Feedback

As BBC Radio's listening audience continues to react to the cuts to programming and channels like Radio 4 Extra, Andrea Catherwood sits down with two experts to hear their view on how the corporation is changing in an increasingly challenging media landscape.

The first is Shem Law, the Editor of the Radio Times, who recently wrote a piece opposing the cuts. He talks to Andrea about what the loss of the station means for radio listeners.

We also hear from Simon Lewis, PR expert and former presenter of Radio 4’s When It Hits the Fan, on whether or not the corporation has got its messaging right when announcing the changes.

And there's another nomination for our Interview of the Year Award. This time we hear from Dr Jan Lewis, who was fascinated by Dermot O'Leary's live interview with Hollywood tough guy Sylvester Stallone in a recent Radio 2 broadcast, which, she tells us, was unexpectedly informative.

To get in touch with Feedback:

Presenter: Andrea Catherwood

A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4

The audience response programme presented by Andrea Catherwood.

More cuts have been announced for BBC Radio - this time, it's the archive repeats station Radio 4 Extra that is set to close. Listeners have contacted Feedback with their opinions on the plan.

Matthew Parris - journalist, ex-politician, and longtime presenter of Great Lives on Radio 4 - has recently taken his last bow presenting the biographical programme. For two decades he's welcomed celebrities into the studio to discuss the lives of prominent figures they admire, and now he joins Andrea for a discussion about his standout moments, and what the series' future might look like.

And finally we hear from two listeners - Audrey and Jason - on the topic of a recent documentary series for the Understand strand on BBC Radio 4, called All Kinds of Minds. The series took a look at language of neurodiversity, and then went on to explore the experiences of neurodiverse people through childhood and adulthood. Presenter Nathan Filer joins Andrea to respond to the points raise by Audrey and Jason.

To get in touch with Feedback:

Presenter: Andrea Catherwood

A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4

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:

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4