DANNY BAKER - All Day Breakfast Show (Podcast)

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

The July 11th show (which I've just finished listening to), is indicative of how these podcasts can fail if Danny doesn't keep a tight leash on proceedings. It was basically just 50 minutes of Danny, Baylen and Amy yakking aimlessly, with hardly any input from the listeners, which is annoying as that, after all, is the bread and butter of the show. 

Baker is a brilliant anecdotalist, of course, but sometimes the chat on these shows just seems self-indulgent and unfocussed. I still maintain that, at their best, these podcasts have made me laugh harder and more often than any other comedy of late, but Dan really needs to start tightening up a bit, as they're becoming maddeningly inconsistent.

Also, would any kind person care to manufacture a link to today's show? The sodding link on the ADBS site doesn't work. Thanking you muchly in advance.     

[Beep Cleep Chimney]

Also, would any kind person care to manufacture a link to today's show? The sodding link on the ADBS site doesn't work. Thanking you muchly in advance.     

The link worked alright for me just now. I'm using Internet Explorer so don't know whether that makes any sodding difference. Just click on today's episode on the right hand side, then when it comes up, "Right Click, Save" on the "Download from here" link.  Give it another go - should work.

I'd agree that the last few episodes have been less fun generally and, you're right, they need to get that Paul guy out of the studio. He's beginning to grate a bit now.

Haven't heard yesterday's yet  - just about to give it a go.

The only bit that's made me properly laugh recently was the short segment in (i think) Monday's show where they brought on the 'Show Magician'. Thought that was stupidly amusing. Apart from that, very "meh" overall, which is a real shame.

I see that they've got Robert Popper from Look Around You on today's show, which should be good in theory, but if it's anything like the Serafinowicz show, it'll just go nowhere.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Give it another go - should work.

Excellent - thanks. Hope this one's better, although as you say, it could well be as aimless and boring as the Serafinowicz show. We'll see.

[_Hypnotoad_]

Thanks for those links, the XML link hasn't worked all week, and wippit is down today, so I'm glad I've got two to listen to

I agree the quality has gone downhill of late, but it still seems to be very much a developing thing where, although its a running joke, Baker genuinely seems to fail to actually start the show on some occasions, in favour of waffling with the others

I too sent my choices in and a rather nice anecdote some weeks back, and the choices have not appeared on the website, in fact some other cunt got my cartoon character

Yours, Miffed in Middlesex

[Frobush]

D'oh! He kept irritatingly talking over Popper and wouldn't let him finish any of his stuff!

[_Hypnotoad_]

These are a real chore at the moment

[Uncle TechTip]

I think we ought to write a collective letter of disapproval, one gets the feeling that constructive criticism does not reach his ears. I just listened to the one where he droned on & on about talking at the Radio Academy, and all this 'future of radio' stuff is just a mite tedious. It could be the future too, free from regulation and with as much time as they need to stretch their legs, that's how it started but now we're just getting a substandard version of the BBC London show. And I'm expected to pay for this?

Add this to no guarantee that there will be five shows a week, along with guffawing idiots in the background and dull stuff like 'Dirty Fanmail', I can't see what there is to like. So promising, yet it's like it's burnt out in about four weeks.

[Frobush]

I can't help feeling that Baker is just sticking the screwdriver into the BBC - asking for more work/pay and begging to be back on ONE (Radio One FM). These 'pods' are just his BBC London shows without the music and news (et al).

So far he has tried to overpower his guests, few though they are. Popper today (yesterday) must have been well pissed off! He had to hand over his 'Baker letter' to Baker and let him finish reading it 'cos Danny refused to let him speak and kept shouting "I remember this", "I remember this" until he did.

Now I like Baker. I really do. But if you invite guests onto your show then let them speak and keep your gob shut! There's nothing worse than a guest who says nothing - and there's nothing worse than a host who won't shut the f*ck up!

It was like Baker was licking Robert's arse and trying to dominate him!

EDIT - Popper still squeezed a few gems in!

EDIT EDIT - sample

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Just when we all appear to be losing faith, today's podcast with the folk who won the show on ebay was a good 'un. That Rob bloke was very good at telling his stories.

And when Baker started the show with "this is a very special show - it's going to be a good one" I don't think he was necessarily being comically self-deprecating; considering the high standards he sets for himself, I'm sure he must be aware of how poor his recent shows have been. Let's just hope he's going to pull his finger out from now on.

See, this is what's so frustrating about these - when on form, Baker and friends are fantastic company, but they can also be repetitive and self-indulgent. Just like any group of friends, really, but, y'know, these people are professionals, so they should be better than that. And they can be.

Can't really be arsed listening to the Popper show, though, especially in light of all the negative comments on here. Surely Dan must get the message now that GUESTS DON'T WORK on the podcasts? 

[Paaaaul]

I can't help feeling that Baker is just sticking the screwdriver into the BBC - asking for more work/pay and begging to be back on ONE (Radio One FM). These 'pods' are just his BBC London shows without the music and news (et al).

No. The great thing about the radio shows is that they are live and he can ask for ,say, calls about volcanos, and get a call five minutes later by someone who played a concert in a volcano.
The emails are the padding on the radio show and not the raison d'etre like they are on the podcast.
On the radio show, he can play songs relevant to the show, which he can't on the podcast.
The radio show doesn't come across so cliquey with other presenters and newsreaders chipping in as well as the callers.
And the radio show doesn't suffer from the recycling of material that the podcast does as he repeats material to "a new audience". All of the giveaways, the Astral projection stuff and the radio magician stuff. just to name things in recent shows, has been done before on the radio show.

Unless there is a massive rethink in the next couple of weeks about how the podcast can work better, I won't be paying for them.
The radio show is plainly better ,free, longer and less likely to "not happen"

I'm off to write me a bit of html to allow me to record the radio shows easily every week. Sod wippit.

[Lfbarfe]

Sadly, the radio show is very likely to not happen once Wippit start charging. I don't personally see the problem. He can do both. Whether he wants to is another matter. He should be on Radio 2 - give him half the year and Jonathan Ross the other half, or as they've done with Radcliffe and Maconie, put the two together and see what happens. It could be a stinking ego-clash disaster, or it could be two old mates riffing like good 'uns. His rapport with Danny Kelly leads me towards the latter.

[Frobush]

Sorry. Just jesting!

I have no worthwhile opinion.

EDIT - I don't know when his BBC contract is due for renewal - but he's gunna be jumped on for doing this!

No. The great thing about the radio shows is that they are live and he can ask for ,say, calls about volcanos, and get a call five minutes later by someone who played a concert in a volcano.

Yes. I see your point.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Just listened to the Popper podcast, and I can't honeslty see why some of youze were so irked by it. I don't think that Danny dominated or talked over him at all. Indeed, Popper made quite a big contribution to the show, loads more than Serafinowicz managed, certainly. I was expecting to be annoyed and bored, but I thought it was a perfectly enjoyable fifty minutes.

Anyway, is The Timewaster Diaries, or any of his Robin Cooper stuff, worth reading? I thought it sounded intriguing from the little excerpts he read out, but it certainly wasn't pants-splittingly funny.

[The Mumbler]

Paul Whitehouse is reading a serialisation of the Timewaster Diaries all this week on Radio 4. 9.45am and 12.30am from today until Friday.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Ok, thanks. 'Tis in the vault.

[Paaaaul]

I love the Timewaster Letters books.
Because of the Popper show last week, I re-read the first book this afternoon and really enjoyed it again.

They're full of weird ideas sent to various companies and clubs, and the reactions to them.

The very nature of this type of book means that it is hit and miss, but because there is rarely more than a couple of replies to his letters, the misses drift by quickly.
Each letter gives you a little idea about it's author and over the space of two books, you really get to know the nutty character and his weird obsessions.

I'll deffo be getting the Diaries.

(just found www.robincooper.co.uk which has some samples on it, so you can give him a taste)

[buntyman]

Just had a listen to the eBay program. I must say i'd be pretty disappointed if i'd paid £703 for what was effectively a guest appearance on a standard format show. I thought it was supposed to be geared entirely to the wishes of the winner and to only be available to them. It was ok but I think the show is losing its freshness. The giveaway stuff is getting a bit boring too, a funny idea for one or two topics but the suggestion that they'll introduce loads more after the £2 shows start isn't particularly enticing.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Just had a listen to the eBay program. I must say i'd be pretty disappointed if i'd paid £703 for what was effectively a guest appearance on a standard format show. I thought it was supposed to be geared entirely to the wishes of the winner and to only be available to them.

Oh, I dunno. That bloke got to tell a couple of fairly lengthy stories, which is more than any other listener gets per show. Also, the woman was rubbish and didn't seem to want to contribute at all, so if she didn't enjoy the experience then it was really her own fault.

Incidentally, in today's show, Danny's outrage and apoplexy regards David Kuo's attempts to grow a beard was very funny. Despite recent disappointments, these podcasts are still worth downloading for moments like that.

[euler]

Newcomer to the board here, but not to the ADBS...

...can't help noticing that Danny Baker's podcast, from its high water mark at number one in the downloads chart, is now loitering in the lower reaches of the top 20.

There are two main reasons I think - both of them touched on here:

1.  Shows just not appearing for whatever reason
2.  The constant references to the show charging when DB comes back from his August holiday.

It's a good podcast - but nothing I can't get online from his BBC radio show's website ; I'll certainly not be paying £2/week for it.  Those who do subscribe to the paid show will soon start cancelling if they only get 3 or 4 shows a week for their money.

I felt that the eBay show was very weak indeed.  I would have been a bit miffed if I had paid £703 for that ; especially as such a big deal was made about the show being only for the enjoyment of the person who bought it and the fact it would never get broadcast, etc.  The paying guest did get to tell a couple of stories, but it wasn't really tailored exactly to their wishes as was previously promised.

[Phil_A]

Newcomer to the board here, but not to the ADBS...

...can't help noticing that Danny Baker's podcast, from its high water mark at number one in the downloads chart, is now loitering in the lower reaches of the top 20.

There are two main reasons I think - both of them touched on here:

1.  Shows just not appearing for whatever reason
2.  The constant references to the show charging when DB comes back from his August holiday.

Also:

3. Wippit not actually working most of the time. For a supposedly professional downloads site, the amount of downtime it experiences is ridiculous. I've just checked and it seems to be down again.

I don't use itunes, so the only other way to hear the damn things seems to be to download them direct from the ADBS website. Also, my Google Reader subscription has mysteriously stopped working altogether.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

I don't use itunes, so the only other way to hear the damn things seems to be to download them direct from the ADBS website. Also, my Google Reader subscription has mysteriously stopped working altogether.

Me too, on both counts. Although at least they have been easily available from the ADBS website of late.

Incidentally, my heart sank when yesterday's show started with Dan announcing that the blokes from Dirty Fan Mail were in the studio. Still, hopefully he's got over his obsession now and we can move on. I mean, the DFM stuff is passably amusing, but I don't download these shows to listen to that.

And I agree with others who say that his BBC London shows have been more enjoyable recently. I thought quite the opposite up until a couple of weeks ago, when the limitations of the podcast format became apparent. So if anyone doesn't tune in regularly to the London shows, then you should do yourself a favour and go to the Listen Again feature each day if you can.

Those shows are much more interactive and spontaneous - indeed, Dan even read out my list of "Ken's" the other day, when he was doing his "Famous Ken's vs Famous Boris's" race in honour of the Mayoral elections. The Boris's won, though.

[Ja'moke]

I did quite enjoy Dan's story on the Monday show, about him and his daughter travelling down the motorway on an empty tank and then going into Leatherhead and sitting in an empty Tesco car park with the occasional drunk passing by asking them to "Open up".

[Lfbarfe]

Those shows are much more interactive and spontaneous - indeed, Dan even read out my list of "Ken's" the other day, when he was doing his "Famous Ken's vs Famous Boris's" race in honour of the Mayoral elections. The Boris's won, though.

I sent in Boris Blank.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

From Yello! Of course. Excellent choice.

I came up with Ken Russell, Ken Campbell, Ken Loach and, of course, Ken Kercheval.

[Lfbarfe]

He loved the Ken Kercheval reference, didn't he? I'm just about to record today's show off the Sky box. I think I'm going to stockpile them from now until he gives up.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

He loved the Ken Kercheval reference, didn't he?

Yeah, I was quite chuffed about that. Making The Bake giggle brightened up an otherwise dull afternoon.

It'll be such a shame if he does give up on live radio though, as that's where he will always be King.

[benthalo]

The podcasts feel like, and in reality are, warm-ups for the radio show. I suspect that the tone will change accordingly when he goes full-time outside of BBC London, but I can certainly see the drawbacks.

I enjoyed Baylon and Amy rowing about misplaced shirts the other day.

[Beep Cleep Chimney]

I'm just about to record today's show off the Sky box. I think I'm going to stockpile them from now until he gives up.

Oh my God, do you mean we've been able to get BBC Radio London through Sky and I never realised?!!!!
I know we can get BBC Radio Scotland, Wales, Ulster and the Asian Network, but I can't find LDN.
What channel number is that, then?

[euler]

Oh my God, do you mean we've been able to get BBC Radio London through Sky and I never realised?!!!!
I know we can get BBC Radio Scotland, Wales, Ulster and the Asian Network, but I can't find LDN.
What channel number is that, then?

I've done some searching on Google - you can't get it on a channel number unless you have a London postcode apparently.

I have found some information on how to add the channel, but it still doesn't appear in the list of channels to add...does anyone know if these settings have changed?

Freq : 10.803 GHz
Polarisation : H
Symbol Rate : 22000
FEC 5/6

[kidsick5000]

Could Wippits downtime be due to the unexpected traffic volume.
The delays in the show appearing on itunes must have meant that more people went to wippit to get it and hammered the bandwidth. Possibly
It seems to be more prompt on itunes now