Fear of Boring

TV Monday nights are always worth looking forward to. Panorama on the B.B.C,, though it has its ups and downs, remains the most worthwhile of all the actuality programmes, though perhaps it has to include too many items. It seems to be taken for granted that no viewer is capable of keeping his mind and eyes on anything for more than a few minutes. Or it mat he lack of confidence in any one item. Yet the debate about Makarios needed at least 20 minutes if any viewer was to be enlightened.
Religious discussion programmes suffer from the same fear of "too long and too deep", but the Friendship House (ITV) on Sunday was an excellent exception. The young people speaking Out their personal experience of what finding God has meant to them Naas really impressive as was the sincerity of the objectors. And they were not hurried by the chairman.
More puzzling is Monday night's "What the Papers Say" (ITV) in which John Connell was personally impressive. But what is
the programme really trying to convey? It is like a colander. Good stuff passes through, but disappears. M.B. • RADIO.—Hom se love to listen, time and time again to the same round of programmes.
For us, " Any Questions " is one of those firm favourites. It is to he heard on the Light Programme every Friday evening, with a repeat. usually on Tuesday in the Home at lunch time.
It has a companion programme called " Any Answers " which can be heard on Thursday evenings on the Light and again at noon in the Home on Fridays. You really want to listen to the two programmes to get the fullest enjoyment from them.
In the first a team, consisting very often of two opposing M.P.s., and four other speakers answer spontaneousls questions put to them by the audience.
The questions are always topical, often controversial, and one can sometimes hear some fine sparks flying about.
Lately, however, I have found a tendency to flippancy creeping among the panel when answering I serious questions. For example. a question about the need for presenting school children from I smoking was treated as a joke.
That many listeners felt as I did was obvious from the letters which were read in the " Any Answers " programme following on to this particular session. It is interesting to hear the comments of the listening public in this their aerial correspondence column.
1 am looking forward now to hearing what will be said about some of Sidney Silverman, M.P.'s statements in last week's " Any Questions." Joan Newton.