Friends of the BBC Daily Service Programme

Friends of the BBC Daily Service Programme This page is for anyone who enjoys listening to the BBC’s Daily Service Programme.

09/11/2024

Friends Of The BBC Radio Daily Service
Saturday 9th of November 2024

Welcome to ‘Friends of the BBC’s Daily Service Page’ on Facebook. This page is dedicated to bring the many friends of the Christian Daily worship ’ programme that is now broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra (via DAB and BBC Sounds), on the Freeview Radio Channel, and on-line.
Rob Mannion who lives in Bournemouth on the South West Coast of England provides an up-date on his enjoyment of the Daily Service together with some feedback. However, first Rob looks back at the last few weeks…and it seems he’s been rather busy!

Good afternoon my dear friends! As I sit here in my combined bedroom and study …just 800 yards or so back from the cliff tops overlooking the sea…I’m reflecting back on what an amazing month it’s been for myself and my family. Friday October 11th was rather a sombre day for me because exactly 49 years ago at 1430 hours my dear late wife Carol (who died aged 82 just short of her 83rd birthday) on August 22nd 2023 from Uterine Cancer) and I were married at All Saints Church in Eastleigh in Hampshire. Octkber 11th was also the 60th Birthday of my twin Sisters Margaret and Rosemary who acted as Carol’s Bridesmaids on their 11th birthday.

I wished them both warm greetings for their special day. I’m not in regular contact with Rosemany ….but I understand that she sees Facebook. Margaret on the other hand is a busy coach driver for the Luckett’s Coach Company based in Fareham in Hampshire, and pops up literally everywhere on Facebook sharing her adventures driving her very large coach all over the UK and into Europe!

The Autumn is a busy time for birthdays and memories in this branch of the Mannion family! Carol’s birthday was September 23rd, my birthday was on October 2nd and Alex our youngest daughter who lives in London (right next door to the Oval Cricket Ground) with her family…was 46 years old on October 7th. Then came our Wedding anniversary on the 11th. A month of memories!

A week Of Special Programmes

The Daily Service production team have excelled themselves in the past week with the five Daily Services programmes presenting well-known Hymns and…most unusually….the living writers of those Hymns. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole week of Services and listening to the voices of the Hymn writers. In fact I found it humbling to be privileged to hear the composers of some of my favourite Hymns speaking. Several of them were new voices to me….. but it was deeply moving to hear them discussing what inspired them to write their Hymns and what (and how) they were trying to achieve. Indeed…I found the whole week’s programmes to be really uplifting and encouraging! My grateful thanks go to the production team responsible for the truly remarkable programmes.

The weather here in Dorset has been quite miserable…heavily overcast, damp and cold. I kept on thinking of my late wife Carol (she had an encyclopaedic memory for poetry, Rhymes, stories and Hymns) because whenever ‘sombre November’ shows up through the Autumn mist she would recite the poem with those memorable lines in full without a pause! My own abilities are very poor in this respect because I can only every remember the first and second (with luck!) lines of my favourite Hymns, poems and Rhymes!

In thanking Our dear Lord for Carol’s wonderful life I also thank all the Hymn writers, Poets and Story Writers who created the enormously huge store of memories she had. Thank you one and all…. and may God bless and keep you all as Sombre November drifts into crisp December and we welcome the winders of Advent.
I look forward to chatting with you all again soon.
Rob
Saturday November 9th 2024.

23/09/2024

Monday September 23rd September

The BBC Daily Service broadcast on BBC Fadio 4 Extra today was presented by Canon Steve Williams. It stirred some memories when Canon Steve described riding on an Amsterdam tram and not being able to pay his fare! Rob remembers his own trips to Amsterdam with his late wife Carol.

Good morning everyone! It’s a dull, grey, wet and really overcast morning here in Bournemouth. It was so dark at 0900 hours this morning it seemed like midwinter! It’s also a rather sombre day for me because my late wife Carol would have celebrated her 84th birthday today. However, Canon Steve Williams brightened the morning for me when he mentioned riding on an Amsterdam Tram and wasn’t able to pay his fare…even though he had his money ready!
Canon Steve’s theme was ‘Mercy’ and how he had to accept the kind gesture from the Tram Conductor (who could only monitor passengers using the Dutch version of ‘Oystercard’ payments..and who let him ride free in effect! Additionally, Canon Steve felt awkward being offered a seat by a friendly passenger as he’d not paid!

As Steve Williams clearly demonstrated…sometimes we find it difficult to accept ‘Mercy’ although we’ll often be prepared to share it with others! I found that Canon Steve’s short talk cheered me up because Carol and I loved Amsterdam and during our visits there Carol would visit toy shops specialing in wooden toys and bookshops looking for inspiration for helping the many young Autistic Patients that she helped over the years. And while her dimunitive figure (she was less than five feet tall) disappeared into the quaint streets of Amsterdam…I enjoyed riding on the magnificent tramway network. My biggest treat of the day however ….was a traditional fresh Dutch raw ‘Haaring’ (Herring) meal prepared and served (with accompanying choreography style performance while he prepared the fish in front of the hungry customer) by the Haaring Shop Proprietor while he chopped the onion and cucumber and expertly filleted the fresh fish. And to make things even more convenient…the shop was right outside a main Tram Depot!

All these memories were stirred by Canon Steve’s short talk and prayers. I thoroughly enjoyed every second of the 15 minute long broadcast but was surprised by the very abrupt ending of programme today! It was probably caused by computerised automated scheduling switching…one of the penalties of pre- recorded programming! But, despite the abrupt ending today I must thank Canon Williams for a truly ‘uplifting’ message that really comforted me as I remember my Darling wife who died on August 22nd 2023. Thank you Steve!

Mystery solved! Friends of the BBC Radio Daily Service programme may remember that I mentioned the difficulties I’ve had recently trying to view the weekly on-line Anglican Sunday Service, broadcast via Facebook from the Anglican Church Headquarters…Church House…in London. Obscure changes made by the owners of Facebook meant that it seemed impossible to expand the small video picture on my iPad to the full screen size. Using the ‘expansion’ arrows on the screen didn’t work and…frustratingly…kept returning the recording to the start. So, for quite a few weeks I had to watch the programmes on a much smaller viewing area.

Fortunately, I eventually discovered…totally by accident…a remedy for the problem. I did a standard web search and found that many other iPad viewers had the same problem. Amongst the many suggestions (most were too complex for my elderly brain!) was a tip suggesting that I should: ‘Rotate my iPad from the horizontal while the video was playing so that the screen went to ‘portrait’ presentation…and then return it to the horizontal and the video would then automatically go to full screen on the iPad. Much to my surprise it worked and I was able to watch (and enjoy) a service for deaf people recorded in Reading.

Normally, the Church House broadcasts have an ‘in picture’ British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation for deaf people … but this time the whole service was in BSL with captions to help those who don’t ‘sign’ themselves. It was both illuminating and interesting and I enjoyed sharing the service with the deaf community. I’m actually deaf myself…an acquired hearing impairment arising from a Sub-Aqua diving accident over 50 years ago…but I’m fortunate that my hearing aids prove very effective in helping me. However, even though I’d like to learn BSL myself I’m afraid that I’d be unable to complete most BSL signed ‘Phrases’ as I’ve only got one arm! Indeed…I often joke with profoundly deaf friends that I could perhaps only join in with half of their conversations!

May God bless and keep you all and I thank our Dear Lord for the Daily Service programme from BBC Radio and the Presenters who share their Christian Faith via this wonderful medium.

Rob

Dr R B Mannion
Bournemouth
Dorset

17/09/2024

Tuesday September 17th 2024

Rob Mannion writes from his home in Bournemouth on the very southern ‘edge’ of England in the coastal county of Dorset where he’s enjoying the weather…but Autumn is coming and there’s a very cool breeze blowing!

Good afternoon dear friends…I hope you are all enjoying the beautiful weather we’re having? After the incessant rain (my garden became very badly flooded!) it’s good to see the Sun and I enjoyed a run to Bournemouth Hospital on my
Battery buggy’ today…the route takes me through one of Bournemouth’s many beauttuful parks.

Before I left for the Hospital Prosthetics Centre I listened to the Church of England’s Church House on-line Daily Service which I always enjoy. I find the Choral Music and the great variety of different Presenters a great help in preparing for the day. I also listen to the on-line Evening Service at around 1600 hours.

I was a little late in listening to the BBC Radio Daily Service today on Radio 4 Extra and missed the first few seconds of the recording. At the point where I joined the programme a Hymn was being sung and I hadn’t heard the Presenter’s voice. However, when I did…despite the fact he was very clearly heard and the ‘Message’ he had for Listeners was very well delivered…the poor chap sounded as if he was in a bathroom!

The otherwise excellent presentation was rather spoiled in my opinion by the reverberation caused by recording the programme in (what sounded like) a bare room with no furnishings! A great shame indeed because the presenter…who I don’t think
I’ve heard before…was very good indeed. I hope that we’ll hear from him again…but hopefully with better audio quality.

One of the major disadvantages of presenting the Daily Service from a non-studio setting is that the difference is sometimes very noticeable compared to the excellent BBC ‘professional’ studio based programme.

Several of the regular Daily Service Presenters have described to me the efforts they’ve made to help improve the audio quality of their recordings. Sometimes this has meant draping duvets over tables in Hotel room or private bedrooms….and recording the broadcast from under the table! I’m pleased to say their efforts have been worth it and although both the Presenters and I found the situation amusing….the Christian ‘message’ was effectively broadcast.

I thank the Lord Jesus for the kind efforts of the Daily Service Presenters…and they often feel so close to me that I regard many of them as real friends.

When I worked in broadcasting myself (I was also a Founder Member of the Isle of Wight Hospital Broadcasting Group) I soon learned that the professional approach to sound broadcasting pays real dividends when you invest in well-engineered studios. Sadly though, I think that the sound aspects of Television broadcasting are somehwat neglected nowadays…but that’s another topic which I won’t delve into here!

As many of you realise…I’m unhappy that the Daily Service is no longer being broadcast on ‘Mainstream’ BBC Radio 4….but despite this I’m eternally grateful we have still got the programme to hear on weekdays. Let’s just hope (and pray of course) that the individual Presenters can use their ingenuity to off-set the lack of a professional studio…even if it does mean recording their contribution under a duvet!

May the Lord bless and keep us all. Peace be with you!

Rob

(Dr R B Mannion)
Bournemouth
Dorset
United Kingdom

13/09/2024

Friday September 13th 2024

A Wonderful Week!

Rob Mannion writes from his Bournemouth home….

Good morning everybody! I felt I must update the ‘Friends of the BBC Daily Service’ page immediately after listening to the last of the last week’s truly wonderful and uplifting programmes delivered by the Rev. Richard Carter. I have thoroughly enjoyed the various visits to he made to the religious communities featured this week…all of which were so effectively linked by Richard Carter’s leadership. His own Membership of the Nazareth Community was also shared very effectively.

I was totally overcome by the peace and tranquility radiated by everyone from the communities he visited. I thank them all for sharing their Christian dedication and their commitment to group life in worshipping God. indeed…it was a truly remarkable week of programmes led by someone who is so involved in his own commitment to God, and who I admire very much. Thank you Rev. Richard from St. Martin’s in the Fields in London.

Originally it did feel to me as if I wasn’t going to have good week …especially as Wednesday the 11th of September was the first anniversary of my dear wife Carol’s funeral in 2023. Additionally, I had to undergo a tiring…and somewhat stressful…PET Scan (Positron Emitter Tomography Scan) to check the Lymphoma
Cancer I’d had been diagnosed with earlier this year. I had the scan in Poole Hospital on Monday….a £42 round trip by taxi…as I don’t drive my car nowadays…and arrived back home at about 1730 hours very, very tired and glad to be home!

On Wednesday I spent a few hours in the Prosthetic zcentre at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital training on a simulator for the new ‘Bionic’ (myoelectric) prosthetic arm I’m being prepared for…something I’m looking forward to after almost 62 years using a traditional mechanically operated prosthetic arm. The wonderful NHS is providing the new arm because my remaining left hand, arm and shoulder are literally wearing out after the extra strains of having only one upper limb. I’m being well looked after!

The stressful PET Scan proved to have been well worth undergoing in the end though…because when I met the delightful Lady Haematology Consultant (Lymphomas come under the jurisdiction of the Haematologists as it’s a form of Blood Cancer) who seemed much younger than my own two daughters (one of the problems of getting old!) and she gave me the good news that my Lymphoma had disapoared following the Radio Frequency Ablation (this is like a form of radio frequency ‘spot welding’ which uses a carefully directed high power radio transmission..which then heats the group of cancerous cells up briefly…thus destroying them with the heat) treatment I had received after the diagnosis.

So, I received great news and the Consultant and the Specialist Lymphoma Nurse were so helpful and kind. They spent a good half an hour with me discussing the results and the future. I felt so welcome…with no pressure to end the consultation. Thank you to the Lymphoma Team at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital! I’m looking forward to regular CT Scand to monitor my health
…long into the future!

In the end…despite my worries….my week turned into an extremely happy period…and the truly wonderful series of Daily Service Programmes led by the Rev. Richard Carter proved to be uplifting, inspiring and really encouraging. Thank you to everyone involved…we are really fortunate to have the Daily Service to listen to and share together in our own commitment to our dear Lord Father.

May God love and keep you…and peace to you all!

Rob

Dr Rob Mannion
Bournemouth
Dorset

04/09/2024

Wednesday September 4th 2024

Good morning everyone from myself…Rob Mannion…writing this from home in a breezy and semi-overcast Bournemouth on the South West Coast of England. It looks like we’ll be getting some more rain soon! My cat Marmite has come back from his patrol outside in the garden as he doesn’t like getting wet!

I’ve just been listening to the on-line Daily Service from Church House (The Anglican Church offices where they produce the wonderful series of on-line Choral services every day and also the Facebook video Services).
Incidentally, for some strange reason I cannot make the Facebook service ‘full screen viewing’ on my new iPad! Whenever I select the full screen option by using the expansion arrows…the recorded video resets itself! So, I eventually gave up and have to watch the services with a much smaller viewing area. I tried chatting to the otherwise very helpful video team at Church House ….but so far I’m still stuck without the full screen facility!

This morning I was later than usual listening to the Church House Service and missed the broadcast recording of the BBC Daily Service on Radio 4 Extra and I’m waiting for it to be made available on BBC Sounds. In the meantime I thought I must update my comments on page as quite a few people seem to be visiting the ‘Friends of The Daily Service Programme’ pages.

Last Sunday afternoon I watched the BBC 1 TV’s ‘Songs of Praise’ programme and had quite a surprise because (I hadn’t seen or heard anything regarding promoting this special programme but something alerted me to watch…and it turned out to be a ‘Special’ celebrating 100 years of Religious Broadcasting. It was an interesting programme but I was rather disappointed that the programme only briefly mentioned the early BBC broadcasts and the determined attempts by one lady listener to get a regular broadcast service on the air. However, I was pleased to see Canon Ann Easter in the gathering with the Presenter…she didn’t actually speak during the broadcast….athough she is, of course, a very regular speaker (and someone I enjoy listening to very much indeed) on our favourite programme. She’s a truly remarkable Lady!
To be fair…the Songs of Praise programme would have to be of at least an hour or so so to cover only a few aspects of the history of broadcasting Christian Services…so I realise the difficulties facing the Producers!
Did you watch the Songs of Praise programme last Sunday September 1st? If you did, I’d be most interested in hearing your own opinion of the broadcast.

Finally for today I must mention how much I miss the Daily Service being transmitted on ‘Mainstream’ BBC Radio 4. It’s wonderful that we still have the broadcast but I don’t think it fits very comfortably within the BBC’s Radio 4 Extra’s stream of archived programming. So, I’m left wondering….how many other listeners miss the programme’s traditional ‘slot’ on ‘mainstream’ Radio 4?

Best wishes and May the Good Lord bless and keep you all

Rob

26/06/2024

Reflections on the Daily Service….Broadcast on Wednesday June June 26th 2024.

A very good morning to everyone from Rob in a very hot and sunny Bournemouth ! As I don’t take the sun very well I’m staying in the shade today Wednesday June 26th and have just listened to the Daily Service recording on BBC Radio 4 Extra.

I enjoyed the Bible readings and the choice of traditional Hymns but…unfortunately…the presenter today sounded just like they were recording their programme from inside a drain or small bathroom! Unfortunately, as the Daily Service is rarely produced in a professional broadcasting studio nowadays - because of the constraints on the BBC’s budget - the ‘less than professional ’ production standard can sometimes become quite obvious. This is a great shame because the wonderful message that’s being shared is somewhat spoiled….despite the efforts and sincerity of the presenter.

Several of the regular Daily Service presenters have described their broadcasting techniques with me and we’ve actually enjoyed sharing the innovations that they sometimes adopted to record their programme…including hiding under a duvet or under a bed to provide better ‘studio like’ effects! Their efforts have often been worth it and one presenter (who was actually visting Northern Ireland and staying in a fairly austere Hotel room) sounded very relaxed and just as if they were in a studio…even though they had to record while lying on the floor under a bed in a successful attempt to reduce reverberation on the recording!

Unfortunately today’s presenter somehow managed to sound as if they were trapped down a drain…but despite this the message ‘got through’ well enough and I enjoyed listening to their important message and the Hymns (which are inserted by the BBC from their studios).

Sometimes the recordings for the Daily Service are made by just by using an iPhone strategically placed on the presenter’s desk and the audio quality has been very good from the listener’s point of view.
One regulat presenter has told me he is careful where he places his Iphone so that the built-in microphone picks up his voice as clearly as possible. Fortunately, as he is a Priest used to preaching in Church….he has a good ‘microphone voice’ anyway but I do appreciate his efforts to make his broadcast as clear as he can.

If…like me…you have hearing problems the slightest imperfection on the recording can lead to difficulties. One of the regular problems I find with younger presenters is the speed of their speech…sometimes they can really ‘gallop’ through their script…making it quite difficult to listen and absorb what they’re saying.

Obviously, programme such as the Daily Service must reflect every corner of the multinational Church and this sometimes leads to a presenter who has a different Ethnic background to me, which also comes with a markedly different way of speaking. Here I’m actually thinking about the increasingly popular ‘Afro-beat’ chanting style of talking and presentation..something I think is often referred to as ‘reggae style’. And although I love full Gospel Choirs (especially ially those with an Afro-Caribbean style) I find the speech associated with some Afro-Caribbean
Presenters to be quite diffult to follow. It’s not a difficult problem when I’m watching TV with the subtitle service being used… i
But when I’m listening to a radio programme this style of broadcast can be difficult for me to understand and enjoy.

I wonder what you think on this topic? Do you think that some presenters speak in too hurriedly a fashion? Is it a genuine difficulty or just a perceived difficulty because the voices and accents are different? I would certainly be interested to hear from other Daily Service listeners what their opinions are.

Finally, it seems to me that my favourite programme on the radio…the Daily Service…has really become ‘Cinderella-like’ in the way it’s being presented and where it can now be found (hidden away as a recording) on BBC Radio 4 Extra rather than on ‘Mainstream’ BBC Radio 4. What do you think? Am I mistaken in my opinions or not? Please let’s hear your opinion so I can share it on this page!

In the meantime I thank our Dear Lord for the Daily Service and that…despite the difficulties…it will continue to provide its welcome few minutes of Christian Worship from Monday to Fridays.
Best wishes to you all, Rob.
Bournemouth
Dorset

30/04/2024

From Rob Mannion: Hello again everyone! I’m wondering what other regular listeners to the BBC Radio Daily Service think now that the programme has been switched to BBC Radio 4 Extra from its long-time slot on the prestigious ‘Flagship’ BBC R4 service?

Personally speaking I am not at all happy that the Daily Service has been removed from the ‘mainstream’ Radio 4 service where it had occupied the 0945 to 0959 ‘opt out’ slot for many years and it was transmitted on the Long Wave 198kHz service from the Wychbold Farm (near Droitwich in the South Midlands) and the Westerglen (near Falkirk in Scotland) and Burghead (on the Moray Firth Coast also in Scotland) transmitters. These reliable transmitters provided coverage all over the UK, Ireland and well into Europe. In fact, after the night-time shutdkwn of Radio 4 on 198kHz at 0100….the BBC World Service carried on throughout the night until Radio 4 returned to service early in the morning. From personal experience I know that a relatively reliable 198kHz signal could be heard even in Budapest….where my late wife Carol and I listened to R4 when the Internet service proved unreliable when we visited the city on holiday!
Unfortunately, the Daily Service programme ‘junctions’ were always awkward…with some very ‘tight‘ junctions and I’ve often felt that the BBC radio produces wished to rid itself of this programme…freeing the slot up for domething else! The imminent closure of the 198kHz transmitters (although they are still working at the moment) seem to have provided the opportunity to move the Daily Service away from the mainstream Radio 4. That’s my opinion for what it’s worth! Am I right or am I mistaken? What do you think? I’d certainly be interested to hear from other people who also enjoy listening to this wonderful programme…which contributes so much to my own regular worship.
Rob

Rob Mannion
Admin.

29/04/2024

Hello everyone! Do you like to listen and enjoy the Daily Service programme which is now broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra on weekdays? If you do enjoy this much-loved programme …why not join other friends on this page…it’s been set-up to link us together! I have set it up so that we can share our friendship and discuss the valuable role the Daily Service programme has played for many of us over the years. So far, despite my efforts, it’s not been possible to make contact with the BBC Staff who are responsible for producing the programme …but hopefully they may also join in to help everyone fully appreciate what they do on our behalf. You never know…this page could become our link to those who choose the contributors, make the programme so enjoyable and to develop the special Christian fellowship fostered by this very special programme. So, if you’re like me…someone who is unable to attend Church very often (in my case due to my disabilities) …why not join our ‘virtual fellowship’ to share your interest. You’ll be so welcome! Rob Mannion (Former Churchwarden). Bournemouth
, Dorset. Monday April 29th 2024.

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