We launch petition as listeners protest BBC axe

Chortle has launched a petition to save Radio 4 Extra as comedians, writers, producers and broadcasters stepped up to criticise the BBC’s decision to axe the much-loved archive comedy and drama station.

At most, the move will save £4million a year – just .067 per cent of the BBC’s almost £6billion-a-year budget. That same percentage of the £180 a year licence fee works out at around 12 pence.

That provides a linear, broadcast station which showcases the best BBC audio output over the decades. It is home to classic comedies such as  The Goon Show, Tony Hancock and Beyond Our Ken as well as more contemporary stand-up specials, sitcoms and panel shows.

The channel is expected to close in March. Its content will remain available on BBC Sounds, but as many listeners pointed out, to access that you need to know what to search for, rather than being presented with curated programming.

Others were critical because many of Radio 4 Extra’s 1.55million weekly listeners are from an older age group, likely to be less au fait with digital streaming. 

The Radio Circle – a network of enthusiasts who track down and restore lost episodes of old shows – also said their work would be affected without Radio 4 Extra being there champion them, and broadcast some of their recovered treasures.

Comedian Toby Hadoke, who presents Radio 4 Extra's science-fiction, fantasy, and horror block The 7th Dimension told Chortle: 'I'm just very sad. 4 Extra is not just a rerun channel, it is a lovingly curated repository of broadcasting gems, which, in between the programmes, provides context and, to use the modern parlance, content - bleurgh

‘Putting the archive on demand on the Sounds App may sound like a sensible alternative but it actually strips away the unique bit that a public service broadcaster can provide - that old fashioned idea of the listener not knowing what's coming on next but being prepared to be surprised by it. 

‘That's the way I have discovered so many things that I love and it's the anathema of the on-demand culture being pursued here. It's a channel people leave on - give themselves over to. It exploits an available resource. And its listeners are probably the very last people whom a digital alternative will suit. 

‘It saddens me that these current attempts to save a public service broadcaster seem to involve a diminution of the actual public service broadcasting that the BBC does. It feels like trying to save the rainforests by cutting down all the trees but saying "It's OK, we are investing in astroturf"’

Sign our petition here.

Many peopletook to social media to protestt the loss of Radio 4 Extra.

Radio comedy producer Steve Doherty

The death of Radio 4 Extra is a very, very sad day.  I am genuinely upset by this decision….All notions of curation and the joys or serendipitous discovery destroyed.

Dirk Maggs, who adapted Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy books for the radio after Douglas Adams’s death

Radio 4 Extra wasn’t an apocryphal service for superannuated listeners. It was a cultural resource and a reminder of a braver, expertly curated BBC.

The Thick Of It and Veep writer Ian Martin

Come on, how much does it cost to run Radio 4 Extra? Like half a crown a day? They're fucking repeats. We ought to be massively funding the BBC for the same reason we should be protecting our universities. Soft power makes money.

Former Radio 1 DJ Wes Butters

In my opinion, we're going to lose something incredibly valuable to the cultural fabric & history of this country. If Radio 4 Extra with its carefully curated archive isn't the epitome of public service broadcasting, well, I don't know what is. Only the BBC can do it. A sad day.
 

6 Music DJ Gideon Coe

‘I love 4 Extra. It's my favourite radio station. I love how it flows as a linear station. I love how it schedules programmes I'd otherwise never have heard. It's my go-to escape. I'm very sad to read that it is to close.’

Comedian Athena Kugblenu

‘Closing Radio 4 Extra will not create savings of note. It commissions no original programmes. It pays modest radio royalties, producers and hosts. That's it. So the BBC archive is gonna be left to collect dust?  This is death by 1000 cuts. Radio is the one thing the BBC does better than any of its competitors. It's also the only platform streamers can't seem to pull listeners from. Why join ppl you're already beating? That's not how the saying goes ppl don't migrate from radio to an app. That's the point of radio. I don't want to connect my phone to a speaker. Or download episodes. I want to switch something on in my car, kitchen, bedroom or workplace. If you're taking what I like off the radio, I'll simply stream my playlists instead. This isn't about money. It's about killing off quality to replace with cheap content.’

TV drama producer Mal Young

@BBCRadio4Extra is my go-to. Always find some vintage nugget from The Clitheroe Kid to a lost Hancock to Paul Temple. Yes, I could search thru the clunky archive, but half the joy is the surprise of the find.

Former BBC Radio Humberside presenter Carl Wheatley:

‘I'm going to miss my wonderful #BBCRadio4Extra - my go to station for the BBC's rich archive of comedy and drama. How expensive can it be compared to other channels? A real shame.’

Radio Circle

‘We are all saddened by the announcement that @R4Extra is scheduled for closure. Not only has the channel been the ideal outlet for the many programmes we have recovered, the staff have always been very encouraging, helpful, and, most importantly, have promoted what we do. We will continue to work through collections offered to us & recover lost radio, but we have to plan for a future where we don't have an on-air champion. Thank you to all those who continue to enjoy archive radio programmes - it means our efforts are not in vain.’

Author Linda Grant

‘I’ve been listening to Alan Bennett read Winnie the Pooh from 1984 on Radio 4 Extra. The BBC has just announced it’s closing the station. The enshitification of life is really on a roll.’

Published: 21 Oct 2026