Feedback12 Dec 2014

12/12/2014

Roger Bolton talks to investigative journalist Tom Mangold about The Silent Conspiracy, a programme he first began working on 35 years ago. The programme concerned Jeremy Thorpe, the charismatic leader of the Liberal Party between 1967 and 1976. Thorpe's political career was overshadowed by scandal when he was accused of conspiring to murder Norman Scott - a man who claimed to have been his lover at a time when homosexuality was illegal. He was acquitted of conspiracy to murder but soon withdrew from public life.

The day after he died last week, Radio 4 broadcast The Silent Conspiracy, in which veteran BBC journalist Tom Mangold uncovered an alleged establishment conspiracy to protect Jeremy Thorpe's career and reputation. Many listeners questioned the tone and timing of the programme. Roger talks to Tom about the making of the programme and why he felt it was in the public interest.

Michael Buerk has survived life in the Australian outback and returned as chair of Radio 4's Moral Maze. To welcome him back, his programme team chose reality TV as the subject for the last episode in the series. Not letting him escape the spotlight, Buerk was declared a star witness. But after frequent updates of his jungle antics on the PM programme - was this an in-joke too far?

What does it take to find "extraordinary stories and remarkable guests"? Roger goes behind-the-scenes at Saturday Live to discover how they blend celebrity interviews and inheritance tracks with tales straight from listeners' mouths.

And more musical archives are restored following last week's revival of Radio 4's Singing Together.

Produced by Will Yates A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4.

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