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Feedback: 01/03/2013

Factual

01/03/2013

BBC Radio 4 - Feedback, 01/03/2013

Language warnings - patronising or vital? And do new Radio 4 comedies get you laughing?

Should you be warned before strong language is broadcast? How easy is it to win over the Radio 4 audience with new comedy? And could you make it onto Brain of Britain?

This week in Feedback, we ask whether listeners should be warned about strong language before it is broadcast. Many of you have written to us with your views on potentially offensive language, some in support of the realism swearing can provide, others saying there is no place for it on the wireless. But when Radio 4's Six o'clock news chose to broadcast a racially abusive term, it prompted you to ask why some programmes carry warnings ahead of transmission when others don't, and whether it is acceptable to remove a factual component of a news report. We took your questions to Richard Clark, editor of the Radio Newsroom, to hear how he makes these difficult decisions.


Also this week, could you make it onto the Radio 4 quiz Brain of Britain? When Barry Simmons, a star of BBC 2's Eggheads quiz, appeared on Brain of Britain, many of you questioned why someone who might be termed a 'professional quizzer' was allowed to appear on the long-running quiz. We asked Brain of Britain producer Paul Bajoria to explain how the contestants are chosen.


And how would you feel about starring in a new Radio 4 comedy? Well, if you were in the audience for late-night programme The Guns of Adam Riches, you might find yourself appearing in one of Adam's sketches which rely on audience participation. But how does experimental comedy establish itself amongst stalwarts such as Just a Minute or the News Quiz? To find out, Roger took two Feedback listeners along to meet Adam Riches and comedy producer Simon Mayhew-Archer.




Producer: Kate Taylor
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