One Person Found This Helpful (BBC Radio 4) | BBC Sounds

Please go directly to the comments on the Daily Mail Apple Podcasts.

“The Growth and Advancement of Microchips” on BBC Radio 4, available on BBC Sounds.
Capital Breakfast | Global Player

It’s quite strange that there are now two popular shows centered on comments that are typically located at the bottom of a page. These comments can include product reviews, complaints, and quick reactions from readers who may not have fully read an article. Even those nostalgic rants under old YouTube rave videos are now being put to good use!

On Monday’s broadcast of Radio 4, in the challenging 6.30pm comedy slot, we have the pleasure of One Person Found This Helpful, a panel show hosted by the endlessly humorous Frank Skinner. His voice is uniquely enjoyable to listen to. His Absolute weekend show (with Emily Dean and Alun Cochrane as his partners) always delivers laughs, even though he simply shares updates on his recent activities with listeners. Last week, he mostly discussed his upcoming performances. “I’ll have to bring my dog along to the next one. She’ll be on the side of the stage. I hope she’s not scared of laughter. Otherwise, she might pass away.” It may not sound great on paper, but it’s all in the delivery.

In OPFTH, Skinner is as super-relaxed and witty as always. The idea behind the show, devised by panel member Simon Evans and writer Jason Hazeley, is that the guests guess what’s being discussed from the online reviews Skinner reads out. It’s all good clean fun, plus the panellists (Evans, Jessica Fostekew, Amy Gledhill, Ahir Shah) seem to enjoy themselves, which is about 90% of any panel show’s appeal.

Comments and feedback were shared for various household objects (including a flirtatious one that ended up being a spatula), as well as books and movies. In another segment, the panelists provided humorous reactions to negative reviews on Tripadvisor, followed by Skinner revealing the genuine response. For example, when a customer complained about the size of their pizza, the reply was: “Hello, Jean. We are a shelter for animals and do not serve pizzas.” This segment was truly amusing and enjoyable, and “One Person Found This Helpful” could potentially be a long-lasting panel show.

Moving on to the Daily Mail. It’s not typically where I go for entertaining podcasts. The newspaper’s top podcasts are mainly focused on detailed coverage of the Lucy Letby trial. There is also a podcast covering the trials of Brianna Ghey’s killers and the ongoing trial of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon. Personally, these types of podcasts are not my preference as they can easily upset me.

Display the image in full screen mode.

An exciting offer is on its way – straight to the comments! YouTube pranksters Josh (Pieters) and Archie (Manners), a South African and a well-mannered Englishman, conduct an interview with a celebrity using online comments from the Daily Mail as a starting point. Josh reads a comment about the celebrity, and with the help of Archie, the celebrity must guess what the comment is referring to – their actions, words, or appearances. The first guest on the show was Dani Dyer, winner of Love Island in 2018. Considering my experience with reading the Mail’s negative comments, I can imagine it was a challenge for producers to find a suitable comment about Dyer. The Mail’s commentators typically do not approve of attractive, cheerful, and working-class women.

Dyer’s feelings were of no concern. She possesses strength, cleverness, and kindness, and is capable of teasing herself; the ideal initial guest. It would have been preferable if Archie didn’t have to figure out her identity from the comments beforehand (and surely, listeners would already know from the title alone), but once that was resolved, the show proceeded smoothly with lots of humor and positive revelations.

One could draw a connection between these series and Misha Glenny’s new documentary series, “The Rise and Rise of the Microchip,” on Radio 4. It’s fascinating to think that the development of the microchip has resulted in such a high level of interconnectedness that we can now leave reviews on people’s actual lives. Glenny, who is incredibly intelligent and communicates with ease and clarity, may have anticipated this outcome. In his documentary, he takes us through the history of the microchip and highlights another form of international interconnection – for example, an iPhone being created in the US, with a chip designed in the UK, manufactured in Taiwan, and assembled in China.

There are a plethora of fascinating details mentioned, such as the fact that the majority of microchips are produced in Taiwan. According to an expert, any increase in tension between Taiwan and China would have a significant global impact, surpassing that of Russia’s conflict with Ukraine. This information is incredibly captivating and presented eloquently.

Display the image in full screen mode.

There has been a lot of attention surrounding Jordan North’s departure from Radio 1 to take over as the host of Capital Breakfast starting in April. This is a high-profile position, following in the footsteps of Roman Kemp who has been the main host for the past decade. However, it should be noted that North has previously worked at Capital in the north-east and Manchester. While there may be some controversy over Global poaching BBC stars (such as Chris Stark, who now co-hosts Capital Breakfast and was previously Scott Mills’s sidekick), it should also be acknowledged that the BBC has also recruited commercial music presenters. One example is Vick Hope, who was North’s co-host on Radio 1’s teatime slot and was previously a host on Capital Breakfast from 2017 to 2020.

I am confident that North will do a great job, but his podcast Help, I Sexted My Boss, which he co-hosts with William Hanson, shields him from any potential failures due to its huge success. The show is produced by Audio Always, an independent production company. Maybe this type of show is better suited for a commercial station rather than the BBC? Regardless, North is currently thriving with his friendly and cheerful demeanor, and Capital must be thrilled to have him on board.

Source: theguardian.com