Feedback

Next week sees the last ever episode of Radio 4's long running investigative series Face the Facts. Radio 4 says it's part of an ongoing effort to cut costs. Presenter John Waite recounts his most memorable moments during his 30 years on the frontline of investigative journalism.

The Green Party was hoping to launch their election campaign in a blaze of positive publicity earlier this week. But after leader Natalie Bennett experienced what she called an "excruciating mind blank" in an interview, the story took a very different direction. The BBC ran the story throughout the day - but was this too much coverage of Bennett's 'brain fade' at the expense of serious analysis of party policy? Katy Searle, the Editor of Political Newsgathering for BBC News, explains why the story deserved its airtime and place on the news agenda.

And while the rest of the BBC is giving up on broadcasting children's radio, BBC Radio Cymru has launched Tic Toc, a new programme aimed at a younger audience. Can Radio Cymru find success where others have failed? Head of Radio Cymru, Betsan Powys, explains what makes her venture different.

Producer: Will Yates

The allied bombing of Dresden was one of the most controversial episodes of the Second World War - but was Radio 4's coverage of the 70th Anniversary too one-sided? The editor of Radio 4's Today programme, Jamie Angus, discusses how the BBC reflected on this historic event with a senior lecturer in War and Media at King's College London, Dr Peter Busch.

And the story behind how the BBC obtained a startling piece of audio from the shootings in Copenhagen. Toby Castle was duty editor in the BBC Newsroom at the time and he talks to Roger Bolton about why he decided the shocking audio could be put on air.

Also, an epic tale of endurance and self-sacrifice - listeners tell us how they managed to hear ten hours of War and Peace in one sitting.

Producer: Will Yates

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.

Almost an entire day on Radio 4 was taken over by a dramatic airing of War and Peace at the start of the year. For some listeners it was a joy that kept them glued to their radios - for others it was a rude interruption to the schedule. Radio 4's Commissioning Editor for Drama, Jeremy Howe, explains why the network decided to broadcast wall-to-wall Tolstoy at the expense of regular programmes.

Also, the BBC's Director General Tony Hall has weighed into the ongoing debate about changes to The Archers. Jeremy Howe gives his reaction to the DG's intervention.

And is the BBC's news output little more than a barrage of bleak and dismal events? Is there space - or even a need - for more good news stories? Professor Charlie Beckett explored this question in his programme, Good News is No News. It generated debate on social media with many people saying they felt overwhelmed by negative news. So is it time for the BBC to give more focus to positive news stories?

Producer: Will Yates

Gwyneth Williams is in her fifth year as the controller of Radio 4 and has made her mark with various radical changes - including bringing a former Eastenders' producer to The Archers, cutting 12 minutes from You and Yours and bringing visualisation to a variety of Radio 4 programming.

For the final episode of this series, Feedback listeners speak directly to the Controller and give their views on the network. Loyal Archers Addicts ask how much free rein the editor should have when many listeners are unhappy with the programme's current direction.

Gwyneth is also asked whether there is a theme to the daily '12 o clock slot' that has divided listeners, and whether 15 minute programmes are long enough to over complex topics.

Radio 4's leap towards a dazzling digital future is also put under scrutiny as a listener asks whether radio programmes truly benefit from visual elements.

And how tight is her Radio 4 budget for programmes, given that even more cuts are coming soon?

Producer Will Yates

Roger Bolton talks to investigative journalist Tom Mangold about The Silent Conspiracy, a programme he first began working on 35 years ago. The programme concerned Jeremy Thorpe, the charismatic leader of the Liberal Party between 1967 and 1976. Thorpe's political career was overshadowed by scandal when he was accused of conspiring to murder Norman Scott - a man who claimed to have been his lover at a time when homosexuality was illegal. He was acquitted of conspiracy to murder but soon withdrew from public life.

The day after he died last week, Radio 4 broadcast The Silent Conspiracy, in which veteran BBC journalist Tom Mangold uncovered an alleged establishment conspiracy to protect Jeremy Thorpe's career and reputation. Many listeners questioned the tone and timing of the programme. Roger talks to Tom about the making of the programme and why he felt it was in the public interest.

Michael Buerk has survived life in the Australian outback and returned as chair of Radio 4's Moral Maze. To welcome him back, his programme team chose reality TV as the subject for the last episode in the series. Not letting him escape the spotlight, Buerk was declared a star witness. But after frequent updates of his jungle antics on the PM programme - was this an in-joke too far?

What does it take to find "extraordinary stories and remarkable guests"? Roger goes behind-the-scenes at Saturday Live to discover how they blend celebrity interviews and inheritance tracks with tales straight from listeners' mouths.

And more musical archives are restored following last week's revival of Radio 4's Singing Together.

Produced by Will Yates

What do you really think of Radios 4 and 5 and their extra bits? The BBC Trust wants listeners' input for a major review it's conducting. But will your views change anything? Trustee Elan Closs Stephens tells Roger Bolton why reviews like this matter.

Radio 4's World War 1 drama Home Front is set to run for four years and a total of approximately 600 episodes. Roger goes on a behind-the-scenes tour of the epic production and puts listeners' questions talks to the series editor Jessica Droomgoole and producer Lucy Collingwood.

Jarvis Cocker took the Radio 4 audience back to primary school with his Archive on 4 on the well-loved programme "Singing Together". It was a weekly broadcast that started in 1939 and quickly became a treasured musical memory. But most of the broadcasts have been lost. We hear from Feedback listener Christopher Goodman who has succeeded where the BBC failed - in saving a little bit of our musical heritage for posterity.

And Archers Addicts question the point of a radio drama where the actors' voices are far too similar.

Produced by Will Yates

The BBC World Service is now funded by the licence fee which means the UK public is now paying for a service that many rarely use. Roger Bolton talks to the service's outgoing director, Peter Horrocks, about the challenges facing his successor.

Radio 4's PM programme continues to keep its audience up to date with Michael Buerk's progress on I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here. Many listeners love these light-hearted jungle moments; many others feel they have no place in a serious news programme. PM's editor Joanna Carr defends the programme's character and explains why the esteemed presenter of the Moral Maze is fair game for a bit of leg-pulling.

As part of Listeners' Week, Radio 4's In Our Time asked for suggestions for the topic of this week's programme. Roy Bailey and Lauren Hall's idea of Franz Kafka's The Trial was chosen from over 900 entries. They give their verdict on the programme, and Melvyn Bragg and his producer Tom Morris talk to Roger about what made Roy and Lauren's Kafkaesque proposal stand out.

Produced by Will Yates

Since August, listeners to Radio 4's You and Yours have had their daily diet of consumer and social affairs cut by 12 minutes - in the first place to make way for the opening salvoes of Radio 4's 600-part World War 1 drama Home Front. Since then a number of mixed programmes have occupied the slot - with mixed responses from Feedback listeners. Are these bite-size portions the future of radio? The Commissioning Editor, Mohit Bakaya, explains his thinking for the future of the slot.

How does the BBC gauge the views of the silent majority who never make direct contact with the BBC or Feedback? Elizabeth Lane, Research Manager for Radio 4 and 4 Extra, has the answers.

Catch-up radio on the BBC's TV iPlayer becomes even harder to access for some listeners. First it was lost from smart televisions and now it's no longer available on TV set top boxes. So what's going on - and when will the service return to normal?

And comedian Jake Yapp gives us his version of Feedback in 60 seconds.

Produced by Will Yates

BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat has been found in breach of both Ofcom and BBC Editorial Guidelines for its broadcast of an interview with a member of ISIS. The item was considered inappropriate under BBC standards for Impartiality and Harm and Offence. Richard Ayre, the Chairman of the BBC Trust's Editorial Standards Committee, explains the ruling.

Radio 1's iPlayer video channel launched this week. It's the station's latest effort to engage with the smartphone generation. The BBC's Head of Visual Radio gives his vision for the future of Radio 1.

The former Home Secretary David Blunkett was on World at One this week - not to discuss any great affairs of state, but to give his thoughts on The Archers. Though many Feedback listeners share his concerns at the soap's current direction, others said that a serious news programme was not the place to cover such trivialities.

And Feedback listener Tony Harwood, gives a behind the scenes account of his time as a BBC page boy in the 1950s when one of many perks was the chance to watch live recordings of Hancock's Half Hour.

Produced by Will Yates

Dramatic storylines and racy relationships are continuing to cause a stir among Archers fans. Now the actor who plays the sausage king Tom Archer has been deposed, some listeners are threatening to switch off altogether.

There were 103 episodes of Hancock's Half Hour recorded in the 1950s. However, 20 episodes are missing from the BBC archives. Now, five of them have been brought back to life in new recordings of the original scripts. Giving a voice to the many voices of Kenneth Williams is actor Robin Sebastian. But which of all Williams's classic characters is his favourite? And what is it about this comedy that makes audiences still laugh sixty years on?

And is the British coverage of German history too focused on conflict? One programme setting out to change this is Neil McGregor's 30 part series 'Germany: Memories of a Nation'. It's been well received by most listeners though some feel repeating it three times a day was a bit much. Commissioning Editor Jane Ellison and the programme's producer Paul Kobrak discuss how and why the series was made.

Produced by Will Yates