Start The Week - 21 April

[Serial_Apologist]

Today's programme was well worth hearing - a discussion between James Lovelock, George Monbiot and Joanna Haigh on environmental science and practice, led off by now-regular presenter Anne McElvoy.

You will not want to have misssed this, believe me!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0415h9t

[Thropplenoggin]

Thanks for the tip, SA.

[Serial_Apologist]

Thanks for the tip, SA.

[Thropplenoggin]

Lovelock's 'Gaia' hypothesis has always appealed to me, though I believe he has, of late, become more pessimistic about the planet's future: http://www.theguardian.com/theguardi....climatechange

[Serial_Apologist]

Lovelock's 'Gaia' hypothesis has always appealed to me, though I believe he has, of late, become more pessimistic about the planet's future: http://www.theguardian.com/theguardi....climatechange

Monbiot launched into an attack on this, which Lovelock took in remarkably good spirit. After a bit of arm-twisting he gave his prediction on how much longer he thinks humankind has near the end of the programme.

[kernelbogey]

Today's programme was well worth hearing - a discussion between James Lovelock, George Monbiot and Joanna Haigh on environmental science and practice, led off by now-regular presenter Anne McElvoy.

You will not want to have misssed this, believe me!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0415h9t

Thanks for the heads up, SA. I found it interesting, but McElvoy talked and interrupted too much - often breaking into a participant's argument just as it was getting interesting. I haven't heard this programme very often but I believe that Andrew Marr was better at keeping a discussion going as opposed to prompting new points from the individuals present. It is a fault often with 'presenters'. Indeed I wonder if just recording a discussion between the three without any 'chair' would have been more interesting.

[Serial_Apologist]

There's a shortened repeat on tonight at 9.30.

[amateur51]

Monbiot got a modest kicking from an agricultural scientist on Farming Today This Week on R4 early on Saturday, I think.

It didn't faze him, of course

[Serial_Apologist]

Monbiot got a modest kicking from an agricultural scientist on Farming Today This Week on R4 early on Saturday, I think.

It didn't faze him, of course

Monbiot gives the lie to the reactionaries' claims about environmentalists being full of woolly thinking - especially in today's discussion, and not just his remarks about hillside damage done by sheep!

[amateur51]

Monbiot gives the lie to the reactionaries' claims about environmentalists being full of woolly thinking - especially in today's discussion, and not just his remarks about hillside damage done by sheep!

He was rehearsing that argument on Saturday. Go George!

[Roslynmuse]

Thanks for the heads up, SA. I found it interesting, but McElvoy talked and interrupted too much - often breaking into a participant's argument just as it was getting interesting. I haven't heard this programme very often but I believe that Andrew Marr was better at keeping a discussion going as opposed to prompting new points from the individuals present. It is a fault often with 'presenters'. Indeed I wonder if just recording a discussion between the three without any 'chair' would have been more interesting.

I was listening to today's programme and found her unbearable - interrupting and talking over the contributors. I seem to recall another programme last autumn in which she was doing the same to Mark Elder, who was trying to introduce an obscure Offenbach operetta he was conducting.

[Thropplenoggin]

I was listening to today's programme and found her unbearable - interrupting and talking over the contributors. I seem to recall another programme last autumn in which she was doing the same to Mark Elder, who was trying to introduce an obscure Offenbach operetta he was conducting.

Compare this with tonight's Night Waves with Matthew Sweet interviewing Peter Brook. I kept expecting him to interrupt the latter's long, discursive responses. Thankfully, he didn't. Kudos to him. A fascinating man.