Thursday, February 16, 2012

BBC Radio 4 hosts More Than Words Festival in Bristol

Radio 4 will host a unique free festival of listening in Bristol between 16-18 March, to mark the BBC’s strong and enduring partnership with the city.

The More Than Words Listening Festival will feature a host of Radio 4 recordings in front of live audiences, including: Any Questions? hosted by Jonathan Dimbleby; Jamie Cullum as Kirsty Young’s castaway in a special edition of Desert Island Discs and With Great Pleasure, which sees Cerys Matthews joined by actors and musicians as she shares her favourite poetry, prose and song.

Paddy O’Connell and Roger McGough will present live editions of Broadcasting House and Poetry Please and Clive Anderson will be joined by Arthur Smith for Loose Ends. Matthew Parris, Fi Glover and Matt Harvey will also headline at the festival.

Clare McGinn, Head of Radio 4 Production in Bristol says: “Bristol forged a special connection with BBC radio during the war years, when 700 BBC staffers were sent from London to help keep the BBC on the air. We’ve been producing programmes for Radio 4 here since 1967. Bristol is unique in that it’s the only city in the UK that has an official partnership with the BBC, thanks to the Anchor Agreement signed by the Director General in 2009.

"That has energised media and cultural bodies in this region and the listening festival is part of that. We’ve had wonderful practical support and encouragement for it in the city. More Than Words brings together fantastic Radio 4 programmes and talent with a host of gifted musicians, storytellers, community choirs, poets and sound artists from this region. In that sense it’s a true partnership festival. We’ve worked closely with our schools, youth groups, universities, arts, media and cultural communities here to offer something unique around the theme of listening.”

More Than Words run overs three days (16-18 March) with shows, masterclasses and workshops in a range of venues, including St George’s Bristol, The M Shed, Bristol University, QEH Theatre and Bristol Folk House.

From Monday 20 February at 9.00am and for seven days, members of the public can register for free tickets on the website bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/more-than-words/ where they can also find more details of festival events. Owing to the size of the venues, only a limited number of tickets will be available. Registration for tickets will close on Monday 27 February at 5.00pm.

(Source : BBC Press Release)

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