Tom's new Listening Service.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Which are other reasons I can only take him in small doses; a limited Service is better for me (ahem, sorry).

Just out of curiosity, EH, if you were his producer would you pull him up on these verbal habits?

There is a very delicate balance between crushing a presenters individuality and / or over indulging their eccentricities. Some presenters want feedback, others don’t. Some People can get a bit prickly when asked to rewrite things .Others really like it when you point out things that are difficult to follow.
To be honest in a lot of film / tv the producer does most of the writing - it’s too expensive to get the talent to do it . It can take all day to write an hour script and these people earn 000’s . There is the added complication in TV of writing to pics so most tv script writing is done in the edit as you go along , So the presenters usually ends up slightly rewriting your script before the commentary is recorded .They nearly always improve it by making it suit their style of delivery. Its very different in recorded Radio features where it’s all pre written before recording so the clips can be played in accurately . Toms show is quite a complex one with lots of clips often under voice so it’s needs a lot of production to put together. He’s a better radio script writer than me so I guess the answer to your question would be no!

[smittims]

I was told Mr. Service was asked to reduce his frequency of the word 'incredible'. But then , so many are guilty there...

[JasonPalmer]

Listening now. Seems a good program if your interested in the subject, i not really interested in blue beard so looks like a browsing of previous editions is in order.

[Bryn]

Listening now. Seems a good program if your interested in the subject, i not really interested in blue beard so looks like a browsing of previous editions is in order.

I would strongly recommend that you do listen. Bartok's Duke Bluebeeard's Castle is a masterpiece and Service does it some, I think.

[MickyD]

Mention of David Munrow's excellent programme "Pied Piper" reminded me also of its successor, "The Young Idea" presented by Christopher Hogwood - it was always an interesting programme, Hogwood researched and presented it well.

[smittims]

As I recall, 'The Young Idea' played complete works. I distinctly remember 'Also Sprach Zarathustra' being played (LAPO/Mehta). So no 'dumbing-down' then!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

As I recall, 'The Young Idea' played complete works. I distinctly remember 'Also Sprach Zarathustra' being played (LAPO/Mehta). So no 'dumbing-down' then!

If anything, it was probably a bit too high-brow for many younger listeners. It started off with a programme containing Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez and Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, but went uphill from there. But better that than the soggy mush we have now.

And Munrow and Hogwood didn't talk incessantly over the music, like TS and JG do now.

[french frank]

If anything, it was probably a bit too high-brow for many younger listeners. It started off with a programme containing Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez and Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, but went uphill from there. But better that than the soggy mush we have now.

In between in register was "The Music Machine", presented by Verity Sharpe/Tommy Pearson. Not dumbed down, but a conscious move towards making the programme appealing to 'our younger listeners' - and a corrective to 'a bit too high-brow for many younger listeners'.

[smittims]

And while we're at it, let's not forget 'The Works' with David Owen Norris. I enjoyed that (more, I have to say, than some of his more recent broadcasts).

[MickyD]

If anything, it was probably a bit too high-brow for many younger listeners. It started off with a programme containing Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez and Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, but went uphill from there. But better that than the soggy mush we have now.

And Munrow and Hogwood didn't talk incessantly over the music, like TS and JG do now.

I listened to it when I was about 17/18, which I think was about the right age to appreciate it. I remember one very good programme about humour in music with various different examples, including Hoffnung. I wonder if any of these broadcasts survive? It would be good to hear them again to be reminded of how just fine programmes were at that period.