Idle matinees

The only time serious people are supposed to watch daytime television is when Wimbledon, a party conference or, in the old days, the Trades Union Congress is on. Otherwise, it is simply not done in this country to know who Carol Vorderman is. Listening to the radio during office hours, on the other hand, has quite different connotations. The Afternoon Play on Radio 4 has been an upmarket institution since it started in 1961. So those clever scheduling types at the BBC are trying out the obvious thing: The Afternoon Play on television.

Mal Young, the BBC man in charge, has it in a nutshell. "There's a high guilt factor with watching daytime television, so they want something that says their time has been well spent." We welcome the replacement of game shows with good drama, if only for a one-week trial, but does Mr Young not think his dictum might apply at any time of day or night?