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I find Caroline Quinn hard work each morning on the Today programme. I think she lacks empathy with her interviewee, when the interview goes in a different direction it seems as if she is unable to tack with them and either asks the same question again, or follows up with a non sequitur.

So, I think she fails to get the best out of the interviewees, today on transport was a good example. Government Transport Minister, Dr Stephen Ladyman was trying to point out that people with 4x4 cars already pay a large amount in fuel duty, so an additional amount in VED is unlikely to change their behaviour and she kept on asking the same question about charging "gas guzzlers" 1800 pounds, rather than the intended 210. Instead of investigating whether fuel pricing does discourage usage, she stuck to the same issue, to the detriment of the interview.

The transport committee's recommendations are very regressive, pricing poorer people off planes and out of larger cars. The former seems unfair, the latter should affect all people equally. Looking at the Government's VED car fuel data website it is all the expensive cars which have the worst emissions, see the raw data to make this obvious. The only people who really have a call on big 4x4s are farmers etc, charging them 1800 pounds alongside the Chelsea tractor set seems disingenuous.

Back to my point, maybe Caroline Quinn needs to relax and follow the story rather than her list of questions. Then again, I'm not interviewing people at 8am, but other presenters on Today seem to be able to do it well.

John Peel's Home Truths, from Radio 4, is to thankfully go off air in the Spring. It has been guest presented by a range of people in the last year and none of them came even close to matching the quality of Peel. The programme resonated to him and I'm glad a new programme will replace it on Saturday morning. It was hard to listen to other people doing the programme. Andrew Kershaw on Today this morning was on fine form, even giving a half decent Peel impersonation. He was pleased to see it go too, so am I.

The conversation then moved on to what needs changing on Radio 4, Andrew Kershaw seems to have quite radical plans, but some of those he mentioned eg You and Yours are defintely right for the chop. Just a Minute and Quote Unquote seem overripe too. Radio 4 does some great comedy, but these aren't the highlights. I'd keen Woman's hour and Midweek though, but more From Our Own Correspondent please. I'll admit that really, like most people I'm a weekday morning and weekend listener, so the daytime schedule, particularly in the afternoon I've never really listened to much.

I've watched more TV in the past few days than in the past 2-3 months. At Dan Hill's recommendation I watched Monkey Dust a few days ago and it is a superb programme. A dark, witty beautifully detailed exploration of suburban life. I'm very late to the party on this one I know, but I've been sort of avoiding TV for the past few months, as I've had other things to get on with. The detail of the illustration is fascinating, lots of random throwaway comments and parody. Each character seems quite real, though they are readily identifiable types. Some clips bring the bizzareness of it to life, see this one about a phone (Real), more clips here and the music is good too. I've heard it described as better than South Park, or the Simpsons, but for me it it kind of a more real Ren and Stimpy, with a UK viewpoint. Quite some of the best animation I've seen. Sadly not available on DVD yet.
[UPDATE: Monkey Dust Series 1 on DVD]

I've also seen my first episode of Wife Swap, compelling viewing, people are vile. No-one from last nights programme came out with any pride, the posh one from Bristol were seen as grasping and superior, then poor ones from up north had a huge chip on their shoulder. I'd be curious who in each couple decided to suggest the wife swap and what they expected to get in exchange, both as an experience from the two weeks and which sort of person they'd get. The Bristol couple clearly thought / hoped they might get a posher person, the poor couple looked like they'd take who ever they got along for a ride, their household manual didn't look like it was the truth. There is a sense from the programme, that celebrity is too distant, reality tv too dull, but real lifes, especially entered into voluntarily, now that is something to watch. It might be true, given the populariity of things like What not to wear and Life Laundry,

Maybe there is something to this TV lark... or maybe I'll run back to the web and radio and books...