I remember Yugoslavia before war broke out, it began with
#referendums
, talk of
#sovereignty
, then demonisation of the other, the steady destruction of the middle ground. When
@MishaGlenny
and I made a radio doc warning of war. Our BBC bosses accused us of exaggerating. If only
When this is all over we should give medals to
@bbclaurak
and
@BBCkatyaadler
for services to the nation- explaining this tortuous process to us day in day out. Two amazing women
I was shocked when I flew into Heathrow last March that there were no checks - why 9 months into this pandemic has the UK still not made its borders CoVID secure?
Former Guardian Journalist Hella Pick who came to London on Kindertransport at unveiling of plaque to British diplomats in
#Vienna
who ignored UK Govt policy and issued thousands of visas & passports to Jewish
#refugees
fleeing the Nazis
#asylum
Looked into travelling to Marseilles by train and discovered it would cost 3-4x a ticket on a low cost airline. If we are to address climate change long distance rail travel must get cheaper
#EUYearofRail
“There’s an extraordinary loop hole in the law which allows you to lie in a political advert but not in a commercial one”
@carolecadwalla
#BylineFestival
Thanks for the lovely messages from
@BBCFrontRow
listeners. Just to clarify I left voluntarily. My lament was the lack of an official announcement or goodbye but I’m now very happy to be the new presenter of Round Britain Quiz
If our children do not learn foreign
#languages
they risk becoming parochial and narrowing down their life chances. The decline in language teaching in the UK is tragic
Another scare mongering anti/
#BBC
piece in
@thetimes
. They appear on an almost daily basis. Make no mistake this is a concerted campaign by
#Murdoch
to destroy public broadcasting in this country
These award winning council
Houses in Norwich built in 2019 could soon be sold off at a huge discount to tenants under the ‘right to buy’ scheme introduced by Thatcher putting councils in an impossible position
#AffordableHousing
#rent
New year, new house? Hopefully you'll find somewhere as impressive as Goldsmith Street in Norwich, winner of the Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize 2019
#RIBA
#BBCArts2019GreatestHits
British
#TVdramas
such as Mr Bates vs the
#PostOffice
could become “impossible” to make in future as our productioncompanies struggle to get investment. Netflix or Disney WILL NOT be investing in British stories for British viewers
@lucyfrazermp
@DCMS
@krishgm
My neighbour is an
#NHS
hospital doctor who worked through the pandemic in a large London teaching hospital and says
#BREATHTAKING
is the most realistic depiction of the
#NHS
he has ever seen on TV
I’ve just been in a long passport queue at Vienna airport. Worried I would miss my flight I tried my luck in the EU citizens one because nobody was waiting there. Passport officer looks at my passport, says “Brexit” and jerks his head to the long winding queue of “Other”
NUJ has written to every trade union in the UK asking them to back campaign against Julian Assange extradition.
Asks them to adopt motion stating "these judicial measures by the US constitute a grave threat to free speech and a free press"
@PickardJE
I’m glad you followed up this story. Not enough attention is paid to the nominations process of public institutions like the BBC, the British Council, the British Museum etc
The author, Edward St Aubyns at TV launch of
#PatrickMelrose
@skyatlantic
starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Table decorated with pill bottles! Clear soup served in large plastic syringes
Another misleading scare story will appear in the papers tomorrow about the links between
#HRT
&
#breastcancer
. Don't be frightened, I've spoken to a couple of Britain's leading
#menopause
experts inc
@mymenopausedr
who confirm there is nothing new in this research.
Emotional moment. After 19 years I’m about to present my last
@BBCFrontRow
as one of the ‘regular voices’. But will be making the occasional guest appearance in future
This poem by Wendy Cope to her husband is so lovely.....she is reading in on
@BBCFrontRow
tonight. From her new - and she says - possibly last collection
Morgan Bullock is an African-American Irish dancer from Richmond, Virginia
After a TikTok video of her lightning-footed jigs went viral, she was accused of "cultural appropriation"
Then she got a call from Riverdance...💃
Extraordinary story of two Nigerian migrants who hid on a ship’s rudder and unexpectedly arrived in Brazil where they received a warm welcome via
@nytimes
I was once busted trying to smuggle
#porkpies
into the US for a pregnant British friend who was craving them. I Still remember the look of disgust & incomprehension on the customs officer’s face as I explained this national delicacy
I'm binge watching the French spy series Le Bureau on Amazon Prime with Mathieu Kassovitz. It's like TV crack, I keep wanting another hit.
#mustwatch
#TVboxset
I know from seeing at first hand the fantastic cultural activities that the
@BritishCouncil
carry out in Russia that a lot of ordinary Russians will be very sad at the news of its expulsion
#Britishcouncil
@BBCr4today
My Dad died exactly a week ago in hospital
with his family by his bedside. The staff
@RUHBath
were amazing, so kind and compassionate. It gives me faith in humanity and the
#NHS
Thank you
My attempt to explain how
#Glasgow
curbed it’s
#knifecrime
epidemic and what is meant by the “public health approach” to violence reduction (Stop & Search was not the solution)
For the record - most BBC radio presenters (particularly if you include local and regional radio) are paid considerably less than MPs. Many of us have no security or employment benefits.
The so-called rich list doesn't reflect reality
#BBCpay
“I don’t know much about
#menopause
” says man on
#BroadcastingHouse
@BBCRadio4
Can we please start talking about it to our children, our partners, our work colleagues, our doctors so that people can no longer claim ignorance about something that affects 50%of us
If the BBC “coughs up and pays
#over75license
fees” as Boris Johnson demands, it would mean the end of the
#BBC
as we know it. This is an attempt by the government and vested interests to weaken and undermine public service broadcasting
I've been to incredibly remote parts of the world and found people listening to the news on
#BBC
World Service which broadcasts in many different languages apart from English. So important for our international reputation.
#SaveTheBBC
#BBCLicenceFee
I flew into Heathrow from the US in late March. No temperature taken, no request to self quarantine, no questions asked.
Why are they talking about introducing
#14day
#quarantine
for people arriving in
#UK
now ??
#Covid
Horse? Stabledoor ? Bolted?
Saw this brilliant documentary about MI6’s shameful meddling in
#Iran
, organising the 1953 coup so Britain could get its hands on the oil.
#Coup53
is a must watch.
"Explosive"..."An Incendiary Documentary"..."A compelling two-hour cinematic experience..." More reviews appearing in the final few days before our transatlantic premiere... If you are in the UK, USA, Ireland & Canada tickets available via the link 👉👉
I first met
@jonsnowC4
when he spoke at my Uni - an heroic & inspiring journalist, he encouraged me to pursue my dream. Some years later I joined him in the studio
@Channel4News
. Very proud moment.
@StigAbell
I cannot believe the calm perseverance and utter stupidity of the bloke trying to put a pair of track suit bottoms on his head - over and over again
I got a text last night from NHSBookings asking me to follow up on a Lung Scan I had sometime ago. I'm a cancer survivor so I then spent half the night worrying. I just called the number and it was clearly a scammer trying to get info. The cruelty of these people is unbelievable
My first series of Round Britain Quiz starts Monday on
@BBCRadio4
. Please join in.
#Quiz
Here’s a question: How have a Taiwanese violinist, a Spanish waiter and Prospero’s daughter joined forces to popularise the largest city in Waikato? Tune in Monday at 3pm for answers
I was fortunate enough to work alongside George Alagiah. He was a good journalist, incredibly empathetic and a wonderful human being. The world is a lesser place without him
Excellent analysis
@justicemalala
of South Africa politics on the day of Nelson Mandela's birthday. The events of last week were an attempted coup. Democracy prevailed
Lessons from Vienna: a housing success story 100 years in the making.
I’ll be looking at Vienna’s affordable housing policy on
@BBCRadio4
Monday at 1:45 in Rental Health: Solutions Please tune in
Hear, hear....it's a bloody scandal how state school kids are being deprived of a decent arts education -private schools pour huge amounts of money into art/design/music/drama because they know that promoting creativity will help their pupils get jobs (and have happier lives)
"It's a very sweet victory for me."
@GurinderC
, director of Bend It Like Beckham, tells
@BBCSimonJack
how it feels for her film to be cited as the inspiration for women football players of today.
#R4Today
The courageous Filipino journalist
@mariaressa
on how
#Facebook
destroyed democracy in her country in the pursuit of profit. I wonder if there is any chance of Mark Zuckerberg reading her book. He should
@Meta
@scottygb
@BBCJoannaG
What a lovely goodbye from
@BBCJoannaG
to her colleagues and her audience. It’s an emotional moment doing your last show after 2 decades in the same seat. I certainly felt like that when I did my last
@BBCFrontRow
last year
I would like to invite the new Culture Secretary to visit
#Gateshead
quays and
@balticgateshead
which opened 22 years ago under the previous Labour government and is a fantastic example of using art and culture for regeneration
@lisanandy
@DCMS
I can see why people flock to musicals when times are hard. I’m floating on Cloud 9 after seeing
#Guys
&Dolls
@_bridgetheatre
. Simply the best production of this musical I’ve ever seen.
First time back on London Underground ( District Line) since lockdown. It’s 9am. Carriages empty. Looks v clean. Hand sanitizer in the station. I’m wearing a mask. Feels quite safe
Happy 100th Birthday
#BBC
and thank you. I speak as a former employee and a devoted listener. Having lived in many other countries including the US and experienced other media I realise how lucky we are to have such a great public broadcaster. Let us protect and treasure it.
I was fortunate enough to spend a whole afternoon chatting to the amazing Harry Belafonte in 2012 about his music and his political activism during the civil rights movement. Here's the interview
Interesting article on why self-check out in supermarkets don't work for anyone - customers and businesses alike. I say bring back human cashiers who we can talk to and get rid of unexpected items in the bagging area !
@amandamull
.
I’ve been given Melvyn Bragg’s slot tomorrow 9am
@BBCRadio4
for a special show from Edinburgh with
#Basil
Brush discussing Foxes in fiction
@BBCFrontRow
This is what a properly funded library looks likes - full of books not computer screens. This is the amazing Los Angeles Central Library. Why is it that US local governments understand the importance of libraries and ours don’t ?
@SOLE_Essex
“Increasing trade with China has been a British aspiration since 1790 and we still trade far more with Ireland, it’s a mirage” great interview with
@isabelhilton
@BBCr4today
@PippaCrerar
@guardian
I wrote a piece for Sunday Times Culture last Spring about levelling up in arts funding and found that the majority of area identified for extra arts cash have Conservative MPs