Wrong about Woking

WITH one casual insult, Radio 4’s arts commissioning editor typifies the contempt in which far too many BBC executives hold their core listeners.

James Runcie’s sneering reference to ‘50year- olds in Woking’ as exemplifying a dumbed-down audience, shows not only condescension but also profound ignorance – especially for one who clearly regards himself as being so terribly clever.

As it happens, Woking was the home of Nobel Prize- winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, HG Wells produced some of his greatest works there, and Dame Hilary Mantel has written of enjoying a wide range of productions at the town’s theatre when living nearby.

But this is not really the point. The BBC was created to inform, educate and entertain. It is not there to disparage and talk down to those who pay its wages.