'We value listeners' devotion' – but they still swing the axe

The BBC has rejected a petition calling for Radio 4 Extra to be saved.

Bosses say they ‘know the decision to close the station will be disappointing for its loyal and dedicated audience’ – but will still swing the axe in the spring.

Chortle sent a petition of more than 17,500 names to the broadcaster’s board, which sets the BBC’s strategic direction and decides major policy changes.

They forwarded it to the complaints department, which replied that the corporation was ‘grateful for the devotion to the BBC and Radio 4 Extra shown by all those who have signed it’.

However, it otherwise responded with a stock response confirming the news, saying it was ‘driven by the financial pressures we face’ as the BBC tries to make £500million in savings.

It added: ‘The BBC needs to adapt to the changing ways audiences are choosing to listen to content, which require us to focus our resources differently.'

The response also pointed out that the closure of the archive comedy and drama station was first announced in 2022. At that point, bosses also said they would be axing BBC Four and CBBC as linear channels – both of which have subsequently been saved. 

The complaints unit added: ‘We are currently working on how we can continue to provide Radio 4 Extra listeners with the content they value most through other BBC platforms, including Radio 4 and BBC Sounds, where they will continue to find drama and comedy from both our archive and new commissions.’

However, a key complaint from listeners is that losing the curation offered by a linear channel will make it much harder to find programmes they did not already know existed – while any AI algorithms serving up content on BBC Sounds would lack the human touch to serve up surprising discoveries.  

» Opinion: Was Radio 4 Extra just too unfashionable to survive?

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Published: 9 Nov 2026