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BBC Radio 4 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced BBC Home Service.

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File on 4: Coronavirus: Stories from behind the mask

Coronavirus: Stories from behind the mask

BBC Radio 4 - File on 4, Coronavirus: Stories from behind the mask

Candid diaries of doctors and nurses recorded over two months of the coronavirus pandemic

They’re the intensive care staff we see on the TV news. In their protective equipment, we can’t see their expressions – even their own colleagues find it hard to recognise them behind their masks.  We can’t read their faces, but we can hear their thoughts - as they record a series of diaries as the weeks in the grip of the virus go by. 
In these recordings for File on 4, doctors and nurses take off their masks and reveal their private emotions and professional fears. They talk from the heart, sharing how they feel about their patients and the emotional toll on them and their families. For the diarists, it’s a rare moment to stop and reflect, to mourn the losses and hold on to the glimmers of hope.

Reporter: Jane Deith
Producer: Paul Grant
Editor: Carl Johnston

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

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Coronavirus: Stories from behind the mask

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