Sniff - bye bye Radio Downloader

I've enjoyed countless hours of entertainment over the years thanks to the ability to save BBC radio programmes using Radio Downloader.

But sadly it is no more.  Matt at www.nerdoftheherd.com has taken the software down at the request of the BBC; even installed versions won't fetch programmes any more. The Technomage and I are very grateful to the developers for all the work they've put in, especially as the software is free with just a polite request for donations.

We've built up a huge library of BBC drama, sci-fi, comedy and odds-and-ends, so we're not going to be short of things to listen to - but catching up on new content will be harder.

We can of course still record programmes via other means, eg the TV, but these involve more convoluted processes to get them onto an mp3 player (or flash stick for the car). I will miss the ease of setting up subscriptions for things like the 15-minute drama on Woman's Hour and then just collecting a batch a few weeks later.

The glimmer of hope is that the BBC is apparently considering introducing more downloads - but these will have DRM protection and a time window for listening and I'm bound to find myself leaving it too late. Perhaps I'll end up digging out the old cassette player with a built-in timer that I used to use for this very purpose 15 or 20 years ago!