Radio 4
Why does "Thought for the Day" always get up my nose?

I sort of enjoy waking up to the Today Programme - the dulcet tones of John Humphries, Ed Sturton, etc., are soothing, and remind me that even though it's 7am and it's bloody freezing, there are still politicians and venture capitalists to be shouted at.

And then Thought For The Day comes on, with some pious prick starting out promisingly, reminding us of some thought-provoking event, before disappearing up his or her own fragrant arse in a lengthy monologue about how wonderful it is to be such a smug sanctimonious prick who has found inner peace within the confines of his own cavernous and deeply spiritual rectum.

Perhaps I should just get out of bed earlier...
(LongJohnBaldry, Fri 5 Dec 2008, 10:03, 12 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

Mr Crow
That is indeed my type of rant!

*applauds*
( Boss Keloid Got your mother's maiden name tattooed on my arm, Fri 5 Dec 2008, 10:46, Reply)

Keep listening, Crow.
It's all very well waking up and being soothed, but it's the anger and bitterness that sees us actually leaving our beds in order to go and ruin someone else's day.
Without these pious pricks, no one would get up.
( thealternativefact, Fri 5 Dec 2008, 10:46, Reply)

My family used to set our clocks by 'Thought for the Day'.
Because as soon as it came on, we'd leave the house and go to school. Thereby avoiding listening to it, and beating the rush hour.

Sometimes it's ok, but is mostly annoyingly smug.
(The Empress it seems you CAN polish a turd!, Fri 5 Dec 2008, 10:49, Reply)

@Empress
Ha, yes, my family has a similar Pavlovian response - the moment we hear the opening bars of The Archers theme song, we all lunge for the 'off' switch...

And clendrix: I think you might be right - the sheer bile inspired by the smug git on the radio is probably the only thing motivating me these days.
(LongJohnBaldry, Fri 5 Dec 2008, 10:51, Reply)

Rant of the day!

( Noeli overtheshoulderboulderholderthingstraplatchboobs, Fri 5 Dec 2008, 11:04, Reply)

@Crow...
You lucky, lucky git. My father is obsessed with the Archers. He loves it. He signed up to the fan club. He talks about the characters like they're real people.

He works abroad for much of the year, and for quite a few years made my mother tape the Sunday omnibus and post it to him. Fortunately, he no longer demands that, and hopefully this means his obsession is waning.

I hate the Archers.
(The Empress it seems you CAN polish a turd!, Fri 5 Dec 2008, 11:13, Reply)

Are you sure
he isn't just listening online?

My parents have always listened to the Archers while we have dinner.
(Bazongaloid, Fri 5 Dec 2008, 11:24, Reply)

There's an Archers fan club?
Oh god help us it's worse than we thought.

Empress, you're not alone. My housemate has long complained that whenever he was living back at home, his father would insist on complete silence over dinner for the cringeworthy quarter-hour that is The Archers. Eventually he mutinied and just said, "Sod it. I'm going to eat my dinner in the living room. If anyone would like a conversation with dinner, they're welcome to join me!"
(LongJohnBaldry, Fri 5 Dec 2008, 11:35, Reply)

Online?
Nope. Doesn't have broadband.

In a way, I see why he wanted those tapes so badly: he was working in the jungle in Central America, and I think he liked the Archers for its (completely unrealistic) depiction of rural life in England. Our UK house is in the countryside, surrounded by farms, and I guess it was like snippets of news from home. This was back when they didn't have a satellite phone to take with them, and so he only got to phone home once a fortnight when they went into town for supplies.
(The Empress it seems you CAN polish a turd!, Fri 5 Dec 2008, 11:38, Reply)

I can no longer listen to Today
in case I hear Thought for the Day and it ruins my whole morning. I'm an opinionated man. But can I have several minutes of prime national radio to say whatever's on my mind? No, only superstitious people get that. Bah!

I wouldn't mind, but most of the time what they say is pant-wettingly tedious and obvious ("Wouldn't it be good if we were all nicer to one another?"). GRAAAAAGH!@ Even writing this has annoyed me. Thanks. Thanks a bunch.
( Olembe Refuses to write in this space, Fri 5 Dec 2008, 14:17, Reply)

^ It's ok, it's ok.
Just think of the shipping forecast. Let the sexy tones of Brian Perkins lull you into calm and help you forget about those pious pillocks splurging their trite, meaningless but oh-so-spiritual jizz all over the airwaves...bloody hell it's making me angry now...

/searches for shipping forecast on iPlayer
(LongJohnBaldry, Fri 5 Dec 2008, 14:36, Reply)

It's like those god awful radio 4 "comedies"
The only thing funny is the look on the old lady's face as in a fit of rage I throw my radio out of my top floor window onto her head.
(The Oscillating Gibbon is eating curried squid, Sat 6 Dec 2008, 10:44, Reply)