You’ve heard of watching paint dry? Now you can listen to it. At least if you tune in a new format that could only be tried by a station that gets funded completely by taxpayers and doesn’t need to worry about ratings.
 
Which brings us to BBC Radio 3 and its new “slow radio” concept, supposedly designed to provide an antidote from a too-hectic world.
 
Among the shows they’re airing:
 
-An overnight program that you’re supposed to sleep to. It ran 8 hours, had limited soothing music and was presented from a place where listeners were actually snoring.
 
-A guy walking through a forest for four hours, with some small amount of music, but also the sound of his boots crunching through the leaves and birds singing.
 
-A multi-week all-Bach Christmas, consisting of more forestry, re-creating a walk the celebrated composer took to hear his own music, which is also included in the endless show.
 
-A marathon featuring dementia patients, mixed with gentle tunes, designed to give people with that terrible disease a voice. Fair enough, but it runs a staggering six hours!
 
So would you listen to this? I can only say I would be “rushing” to change the station. 

The guy behind the idea tries to explain it all here.
 
The press in England is, predictably, being a lot less kind. 

Raft of new BBC Radio 3 programmes will take 'slow radio' to next level