kate Clanchy's adaptation re-fashions the action around one grand house, modernises the heroine, Clara, and sets the action just before the 1832 Reform Act to accentuate the political plot.
Looks like they're as great as ever!

 

[strofiwimple]

Have to agree that a lot of the plays can be dull as dishwater but still some gems to be had.
I use a great little puter programme called radio downloader.
Just google radio downloader or "nerd of the herd" install it and you can download any podcast if you know the url (I very rarely use that option) but has listings of all beeb programmes you can download.
You can subscribe to any programmes (afternoon play etc) and it automatically downloads every episode.
Once a month i transfer everything to my ipod and away i go.
You can tell after a few minutes if a play is for you and so just skip to the next without wasting any time.

Potsy is spot on- fags, mags & bags is excellent.

 

[colly]

I use a great little puter programme called radio downloader.
Just google radio downloader or "nerd of the herd" install

Thanks for that. That's going to be really useful.

 

[Globalti]

I don't catch as many as I used to, but years ago I used to record radio plays on cassette tapes and listen when I had more time. I remember some crackers, especially some really funny ones by a fella called Giles Cooper. BBC World Service used to broadcast some good half hour long ones too, before it became a tedious rolling news programme. I've still got the tapes in the loft I think. The last one I heard 'live' was a month or two ago and called 'The bat man'- about a cantankerous guy (played by Bill Nighy), the Cornish coast, a widow, and er..bats! I thought it was great.

Radio 3 used to have some truly dreadful plays, and maybe still do? If you want 3 hours of turgid impenetrable drivel, - try a Radio 3 play!

Edit: Excellent news- I have discovered that Radio 3 do still have plays and there's even one on tonight called 'Money'. Here's the description: Kate Clanchy's adaptation re-fashions the action around one grand house, modernises the heroine, Clara, and sets the action just before the 1832 Reform Act to accentuate the political plot.
Looks like they're as great as ever!

Get in touch with the BBC, they recently issued a request for recordings of old plays.

 

[potsy]

Thanks for that. That's going to be really useful.

Just installed it. Excellent stuff
I have about 40gb of stuff already, my mp3 player will be smoking