Radio 3 might be ‘dumbing down', but annoyingly it's working

Telegraph

21-05-2025

Earlier this month, the BBC's veteran war correspondent Lyse Doucet said that she has been 'turning away from the news and listening to Radio 3 instead of Radio 4'. Doucet's reason was that the news has been so unremittingly depressing of late; Radio 3 was a sanctuary.
She is far from alone – last week's Rajar figures showed that Radio 3 is on the up, with 2.15m tuning in, the station's best for many years. To add to the sense of achievement, almost every other BBC station had lost listeners in the same period. And before Radio 3 controller Sam Jackson could finish his first celebratory glass of fizz, someone was pouring him another, as Radio 3 won Station of the Year at the prestigious Audio and Radio Industry Awards (Arias).
It is a vindication of sorts for Jackson, who has been fighting accusations of 'dumbing down' since he arrived two years ago. His predecessors would sympathise, going right back to George Barnes when he kicked off the Third Programme in 1946 and, two years later, was fighting accusations of 'vulgarisation' from EM Forster. The crime? Playing 'light' music concerts, including Bizet, Strauss and Mozart).
Radio 3's gift and curse is that it emerged (or perhaps descended) from the Third Programme, which was set up to be strenuously high-minded, mixing classical music with poetry, philosophy and debate. Its mission wasn't simply to educate, inform and entertain, but to expand, refine and civilise. There are many Radio 3 listeners who still believe this is the station's mission – no wonder they bristle at the loss of Free Thinking and Drama on 3, at the perceived 'therapisation' of classical music, or at the existence of Jools Holland (the boogie-woogiefication of classical music).
Those purists would suggest that Radio 3's recent resurgence isn't despite any 'dumbing down', but because of it – further evidence that it is slumping inexorably towards Classic FM territory.
Is this fair? In response to the heartening Rajar figures, Radio 3's press release trumpeted their more highbrow content, from the Pierre Boulez centenary celebrations to 25 for 25: Sounds of a Century, 25 new commissions from contemporary composers. We don't know if it is this specific programming that is bringing the listeners in – specific figures were not provided – but it is encouraging to see the station take pride in its more challenging offerings.
EM Forster may not agree, but when it comes to the music it's hard to make a strong case that Radio 3 has dumbed down. Classical Live, Radio 3 in Concert and Composer of the Week still offer a variety that the commercial stations wouldn't dare, while jazz, new music and opera are ring-fenced by dedicated programming. A push for 'diversity' (female composers!) has only broadened the station's offering. There is no doubt that in recent times the station has fallen into the trap of trying to attract listeners who like their classical music to be 'calm, soothing and mindful', and often accompanied by birdsong and lapping waves, but this is hopefully something that will be redressed by the launch of new 'mindful' digital station Radio 3 Unwind.
However, it is in the spaces in between the music where Radio 3 has undoubtedly grown more populist, and this is something unlikely to be reversed. Listeners long ago got used to the audience interactivity that was once the preserve of Radio 5 Live, but it is the presenters who seem to stir up the most passion. The likes of Tom McKinney, Katie Derham, Jess Gillam and Linton Stephens lean more into being informally enthusiastic than tweedily knowledgeable, while the inclusion of Holland and newsreader Clive Myrie suggest a safety-first approach. 'Don't be scared! We love classical music and we're not going to be stuffy about it!' As someone who is a far-cry from being a classical music buff, I am a good test case – and I have found the station to be more approachable and accessible of late. That will likely send shudders down the spines of the purists.
While Jackson did not begin the jettisoning of spoken word programming, it does seem he is keen to finish the job and create a purely classical music station. Some decisions are financial – on Radio 4's Feedback he said that budget cuts forced him to choose between live classical music and drama – but there is the sense of brand-building here too. Not Classic FM, but the anti-Classic FM. A classical music station with highbrow aspirations, but, crucially, a classical music station. If you want wider culture, off you go to Radio 4. It's understandable, but it's a pity – and I eye the superb Sunday Feature nervously. Yet, if the listener numbers are rising, then it can only be that Radio 3 is successfully bringing classical music to new audiences, dumbed down or not.