Daily Mail: Hold on Just a Minute! No BBC Radio 4 show is 'safe from the axe'

Story from Daily Mail:

The future of much-loved Radio 4 comedy shows such as Just A Minute is not guaranteed – as one BBC executive warned no programme is 'sacrosanct'.

Julia McKenzie, who oversees comedy on the station, said she 'will occasionally have to make difficult decisions' about bringing shows to an end.

Her remarks came on an episode of Radio 4's audience response show Feedback, which included listeners' complaints about comedy output.

It heard criticism of Just A Minute from two members of the audience, with one describing it as 'the bottom of the list' and another saying: 'I think Just A Minute is classed as a comedy show. But seriously, what is funny about it? For me it is just a bunch of clever Dicks playing a very tedious game. Isn't it time to ditch it?'

Ms McKenzie, who is Radio 4 commissioner for comedy and entertainment, was asked whether 'those old favourites' were 'sacrosanct'.

She said: 'I wouldn't say any show is sacrosanct. We have so many well-loved, very long-running shows and they've deservedly built a huge fan base... and they are a huge part of people's lives.

'I think my job really is to work out that balance of keeping the much-loved shows on air, thinking about the shows that maybe have had two, three, five or six series and are still developing, and then also making sure I've got enough space for new commissions.

'So sometimes that will mean I need to bring some shows to an end, because otherwise there's just simply no room for new shows.'

One of the Just A Minute critics said they usually switched off the 6.30pm comedy slot because it 'just isn't funny'. They said The Now Show amused them, but added that it 'still features mainly middle-aged men making fun of another set of middle-aged men'.

Just A Minute is presented by Sue Perkins. She took over the role in 2021 after Nicholas Parsons, who hosted the show for 50 years, died in 2020.