Radio To mark the BBC World Service vacating Bush House, I thought I'd recommend one of my favourites of their programmes. Witness is a near daily series of ten minute episodes in which, as the name implies, someone deeply connected with a subject, a building, an event, a person, gives us an insight into that subject rather The Reunion or In Our Time, with a single person over a short duration.
Usually it's a topic in the news, so yesterday, Lisa Hirsch who worked for the Yugoslav service, as a secretary and an announcer, remembered the atmosphere and the people of the World Service during war time. Today it was Ladysmith Black Mambazo who're joining Paul Simon in concert at the weekend to create a live version of Graceland. On Monday they'll be commemorating the New York Blackout on the 35th anniversary.
It's the sheer random nature of the subjects which makes it such a joy. There are about four year's worth available to listen to, nearly seven hundred episodes, starting with the Shah of Iran. At the end of last month the newer Shakespeare's Globe's history was summarised (this Reunion offers a longer version). Here's Anthony Daniels being surprisingly candid about Star Wars too. If only they were better organised. Hmm ...
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