Talks and Extempores But in general the principle of not
recording except in case of necessity should be fairly rigid, or there is a great temptation to laziness, and that would never do. Without knowing the mechanics of the affair, I do not appreciate why Morning Music should be recorded. These are not my own favourite listening hours, but I observe that Mr. Reginald Kell gallantly got up last week in time to be playing the organ at 6.30 a.m., whereas at 7.15 the orchestra that was cheering somebody's morning (but not mine) with tangos and Strauss waltzes was presumably still in bed, having been recorded. My correspondent is very harsh about this sort of thing. Frankly, I don't see myself why so many talks—at more reasonable hours--come to us on records. Not that I can tell the difference When I hear it ; but one likes to feel the man is there. One rigid exception' would make ; extempore programmes should never be "live. I am not thinking about the possibilities of ex-
tempore speakers letting loose ribaldries or riotous oaths, though V will wager that, when Mr. Wilfred Pickles has been interviewing some of his friends in Have a Go there has often gone into the microphone a word or two more than ever came later out of our sets in our drawing-rooms. In general, that sort of risk might be taken, just as the Brains Trust or Friday Forum has run the risk once or twice of getting over-heated. Nothing could be better fun than the occasional flash of temper in the Brains Trust, or a Presi- dent of the Royal Academy speaking his mind with no allaying censor. No; let us not mind a little over-heating of the air. The real point is that a " live " extempore broadcast tends not to that, but to under-heating. The speaker, conscious of the danger of A gaffe, is likely to be far too cautious. If he starts feeling that the ears of the world are on him, he may get cribbed, cabined and confined ; whereas, if he knows that any slip of the tongue is remediable, he relaxes and is himself. He will not be on his best behaviour ; he will be on his own behaviour, and that is better than best. But where there is a script, let us have, whenever possible, tho immediacy and the actualiti ; and let the B.B.C. never let itscle be accused of taking the easy way out
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