BBC

We Lumas have the weight of the world on our shoulders

8 May 2021 9:00 am

In the introduction to an anthology of his jazz record reviews, the poet Philip Larkin imagines his readers. They’re not…

Seldom less than gripping: Banged Up podcast reviewed

8 May 2021 9:00 am

Prison-based podcast Banged Up, now in its second series, is far more uplifting — and less soapy — than its…

This Is My House has rekindled my love for the BBC

1 May 2021 9:00 am

Here’s a thought that will make you feel old. Or worried. Or both. The poke-fun-at-celebrity-houses series Through the Keyhole —…

Why I don’t regret leaving the BBC

24 April 2021 9:00 am

I have just had my second jab and it poses a dilemma. As an assiduous Covid rule-taker, I have been…

The strangeness of Britain’s BLM mania

24 April 2021 9:00 am

The conviction of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd makes last summer’s Black Lives Matter mania in British…

Simon McCoy's warning shot to the Beeb

12 April 2021 3:55 pm

It was just a fortnight ago that the BBC’s grumpiest new presenter Simon McCoy announced he was off to join…

It's impossible not to feel snooty watching ITV's Agatha and Poirot

10 April 2021 9:00 am

Agatha and Poirot was one of those programmes that had the annoying effect of making you feel distinctly snooty. ITV’s…

Faux fury against the race report is unsurprising

5 April 2021 4:01 pm

Back in the 1960s, my brother, Asim, and I were smitten by the magical Manchester United trio of Law, Best…

Why Gen-Z is turning its back on the BBC

27 March 2021 6:00 pm

Do 16-34 year olds still watch terrestrial TV? More importantly, will they still be watching in a year’s time when…

Why In Our Time remains the best thing on radio

20 March 2021 9:00 am

In Our Time is the best thing on Radio 4, possibly the best thing on the radio full stop. It…

Clive Myrie, the BBC and the trouble with Ofcom

13 March 2021 7:00 pm

Ofcom’s tight grip on current affairs broadcasts has been likened by some observers to a choking collar. Clive Myrie, one of…

Why is going to Oxford being held against me?

13 March 2021 5:45 pm

Should going to Oxford be held against you? In my experience, some employers think it should. A month before the…

Claudia Winkleman’s new Radio 2 show gets off to a brainless start

6 March 2021 9:00 am

Last Saturday on Radio 2 Claudia Winkleman was inaugurated as the host of what was formerly Graham Norton’s mid-morning spot.…

Incoherent and conspiracy-fuelled: Adam Curtis’s Can’t Get You Out of My Head reviewed

13 February 2021 9:00 am

‘History,’ wrote Edward Gibbon, ‘is, indeed, little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind.’ In…

The BBC licence fee hike adds insult to injury

10 February 2021 5:30 pm

In these chill winter days it’s good to know that at least one old lady is warmly wrapped up. The…

Just not cricket: the BBC is failing the Test

6 February 2021 9:00 am

Michael Vaughan might disagree but — putting aside 2005 and all that — was there a more thrilling and satisfying…

Gripping – if you skip the non-stop Yentobbing: Dancing Nation reviewed

6 February 2021 9:00 am

Thank God for the fast-forward button. Sadler’s Wells had planned a tentative return to live performance last month but the…

The truth about the new BBC chairman? He won't make much difference

20 January 2021 12:59 am

The ‘pre-appointment hearings’ system overseen by parliament’s select committees doesn’t exactly set the heart racing; a pale imitation of the…

Sell bitcoin, buy Tesla

16 January 2021 9:00 am

Which is madder, bitcoin at $41,500 — oops, make that $31,000 on Monday — or Tesla shares at $880 apiece?…

Englishness vs California dreaming: Meghan and Harry's Archewell Audio reviewed

16 January 2021 9:00 am

On Archewell Audio, Harry and Meghan’s new podcast, ‘love wins’, ‘change really is possible’, and ‘the courage and the creativity…

The comment that baffled Boris

9 January 2021 9:00 am

Real men are not supposed to confess to feeling fear. But I am frightened, second time round, about the plague.…

Richard Sharp will not lead a BBC revolution

8 January 2021 6:00 pm

If you wanted to start a revolution would you choose an Oxford educated multi-millionaire banker to lead it? Not the…

The BBC should be ashamed of its reporting on trans teenagers

23 December 2020 9:30 pm

This is an article about some difficult, complex subjects: suicide, mental health, support for transgender children. It’s also about something…

Nick Robinson could learn a thing or two from Plato

12 December 2020 9:00 am

Today presenter Nick Robinson has been reflecting on the political interview. He contrasts his interviews with scientists about Covid with…

The truth about me and Dominic Cummings

21 November 2020 9:00 am

It is such a relief that Dominic Cummings has gone. Not for the sake of the country or the government…