24/04/2015

Has the BBC's impartiality been compromised in the lead up to the General Election? With less than two weeks to polling day, political leaders are near ever-present on the airwaves as they try to secure votes. BBC networks - including Radio 1, 5Live and Radio 4 - have been connecting party leaders directly to the public in a series of live debates. Listeners flocked to social media to comment as the programmes were broadcast - and some of their comments complained about biased presenters and audiences. Ric Bailey, the BBC's Chief Political Adviser, discusses how impartiality should be achieved during the intensity of the campaign season.

Nearly 40 years ago, Radio 3 created the 'Pied Piper' programme to appeal to younger listeners and develop their love of classical music from an early age. Current Radio 3 Controller Alan Davey discusses the station's role in bringing culture to a younger generation.

An alien world, a landscape of frozen ice and characters with no gender are not perhaps the typical elements of a drama on Radio 4. But in celebration of cult science fiction writer Ursula Le Guin's 85th birthday, Radio 4 and 4Extra have dedicated this month to her fantasy literature. Judith Adams worked alongside director Allegra McIllroy to adapt the 300 page novel into a two hour radio play. But how did they voice characters that were neither male nor female?

And how has the Shipping Forecast impacted and inspired our lives over the years? Author Charlie Connelly recounts his fondest anecdotes - from his own life and the lives of listeners around the British Isles.

Producer: Karen Pirie A Whistlkedown production for BBC Radio 4.