It might cheer the spirits of our over-stressed EU leaders this weekend if they were allowed time out from their delicate financial machinations to listen to the Day of Christmas Music broadcast on Radio 3 on Sunday and in the other 55 countries of the European Broadcasting Union (set up in 1950 as a cultural balance to the economic community). This annual flit round the countries of the union is always a refreshing antidote to the festive frazzle; an upmarket Eurovision with snatches of announcements in exotic languages as a reminder of the spirit of co-operation. If you tune in at noon, you’ll hear the Middle East Peace Orchestra playing Christian, Muslim and Jewish tunes in a church in Copenhagen, before the broadcast moves on to Helsinki, where the singers will be pouring scorn on the cosmic darkness by recreating music from the Mediterranean.
In this bumper box of 12 radio crackers, I’ll also make sure not to miss Sheila Hancock reading a selection of the poems which U.A. Fanthorpe sent each year to her friends instead of a Christmas card. What the Donkey Saw (Radio 4, Sunday 18th) gives us the Nativity as seen by those who had no choice but to take part — the donkey, the sheep, the innkeeper: ‘You couldn’t have squeezed another cherub in/For love or money’. Ian McMillan has a voice that’s made for radio, quirky yet crystal-clear, off-beat yet always on the button. I’ll be listening out for him on Radio 4 Extra on Christmas Eve when he’ll be giving us seasonal stories from around the world in The Night the Animals Talked. Perfect for stuffing the turkey to (or while chopping up nuts for the walnut roast).
Request programmes can be flinchingly soppy but never when those with family serving in the armed forces are involved because of the poignancy of absence.
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