Podcast appearances and mentions of gillian reynolds

Gillian Reynolds is exceptionally unexceptional at everything she tries. But she's learned how exceptional that can be. This Perspective originally aired in January 2022.

I don't have a single bad word to say about this weeks difficult women... not least because she may well be listening! Gillian Reynolds, the Doyenne of Radio, has been a radio critic for over 57 years and what she doesn't know about this industry ISNT WORTH KNOWING. A woman who is nearly older than radio itself has quite the insights into everything from podcasts to the age old rivalry of Nick Ferrari vs James O'Brien...

Last week Prince Harry settled his outstanding claims with the Mirror titles – but only after he took them to court – where a judge ruled the Prince had been the subject of extensive phone hacking by Mirror Group Newspapers. We explore the meaning of the verdict and the resulting settlement. Is traditional broadcast TV dead? Piers Morgan seems to think so – he's leaving his nightly TV show and setting up shop on YouTube. Ben Smith from Semafor, who broke the story, joins us. Also on the programme we discuss Disney's new partnership with the Fortnite online platform plus Gillian Reynolds explains what made the late Steve Wright a radio legend. Guests: Evan Harris, legal analyst, former Executive Director, Hacked Off; Jane Martinson, Professor of Financial Journalism, City University of London; Ben Smith, Co-founder, Semafor; Gillian Reynolds, Radio Critic, Daily Telegraph; Takara Small, Tech Columnist, CBC Presenter: Katie Razzall Producer: Simon Richardson

Gillian Reynolds is exceptionally unexceptional at everything she tries. But she's learned how exceptional that can be.

Gillian Reynolds has learned that being exceptionally unexceptional at everything she tries can be pretty exceptional.

Iain Dale talks to veteran radio reviewer Gillian Reynolds about her career in journalism covering the radio sector. Gillian has been a radio reviewer for The Guardian, the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Times for more than 50 years. She was also part of the team which set up Radio City in Liverpool.

Don Warrington stars as the head of a family, united and divided by grief in Sian Davila’s debut play for Radio 4, Running with Lions. We speak to both Sian and Don about the play and its particular significance now. Last Sunday, the doyenne of radio criticism, Gillian Reynolds CBE, wrote her final column for the Sunday Times. She joins Front Row to discuss a career that dates back to the late 1960s and shares her thoughts on the future of radio. Durham-born novelist Benjamin Myers has made it his mission to explore the places and people of northern England in his fiction. He came to prominence in 2017 with The Gallows Pole, a novel about a band of 17th century Yorkshire money counterfeiters, which won the Walter Scott Prize. He talks to John about his latest release, his debut collection of short stories, Male Tears, a multifaceted exploration of what it means to be a man featuring some very brutal, troubled characters. Presenter: John Wilson Producer: Simon Richardson Studio Manager: Sue Maillot

A spat between the Australian government and Facebook resulted in the Silicon Valley giant blocking every news organisation from their platform in Australia. But what does this display of might from Facebook mean for other countries preparing to take on Big Tech? Plus the boss of new station Boom Radio on whether niche, age-based services are the future of radio. Guests: Latika Bourke, journalist at the Sydney Morning Herald; Dr Andrea Coscelli, chief executive of the Competition and Markets Authority; David Lloyd, head of Boom Radio; Gillian Reynolds, radio critic at the Sunday Times. Studio engineer: John Boland Producer: Hannah Sander Presenter: Amol Rajan

Tom Service talks to the pianist Piotr Anderszewski about a new album he’s recorded and edited featuring Bach's preludes and fugues – a project undertaken during lockdown. He reflects how the quest to achieve perfection is one of the drives that still keeps him searching, as well as what he describes as the need to 'tame the beast' – his piano. The scholar Laura Tunbridge, expert on 19th-Century lieder, reviews 'The Songs of Fanny Hensel', a new collection of essays edited by Stephen Rodgers about this pioneering composer and sister of Felix Mendelssohn, who remains mostly undiscovered. We hear from the violinist Maxim Vengerov about his latest project, an educational website designed to give masterclasses to both his regular students at prestigious institutions.... and any players from around the world who subscribe and who are selected for free lessons from an open lottery. We learn about the touching stories behind the first two winners. And we take a look at two projects aiming to engage young audiences and bring them to Classical Music, including 'Classics Explained' – a YouTube channel dedicated to short video animations that throw light on the greatest pieces of the classical repertoire; and a new radio station for children, 'Fun Kids Classical', which is reviewed by radio critic, journalist and broadcaster, Gillian Reynolds. Photo credit: Simon Fowler, © 2020 Parlophone Records Limited

On the 20th anniversary of his show on BBC Radio Wales, Aled reflects on the many fascinating interviews with star names he's brought us over the last two decades. In this very special programme we'll hear highlights from interviews with Gyles Brandreth, Martin Jarvis, Dame Judi Dench, Peter Bowles, Robert Hardy, Stuart Burrows, Bill Bailey, Eddie Braben, Ray Galton & Alan Simpson, Lord Michael Grade, Lord Melvyn Bragg, Gillian Reynolds, Englebert Humperdink, Kate Robbins, Johnny Vegas, Sir Bruce Forsyth, Patricia Rotledge, Sir Thomas Allen, and broadcasting legend Sir Terry Wogan.

On the eve of the 250th anniversary of the birth of the great English poet William Wordsworth, Juliet Stevenson reads some of his most famous poems and Michael McGregor, Director of the Wordsworth Trust, explains why Wordsworth is particularly relevant today, at a time of crisis. As Front Row begins a week of celebrating the joys of listening - to radio, podcasts, audiobooks, music and drama - radio critic Gillian Reynolds talks about the joys of entertainment for the ears. Actor Kerry Shale discusses his radio drama, The Kubrick Test, which tells the true story of his encounter with one of cinema’s most influential figures. For many years, the great director’s methods were shrouded in mystery. So when, in 1987, a young actor gets an invitation to enter Kubrick’s hidden world, he leaps at it. And, of course, gets more than he bargained for. The Kubrick Test will be broadcast on Radio 4 on Wednesday at 2.15 pm. Composer Nainita Desai is a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit, and is the International Film Music Critics Association Breakthrough Composer of 2020. She has scored many TV and film dramas as well as video games, and she discusses her score for For Sama, Waad al-Kateab’s Oscar-nominated film that won the BAFTA for Best Documentary this year. Presenter: John Wilson Producer: Simon Richardson

Is the age of the wireless coming to an end? Roger Bolton invites the doyen of radio critics Gillian Reynolds to cast an experienced eye over the BBC's on-line strategy and the price its radio networks like Radio 4 are paying for it. Roger also asks Radio 4 PM presenter Evan Davis if he is becoming disillusioned by the way politicians seem to be embracing a post-truth world and avoiding directly answering his questions. And more listeners leap out of their comfort zones - this time to embrace Michael Caine. Presenter: Roger Bolton Producer: Alun Beach Executive Producer: Samir Shah A Juniper Connect production for BBC Radio 4

She was the first female programme controller of a commercial radio station, launching Radio City in her home town of Liverpool in 1974. In this hour of #Radiomoments ‘Conversations‘, Gillian Reynolds tells of those pioneering days. Hear too of the radio listening which accompanied her youth and helped to form her views of what makes great radio. Those views have been expressed eloquently and with good humour in her role as radio correspondent, initially in 67 for the Guardian, and in later years for decades in the Telegraph. In her own words, this is the Gillian Reynolds story. (Pic thanks to the Brian Jones Radio City tribute website http://www.citygold.me.uk)

The career of Hollywood superstar Samuel L Jackson was recently revealed to have made him the highest-grossing actor of all time. He joins Samira to discuss the new Marvel superhero film, Captain Marvel; in which he reprises the role of Nick Fury... This time around he's playing a Nick Fury who is twenty years younger than before, as the film is set in the 90s. He reveals how he de-aged himself for the part and also talks to Samira about The Oscars, why he chooses “popcorn” films to star in, and which of the 120 films in which he's appeared is his favourite.Amy Ng's new play, Under the Umbrella, opens tonight at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry. The story is about Wei, a Chinese PhD student researching human fertility, enjoying life with her English flatmate in the city. But family pressure to return home and get married grows intense. Her grandmother survived famine, her mother the Cultural Revolution and the one-child policy, so while this is a highly entertaining comedy, it's a dark one, exploring the dilemmas and traumas of three generations of contemporary Chinese women. There are ghosts, too. Samira Ahmed talks to Amy Ng and unpacks the issues.There's a new classical music station available on your DAB radio. Scala Radio launched on Monday with a morning show hosted by Simon Mayo. It's being pitched as a rival to Classic FM and BBC Radio 3. The Sunday Times' radio critic Gillian Reynolds has been listening to it for us and will let us know whether she thinks it'll be a serious rival.Presenter, Samira Ahmed Producer, Oliver Jones

Dame Pippa Harris is Chair of BAFTA and the co-founder of Neal Street Productions, the team behind Call The Midwife. Also in the programme, the launch of a new classical music radio station and Freeview goes mobile. Amol Rajan is joined by Dame Pippa Harris, Jonathan Thompson, CEO of Digital UK, Gillian Reynolds, radio critic and Steve Parkinson, Group Managing Director for Bauer Media's national radio stations. Presenter: Amol Rajan Producer: Richard Hooper

Roger Bolton goes behind the scenes at The World at One and hears listener reaction to Simon Mayo's upcoming departure from BBC Radio 2. After only a few months on air, the BBC Radio 2 Drivetime show presented by Simon Mayo and Jo Whiley is set to end, following Simon Mayo's decision to leave the station altogether. Listeners give their views and radio critic Gillian Reynolds reflects on this latest high profile presenter departure. Earlier this year, Sarah Montague swapped jobs with fellow BBC Radio 4 presenter Martha Kearney - Sarah became the host of The World at One, while Martha joined the early risers at Today. Roger visits the programme to discuss the move with Sarah and gets an insight into the decision-making that goes into the programme on a daily basis. Last week's Sunday Worship, Postcards from the Land of Grief, was a reflective and personal journey from loss to hope, presented by the Reverend Richard Littledale. Listeners who were struck by its words and music talk about the programme. Presenter: Roger Bolton Producer: Will Yates A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

Gillian Reynolds spent 42 years as the radio critic of the Daily Telegraph before she was headhunted by the Sunday Times at the age of 82. Born into a working class family in Liverpool, her mother ran a market stall and her father was a seaman, but also a gambler. Her mother was determined to ensure that Gillian had a good education, and she was the first in her family to go to a grammar school. She went on to study English at Oxford. She took up an internship in America, where she met her husband, and they returned to Liverpool when she became pregnant with the first of her three sons. She first worked as a radio critic for the Guardian in 1967. She became the first female controller of a commercial radio station when she joined Radio City, Liverpool, in 1974. She moved to London in 1975 when she left her troubled marriage, and secured the job of radio critic for the Telegraph, as well as working as a journalist in television and radio, at one point even co-presenting the Today programme.She chaired the Sony Radio Awards for four years, the only woman to have done so, and the Radio Academy Festival for a decade. She lives alone, but with around two dozen radios, in Notting Hill.Presenter: Kirsty Young Producer: Cathy Drysdale.

Gillian Reynolds spent 42 years as the radio critic of the Daily Telegraph before she was headhunted by the Sunday Times at the age of 82. Born into a working class family in Liverpool, her mother ran a market stall and her father was a seaman, but also a gambler. Her mother was determined to ensure that Gillian had a good education, and she was the first in her family to go to a grammar school. She went on to study English at Oxford. She took up an internship in America, where she met her husband, and they returned to Liverpool when she became pregnant with the first of her three sons. She first worked as a radio critic for the Guardian in 1967. She became the first female controller of a commercial radio station when she joined Radio City, Liverpool, in 1974. She moved to London in 1975 when she left her troubled marriage, and secured the job of radio critic for the Telegraph, as well as working as a journalist in television and radio, at one point even co-presenting the Today programme. She chaired the Sony Radio Awards for four years, the only woman to have done so, and the Radio Academy Festival for a decade. She lives alone, but with around two dozen radios, in Notting Hill. Presenter: Kirsty Young Producer: Cathy Drysdale.

Stuart Clarkson talks to speakers and attendees at this year’s Radio Festival at the British Library, held on Tuesday 15th May 2018. You’ll hear from Bob Shennan, Gillian Reynolds, Christian O’Connell, Paul Sylvester & Richie Firth, Alastair Campbell, Nigel Farage, Jeremy Vine, Ed Miliband & Geoff Lloyd and Roger Cutsforth. James Cridland looks at what London’s LoveSport Radio is doing, and David Lloyd has more Radio Moments.

Gillian Reynolds MBE joins Fi and Jane and they’re not nervous. Not at all. Well… maybe a little. Fi feels left out of a Liverpool love in. There’s a cautionary, exemplary tale. And is Jane one of the greatest broadcasters of all time? Gillian gives her verdict…

Radio Critic Gillian Reynolds joins us for What Makes us Human.

Bidisha and Gillian Reynolds choose favourite books to discuss with Harriett Gilbert.

Roger Bolton hears listener views on BBC radio programmes and developments. From next year, users will need to login and give their postcode to access BBC iPlayer, iPlayer Radio and some mobile apps. The BBC says the move will enable it to offer a more personalised service - tailoring content to individual preferences. Some Feedback listeners and concerned the information gleaned will be used to crack down on the non-payment of the licence fee. The BBC's Director of Homepage and myBBC, Phil Fearnley, explains the Corporation's thinking. We find out more about binaural Beckett. Radio 3's Head of Speech Programming, Matthew Dodd, talks to Roger about why he commissioned new productions of five plays Samuel Beckett wrote especially for the Third Programme and how they were recorded binaurally - with voices and sounds in 360 degrees, coming not just from left and right but also from behind and in front of the listener. The Daily Telegraph's radio critic, Gillian Reynolds, gives her thoughts on the appointment of James Purnell as the head of a new BBC division - Radio and Education. And the Radio 4 Documentary A Casual Clearance explored the practical and emotional difficulties involved in clearing out a parent's house when they have died. It struck a chord with a number of listeners. Producer Clare Jenkins explains why and how she made the programme. Producer: Kate Dixon A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.

Steve Hewlett talks to ITN's CEO John Hardie about his strategy to boost ITN productions and the future of ITN News. Was the Sunday Mirror's story making allegations about Keith Vaz in the public interest? We hear from Joan Smith, journalist and human rights campaigner and Evan Harris of Hacked Off about what they make of the editorial judgements behind the decision to publish. The Daily Telegraph's radio critic, Gillian Reynolds is a loyal listener to The Archers. She's gripped by the Helen Titchener storyline, but has some issues with the media frenzy and marketing of trial week. She explains why. And, Taylor Swift: what can we learn from the coverage of the latest break-up? Dan Wootton of The Sun gives us the inside story. Producer: Ruth Watts.

This wouldn't happen in any other medium: an elderly Auschwitz survivor called LBC radio to tell the presenter, Nick Ferrari, about her experiences in the camp as a child. She then told Ferrari she hadn't even been able to talk about Auschwitz to some members of her own family. Ferrari told the story on a Media Society panel about radio. Along with presenters Paul Gambaccini (above) and Sue MacGregor, the panel was chaired by the radio critic Gillian Reynolds. They enthused about the unique intimacy of radio, its flexibility as a medium, and its ability to present both human emotion and intellectual argument more vividly than television, print or online media. Two BBC executives on the panel, Mary Hockaday and Jonathan Wall, encouraged people wanting to get into radio to stick to their ambitions and make use of the new online opportunities in audio, such as podcasting, to learn their skills and build an audience. Hockaday also advised applicants to listen to a lot of radio. For Gambaccini, the key to getting on in presenting is “self-knowledge” – the ability to understand where you'll fit in.

Matthew Sweet is joined by chess grandmaster, Garry Kasparov, and former British ambassador to Russia, Tony Brenton, to discuss Putin and Putinism. BBC 6 Music's Stuart Maconie author of The Pie at Night - a book which explores northern leisure pursuits - reviews an exhibition about Salford Lads Club. Feminist and co-founder of the group Justice for Women, Julie Bindel, and Rachael Jolley, editor of Index on Censorship magazine look at the phenomenon of 'no platforming'. Radio journalist Gillian Reynolds pays tribute to Philip French and discusses working on Radio 3's Critics' Forum with the late film critic and radio producer. The Nippers of Salford Lads Club is on at the People's History Museum from Wed 28 Oct 2015 - Sun 17 Jan. Stuart Maconie's book is called The Pie at Night. Garry Kasparov's book is called Winter is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must be Stopped.

Gillian Reynolds on The Archers, Steve Hewlett on Serial, Adrian Durham on 25 years in radio plus news and Radio Moments. Trevor Dann reports from Salford and London.

The BBC is to cut 65 jobs in its radio division, the director of BBC Radio Helen Boaden told staff yesterday. BBC Radio needs to save £38m by 2016/17 as part of the £800m cost-cutting measures required by the BBC savings programme Delivering Quality First (DQF). It's hoped the changes, which focus on re-organising staff, will have minimal impact on audiences. However, the BBC admits that the savings target is so big, on air changes are inevitable. Steve Hewlett discusses the details with radio critic Gillian Reynolds, former controller of Radio 4 Mark Damazer, and CEO of the Radio Academy and former head of BBC Radio Strategy, Paul Robinson.Free copies of the Sun will be sent out to millions of home tomorrow to coincide with the start of the World Cup. The promotional issues will be distributed throughout England, with the exception of Liverpool, where the paper remains controversial over its coverage of the Hillsborough tragedy. However, postal workers in some surrounding areas are now also refusing to deliver the publication. In addition, some residents say they don't want it delivered to them. Steve Hewlett talks to Labour MP for West Lancashire Rosie Cooper about the feelings of locals towards the paper, and Stig Abell, Managing Editor of the Sun, about whether they've failed to read the public mood in deciding to distribute in the North West.And the recently departed editor of The Oldie, Richard Ingrams, talks to Steve Hewlett about what happens to the publication now he's left, his views on the newly appointed editor, and his reasons behind an ever declining magazine industry.Producer: Katy Takatsuki.

Yesterday, the BBC director general, Tony Hall, announced what he called "the greatest commitment to arts for a generation" with the launch of BBC Arts. What is the future of arts on TV and what can BBC Arts learn from Sky Arts? Joining Steve will be Sir Peter Bazalgette, chair of Arts Council England, Gillian Reynolds of The Telegraph and the BBC's new director of arts, Jonty Claypole.Turkey's prime minister Erdogan has carried out his threat to ban Twitter in his country, but what impact has this had and how are journalists getting round this? Political columnist Yavuz Baydar joins Steve from Istanbul.And, as Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste spends another week in jail in Egypt awaiting trial, what are the prospects for his freedom - and can his colleagues Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed hope to be freed at the same time? Former C4 reporter Sue Turton, now of Al Jazeera, has also been charged, albeit in her absence and she brings Steve up to date.Presenter: Steve Hewlett Producer: Simon TillotsonImage: Jonty Claypool, BBC Director of Arts

The Mail has been caught up in a storm of criticism over its Ralph Miliband stories and how it responded to Ed Miliband's demand to reply, but is there anything the current press regulator could do with complaints over cases like this? Would the situation differ under any of the systems being considered following the Leveson report? Is there a clear enough distinction between fact and opinion? That's to be discussed by Brian Cathcart, director of Hacked Off and Peter Preston, former editor of The Guardian. Following TV's digital switchover, an announcement's expected for the switchover of network radio from FM to digital. Culture minister Ed Vaizey's said we'll hear by the end of this year. Will a date be set? Ford Ennals, CEO of the Digital Radio UK, is in charge of making the change happen and is confident there'll be progress. Gillian Reynolds, the Telegraph's radio critic, is not convinced. And how concerned should TV networks be about the viewing figures for soaps? There's been a marked decline over the last ten years but figures appear to be stabilising at a lower level - in the case of Eastenders, occasionally lower than Emmerdale. Stephen Price, broadcast consultant, looks at the competition that's grown up since the soaps' heyday. David Liddiment, former executive producer of Coronation Street and Lisa Holdsworth, who wrote for Emmerdale, look at what, if anything, is going wrong.Presenter: Steve Hewlett Producer: Simon Tillotson Editor: Andy Smith.

With Mark Lawson. The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown discusses his latest novel about code-breaking called Inferno, a Dante inspired crime thriller set in the streets, museums and ancient buildings of Florence. Richard Wagner is loved and loathed in almost equal measure. The composer of the musically ground-breaking Ring Cycle, Tristan and Isolde and Meistersingers is also known for his extreme political views, including anti-Semitism. Tomorrow is the 200th anniversary of his birth. Former England cricketer and Wagner fan Ed Smith debates if it's possible to look beyond Wagner's politics and celebrate his music. Comedy writer Eddie Braben, best known for his work with Morecambe and Wise, has died aged 82. The radio critic Gillian Reynolds, who was a lifelong friend of Braben, reflects on his career and legacy. In Cultural Exchange, in which leading creative minds reflect on a favourite cultural experience, Mary Beard chooses Laocoön and His Sons, a sculpture from Ancient Greece which depicts a key scene from the Trojan War. Producer Ellie Bury.

Melvyn Bragg talks to Steve Hewlett about coverage of the Arts on TV . How important is the coverage to BBC, ITV and other broadcasters like Sky? Where's its place in the schedule and does it deserve to be given a higher profile? Questions for Alan Yentob Creative Director for the BBC and the Daily Telegraph's Gillian Reynolds.Presented by Steve Hewlett Produced by Beverley Purcell.

The Christmas TV ratings - who's really come out on top? What are going to be the most pressing issues for the BBC's new DG ? Plus as a film about veteran war photographer Don McCullin is released, we examine the role of photojournalists with Sarah Baxter Editor of the Sunday Times Magazine and photojournalist Sean Smith. And following the death of cricket commentator Christopher Martin-Jenkins the Telegraph's radio critic Gillian Reynolds talks about the art of sports commentary. Presented by Steve Hewlett Produced by Beverley Purcell.

The BBC has announced its proposals for "Delivering Quality First", a strategy to cut twenty percent of the BBC's spending over the next five years. No BBC channels will be scrapped but there are concerns that the savings could overstretch resources and erode the quality of BBC programmes. Steve Hewlett hears about the decisions from the BBC's director of policy and strategy, John Tate. The BBC's proposals include big cuts to local radio and reductions in budgets for network radio although Radio 4 will be protected more than others. Radio critic Gillian Reynolds explains why she fears the cuts to BBC radio are worse than they seem. The Daily Mail's editor in chief Paul Dacre has addressed the Leveson Inquiry into phone hacking, calling for continued self regulation of a press which he said is "vastly better behaved" now than it was when he started working in journalism. The Guardian's media correspondent Dan Sabbagh, who was at the seminar, picks out some of Paul Dacre's main suggestions. According to a report commissioned by the BBC executive, the corporation pays fees of about £10 million a year to Sky to carry BBC channels. The report says this is an unusual set-up as, in many countries, the opposite is true and satellite broadcasters pay terrestrial channels for their programmes. In the light of the recent budget cuts, John Tate tells Steve Hewlett the BBC should stop the payments to Sky and spend the money on local radio and BBC Four instead. Sky says the payments are a fair and proportionate contribution towards its running costs.The producer is Simon Tillotson.