Desert Island Discs

[cloughie]

Listening to R4 reports (whilst travelling on Friday) it seems that Kirsty Young put a huge amount of effort into researching the castaways, to the extent to choosing her outfits, as well questions, to promote her interviewee entering a relaxed and forthcoming disposition in the recording.

Yes a great loss, and I wonder if they will take as much care in the replacement, or whether some other attributes, including ticking boxes that the BBC needs to tick, will be more important. In other words, just part of the general downward drift in the quality of their output.

You mean somebody younger than Young, to attract more young listeners!

[Stanfordian]

You mean somebody younger than Young, to attract more young listeners!

Surely not! The BBC would never do that!

[Serial_Apologist]

I hadn't realised Kirsty Young was suffering from Fibromyalgia. She is/was not only one of the best interviewers but presenters, ever since Channel 4 took her on as its lead newsreader -always quietly spoken, polite. actually listening to the interviewee and letting him or her complete their sentances, and well-briefed. Poor lass - Fibromyalgia is a truly horrible condition.

[Richard Tarleton]

Agree with all the above re Kirsty - best wishes to her.

I was intrigued to hear the next guest would be the great Jared Diamond - a challenging interview requiring Kirsty-type preparation - more one for a Bryan Appleyard or Melvyn Bragg. Did anyone listen, and how did LL get on? I'll listen if I have a moment.

[vinteuil]

Agree with all the above re Kirsty - best wishes to her.

I was intrigued to hear the next guest would be the great Jared Diamond - a challenging interview requiring Kirsty-type preparation - more one for a Bryan Appleyard or Melvyn Bragg. Did anyone listen, and how did LL get on? I'll listen if I have a moment.

... I half-heard it; he was quite beguiling.

For a more sceptical take on Jared Diamond :

https://newrepublic.com/article/154142/jared-diamond-upheaval-book-review

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[alycidon]

My bad? Bit modern, Tarleton?

Yes. That’s what I thought. Are we not above all that?

[Richard Tarleton]

... I half-heard it; he was quite beguiling.

For a more sceptical take on Jared Diamond :

https://newrepublic.com/article/154142/jared-diamond-upheaval-book-review

I haven't read Upheaval....I do also have his The World Until Yesterday (not mentioned in the article is it?), which I didn't think was as good as its two great predecessors, and certainly doesn't stand on its own the way they do. I remember one of my history teachers at school well over 50 years ago pointing out the deficiencies of history as currently taught at school and university, and saying how much disciplines like anthropology had to offer it (to which Diamond adds a host of other things, like climate, geography, environmental factors, latitude, longitude....).

I really must apologise for my tongue-in-cheek colloquialism last November which still seems to rankle nearly 9 months later

[vinteuil]

I really must apologise for my tongue-in-cheek colloquialism last November which still seems to rankle nearly 9 months later

... epic fail, bruv.


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[Richard Tarleton]

... epic fail, bruv.


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That's cheered me up. Will store that for future use.