NEW ON THE RADIO

RADIO. The past few weeks have shown a few changes in our listening routine. A number of new programmes have appeared .lately.
A notable quartette of personalities are taking part in discussion every Sunday on the Home after the 9 o'clock News. The programme. produced by Pat Dixon, is called "Something to Say, " and Gilbert Harding, Rebecca West, John Betjeman and Rene MacColl, with Robert Henriques in the chair, do have quite a lot to say about topics of general interest. I expect that one or other of this team is your bete noir but there is as much enjoyment, I think. in violently disagreeing as agreeing with what they have to say.
Then on Saturday mornings on the Light there is an excellent programme for housewives at 9.10 called " Shopping Flash. " This lasts for five minutes and consists of the latest information about food. (It is after the style of the already succesful " Market Intelligence " at 9.15a.m. on Wednesdays. Home). The speaker also introduces out-of-the-way recipes. It is altogether a delightful five minutes.
This is followed by " Children's Choice." I am partial neither to this programme nor to its weekday counterpart, "House
wives' Choice, " as the choices are invariably of the lightest quality. But with Derek McCulloch (Uncle Mac) back again in charge of the former programme the standard is refreshingly high. I don't envy him his job, however. It must be difficult to find the gold among the quantities of dross he must ' receive.
IN all my years of radio listening I I have yet to find purer gold than in the Third Programme's set of plays by Henry Reed about the mythical author Richard Shewin. A few weeks ago we had a repeat of the first play, " A Very Great. Man Indeed." I do not usually like hearing a play twice but this I have heard four or five times and have experienced the same delight each time.
At the end of February, " A Hedge Backwards, " which is meant to be a final digression on the subject, gave us' nearly as much pleasure. Hugh Burden, as the innocent and revering biographer, is perfect and as sordid fact after sordid fact about the " great " author is brought to light our enjoyment increases with his bewilderment. The musical satires by Donald Swann are also perfect and if you have never listened to these plays you must certainly look out for any repeats. JOAN NEWTON.