Retrospective - Radio, Radio

More than twenty years away from life in England, is there anything, other than family & friends, I might be said to miss? One thing, and my understanding of the sheer wonder of the thing grows with each visit I make. Simply, BBC Radio - and, even simpler than that, Radio 3, with a bit of Radio 4 thrown in. Oh, and a bit of Radio 2 as well.

It's easy to make my case. The first week we were there Radio 3's Composer of the Week was Olivier Messiaen. Can you believe it? Everyday, for an hour, in-depth coverage of the great man's life and music, expertly illuminating comment, illustrated by choice excerpts. And the week after Messiaen featured heavily in various concerts, along with music that influenced him. And this was just a small part of what was on offer. It's not just that the music gets played, but also that the listener is being educated concerning what the music is doing by the accompanying commentary. Suddenly I felt not quite so alone in my tastes.

And not just music. What about Adam Phillips's series of late night essays on Excess run a week or two before Christmas? There were more insights in each 15 minute programme than you might get from a year of back-to-back documentaries on the Discovery Channel.

Then there was the half hour feature on Radio 4 about Ezra Pound's caging at the end of the war and the resulting Pisan Cantos. We listened to that on the way to Paul and Joy's and I didn't want it to finish. And then there was Radio 2's broadcasting of the gems constituting the Bob Dylan Radio Hour. Possibly the most joyful material ever committed to the airwaves, anywhere, anytime.

And all this is, to all intents and purposes, free.