This used required listening both when presented by the peerless Steve Hewlett and, following his sad death, by Amol Rajan, it is almost unlistenable with the latest presenters.
Firstly, this show just doesn’t need two presenters — I think this is just a decision blindly to follow the standard podcast blueprint of having two presenters, but this show doesn’t need two and is the lesser for it. Secondly, the new presenters are dreadful. Katie Razzle is particularly awful. She talks over guests, interrupts and has a startlingly loud, scratchy, abrasive voice. It’s like listening to someone who’s had a bit a too much to drink and gets overexcited during a zoom call. Rod Atkins is just ineffectual.
Both Steve and Amol weren’t just journalists, they had years of media experience. Steve, in particular, was a recognised expert in his field before he sadly passed away. The BBC seems to have decided that it has had enough of experts and any random journalists can do the job instead. This show proves they can’t: it’s a shadow of its former self.
