When did Radio 4 get so sweary?
Did anyone else listen to God of Carnage, last week’s Saturday afternoon drama on Radio 4, starring Sir Lenny Henry? We counted several “s–––”s and one “flying f–––” before we switched off (our daughter was in the car), and it wasn’t even 3.15pm. When I tweeted my disapproval, many agreed with me, bar a few Radio 4 employees who said that child care wasn’t a broadcaster’s responsibility, and the swearing was integral to the drama. I concur with both points, but why couldn’t it have been on later?
I contacted Radio 4, and found out that, unlike television, radio has no watershed. I was told that a warning was put out before the drama began – we switched on after this, our journeys not being planned around BBC schedules – and that Radio 4 is an adult station. (Sure, but I’ve heard Wind
in the Willows in that time slot.) “We know, from our research, there are negligible numbers of children listening on a Saturday afternoon,” I was informed. But Radio 4 is often on in kitchens and, anyway, that is almost irrelevant: I’m sure there are plenty of adults who don’t want to hear bad language while having their afternoon tea.
The station said it was rare to broadcast strong language in the day, but “in the case of God of
Carnage, we were broadcasting a celebrated modern satire, the winner of Olivier and Tony awards”. In other words, it is good bad language by someone terribly clever, and I should hang my philistine head in shame.
Patronising twaddle. It’s enough to make me want to swear but I shan’t, because children could be reading.