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Feedback: Does satire stand the test of time?

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09/10/2015

Does satire stand the test of time?

BBC Radio 4 - Feedback, Does satire stand the test of time?

1970s satire causes a stir, plus John Lennon uninterrupted and Jim Naughtie drowned out.

Producer John Lloyd discusses re-airing comedy from the 1970s, complete with some bad-taste jokes. Plus the cows come home on Radio 4's Bookclub, and John Lennon in his own words.

Influential comedy producer John Lloyd speaks to Roger Bolton about radio satire, as one of his earliest programmes comes under scrutiny from listeners. 

When Radio 4 Extra rebroadcast a 1976 edition of the satirical programme News Huddlines, listeners were taken back to the days of Wilson, Callaghan and the rising star Margaret Thatcher. They were also exposed to an era with very different sensibilities about matters of race, gender and sexuality - and some listeners took offence. So should old comedy, with material many would consider racist and sexist by today's standard, ever be heard again? Roger discusses with John Lloyd and Radio 4 Extra's Head of Planning and Scheduling, Tony Pilgrim.

You might balk at the thought of hearing one man talk about themselves, uninterrupted, for an entire hour. But not when that man is John Lennon - according to many listeners. Last week's Archive on 4, John Lennon Verbatim, used the wealth of archive recordings to tell Lennon's story in his own voice, without a presenter or critics to interject. And many listeners loved it. Roger speaks to the programme's producer, Des Shaw, to find out why he thought Lennon was the best man to tell his story.

While John Lennon Verbatim was crammed with old material, we've also heard from listeners who think Archive on 4 isn't always living up to its name. Roger speaks to commissioning editor Mohit Bakaya to find out whether it's becoming just another documentary programme.

And Radio 4's Jim Naughtie recently suffered a bovine interruption as he recorded an episode of Radio 4's Bookclub at Charleston Farmhouse in Sussex. In a hard-hitting investigation by a listener we find out why the cows came home.

Producer: Katherine Godfrey
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