When I was growing up I thought radio was all about music. Then I met the person who I was one day to marry and he introduced me to the joys of Radio 4. One of the first programmes I listened to religiously was (FOOC) - a weekly half hour set of dispatches from 成人论坛 Correspondents anywhere in the world with an interesting story to tell.
So when I saw it was FOOC's anniversary this month (albeit not a significant one) I got excited: a great chance to share some of my favourite stories and celebrate the wonder that is FOOC.
One of the longest running shows on the airwaves alongside The Archers and Desert Island Discs, the programme goes out in two versions a week - one on Radio 4 the other on the World Service.
A regular correspondent on the programme, Bridget Kendall, explained the appeal of the programme for the journalists who contribute in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the programme:
"The reason why we like doing it is because FOOC allows you to say things you can't say anywhere else...You can write what you like, devising a tale as you hear it in your head, writing as you would tell it to a friend; in other words, an old-fashioned radio talk."
One of the dispatches that stands out in my recent listening was by Tim Whewell - Saving Gaza's Grand Piano - and it would interest anyone with a feeling for music or who has tinkled the ivories before. You can hear it below.
From Our Own Correspondent extract - Saving Gaza's Grand Piano from Tim Whewell: Gaza 2015
There's another dispatch, this time from 2014, which has stayed with me. It is from Alan Johnston in Italy and he talks about record numbers of desperate migrants sailing to Italy, many of whom don't survive. Johnston's piece came at the time when awareness was slowly growing about the so-called 'migrant crisis' and of course it is a story that is, sadly, ever-present in the news at the moment.
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In last year's 60th celebrations FOOC published. I'm in the process of catching up with those but there's one I know very well as it resonated strongly as my other half: .
One of the most-requested FOOCs it was broadcast in 1996. You can hear it below.
From Our Own Correspondent extract - Letter to Daniel from Fergal Keane: Hong Kong 1996
In it, Keane writes from Hong Kong to his new-born baby, and he distills the essence of a brilliant FOOC dispatch, the personal (what could be more personal than the birth of your child) and political - he recalls with great pain the children of poverty and conflict he has met in his time as a correspondent.
That combination of the personal and political goes some way towards explaining why I love FOOC so much. I was brought up abroad and watched my mum spend hours at her writing desk penning letters home, so the idea of all these correspondents composing audio messages that are broadcast all over the world on the World Service as well as at home in the UK on Radio 4 has a sort of romantic nostalgia for me.
But it is also because FOOC is more than the 'News', it gets behind the news to stories we might never hear, stories that are human and personal. Long may it continue. Happy birthday FOOC. Never change.
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