In Defence of Radio 4

Few institutions have done more for the dissemination of history in Britain than BBC Radio 4. Under the inspired leadership of Mark Damazer (himself a trained historian), it gave us 'A History of the World in 100 Objects'; Melvyn Bragg’s peerless 'In Our Time'; Amanda Vickery’s remarkably popular series on the Old Bailey; and much, much more. Just last weekend listeners were treated to Hugh Costello’s excellent drama 'My Dear Children of the Whole World', which looked at the dilemmas faced by Pope Pius XII during the Second World War. BBC Radio 4 consistently achieves an excellence and intelligence long lost to other branches of the BBC. Yet Radio 4, and its even finer sister station Radio 3, have been told they are too southern, too middle-class, too white. And who judged Radio 4 so? David Liddiment, a very wealthy, middle-class, white member of the BBC Trust who lives in West London. Liddiment’s achievements while head of ITV include the commissioning of such broadcasting highlights as 'Fat Friends' and 'Pop Idol'. Sadly, unlike Dave, Mark Damazer has been lost to British broadcasting – he is now master of St Peter’s College, Oxford, another outstanding British institution also recently judged by mediocre, patronising and treasonable clerks to be too southern, too middle-class and too white. He comes to the defence of Radio 4, as should anyone who gives a monkey for history, in today's London Evening Standard.