It is indelibly part of my morning routine. I listen to the Today Programme, dipping in and out of other shows now and then, but always returning. But however I organise my morning - even if I arrange it specifically to avoid being near the radio at 7.50am - I somehow find myself suffering Thought for the Day.
This morning, over cereal, I listened to the Right Reverend James Jones, talking about Mark Wallinger winning the Turner Prize. Of course, he wasn't really talking about that - it was the topical hook leading into the religious point. If L'Oreal hair care ads famously have a "science bit", then Thought for the Day comes with a God bit. The only fun for the listener is guessing when it might emerge. This morning, after talking about Wallinger's madcap antics in the name of art, the God bit came after one minute 40 seconds, with Jones saying, "But even in the pages of the Bible..."
The broadcast went on in the slot's typically cosy, naff fashion, with Jones detailing how Isaiah "stripped off his sandals and sackcloth" and walked naked through the streets. "At this point," said Jones, "we might find ourselves reaching for such fashionable words as 'nutter'." At this point, actually, I found myself re-tuning.
I know I've always got that option, but TFTD is lodged in the key hour (for my morning routine, anyway) of my breakfast listening. There are some slightly less egregious Thoughts, with an ethics bit instead of a God bit, but even those leave me cold and are in any case outnumbered by the overtly religious ones. Neither does much for me in terms of radio, either, feeling like a jolt, an abrupt halt to proceedings in a busy part of Today.
But when it comes to ones with a God bit, the main gripe I've got is that they don't make me think. I just hear, "But even in the pages of the Bible..." or whatever the particular morning's phrasing is, and switch off mentally before switching, usually, to Terry Wogan. I'm not saying there isn't a place for such a slot within the Today Programme, but is it right that in the run-up to the most listened to part of a flagship morning news programme at 8am, we should have such a tired, faith-based feature for a dwindling number of believers?
