The BBC are to axe Radio 4’s “UK theme” which starts every day at 0530 British time (ie 0630 our time, when the alarm clock goes off).

For those of you who haven’t heard it: it starts with a snatch of Early One Morning, appropriately enough given the time of day, then starts to get interesting by playing two well-known tunes simultaneously – especially daring is What Shall We Do With The Drunken Sailor? mashed up with Greensleeves, but we also get Men of Harlech combined with Scotland the Brave, and The Londonderry Air/Danny Boy melded with Annie Laurie, ending with Rule Britannia and an added helping of The Trumpet Voluntary.

I guess if I wasn’t used to it, I would in fact prefer to have a few extra minutes of news at that time of day, rather than patriotic music for a value of patriotism that I don’t particularly share. But I will miss it once it’s gone.