The most obvious effect of the coronavirus on radioland is the absence of events on the ground. In particular Easter Sunday Worship (Radio 4), which would ordinarily have been broadcast live from a cathedral, will now consist of a “specially compiled studio service pre-recorded close to transmission”, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. Listeners desperate to hear what an Anglican church service sounds like in normal times are directed to a three-year-old rerun of the Easter Day celebration of Choral Evensong from Norwich Cathedral (Radio 3).
For Good Friday, At the Foot of the Cross (Radio 2) now features a rerecorded introduction, in which presenter Dan Walker explains that the original proceedings were taped in front of a live audience at the Maida Vale Studios back in early March. There follows one of those expanding suitcases in which practically everything and everyone you can think of is pressed into service to unpack the meaning of the day.