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Feedback: 25/02/2011

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25/02/2011

BBC Radio 4 - Feedback, 25/02/2011

The fine line between candid confessional and entertainment. Counting the cost of Cairo.

The fine line between candid confessional and entertainment. Counting the cost of Cairo. Presented by Roger Bolton.

The candid confessional of an alcoholic doctor gripped listeners of Victoria Derbyshire's 5Live phone in last week. Lots of people praised the presenter's "sensitive handling" as listener "Rachel" talked about her long term battle with drink and depression. But what steps are taken to ensure that candid confessional is not just mass entertainment? Roger Bolton talks to Louisa Compton, daytime editor of 5Live.

How many BBC journalists does it take to report a revolution? Too many, say many Feedback listeners, who believe, for example, that Jim Naughtie's presence in Cairo for the Today programme was one too many. Roger talks to Fran Unsworth, the BBC's head of newsgathering who justifies the numbers.

And getting the accents right in BBC drama. At a time when the BBC Trust is encouraging Radio 4 to reach out further to listeners outside of London and the south east - should more care be taken over regional accents? We ask an expert linguist to listen to a recent afternoon play and give his verdict.


Producer: Karen Pirie
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.

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