I’ve only recently became a regular listener to the Feedback programme/podcast. It started due to a special they had on The Archers, soon followed by an edition featuring Dead Ringers. From that point on I’ve dipped into listening to it most weeks. I knew the Interview of the Year programme was coming up. When it was mentioned a few weeks back, I had wondered about what I would even nominate – but then I don’t really listen to those types of programmes (ie: news and current affairs style programmes that mostly involve those kinds of conversations). Nonetheless, I found myself intrigued enough to give it listen. As I was doing all the procedures involved in getting the episode loaded ready for listening to I was thinking to myself “Ah, darn! I have exactly the nomination I could have put forward in my head now – that wonderful Desert Island Discs episode with Mark Steel. Bugger and damnation!!”
From then on, I tuned in with a hope that maybe, just maybe, I wan’t the only person who was enthralled and moved by Lauren Laverne’s interview with Mark Steel for DID. And, well… it bloody well happened! The episode was on the short list of the top 10 interviews for 2024. I wasn’t alone after all and I laid there listening with a sense of joy for Lauren and Mark for the nomination and a thread of vindication running through me that I do know what quality programming and interviewing sounds like. Yes!
And so, yes. I may have mentioned it a couple of times now, but it bears repeating. If you haven’t given it a listen, do so – it really is wonderful. You can listen to it by clicking HERE
Some years on from my first time of pondering whether Jim will ever be on Desert Island Discs, I still ponder if he ever will? Perhaps he feels himself far too superior for such a thing? Or perhaps he still has not been asked? Bit of a faux pas on Radio 4’s part there if so.
One of the many letters I sent him in the past I had pondered it all to him and then tried to predict his choices, saying it would have to cover his whole life, really, and so it would have to feature certain things and not others, etc (for example, he’d probably have to choose one between Bolan, Bowie and Roxy Music as to who got played for his early teen years). I could dig out the letter I guess and put down what I thought he’d choose but – let’s pretend that some things are private. Lol.
I guess only time will tell if His Nibs ever makes it onto Desert Island Discs. Maybe it’s for something once we get to year zero of the final “5 year plan”?
You can listen to this episode of Feedback by clicking HERE
