Speaking up

When your choice of radio stations is as bland, uncontroversial, and clearly censored as regards content that even smells remotely contentious as the various offerings that are available in the UAE, I have long preferred to set the ipod (now housing just short of 9,000 tracks) to shuffle when driving to and from work.

But more recently, and admittedly some years behind the rest of mankind (a symptom of 'getting old' I'm sure), I have discovered the pleasure of podcasts. Rather than trying to use the 'TuneIn Radio' app to download (in irritating real time) full radio shows from the UK, I am now to be found mixing up a little bit of Simon Mayo's Radio 2 show, with the best of Radio 4's Today programme each day, with educational lectures from the London School of Economics (recent discussion of Margaret Thatcher particularly good), and a sprinkling of The Economist. Oh, and the Simon Mayo/Mark Kermode weekly film review show from Radio 5.

A random sampling of these podcasts fits nicely into the 25-30 minute drive to and from work each day, and saves the need to pull my remaining hair out at the frustratingly banal drivvlings of the local stations (and I single out the adverts for particularly deep levels of awfulness).

Plus - the added bonus is the knowledge that, after 37 years, I have been able to finally take note from my Dad that there are aspects of Radio 4 that warrant listening to, in preference to the 'noise you kids like to call music'. Don't think I'll be tackling The Archers just yet though.