It’s not the way Lord Reith would have planned it, but Irvine Welsh, the author of Trainspotting who is famed for his ripe use of language, has prompted a new liberal policy towards swearing at Radio 4.

Interviewed live at the Latitude Festival for Martha Kearney’s Broadcasting House programme on Sunday, the chronicler of the seedy underbelly of Edinburgh naturally responded with the F-word.

Listeners complained that this tone was inappropriate for the programme that came after Sunday Worship. BBC bigwigs, while apologising for any offence caused by Welsh, have decided that Middle England can now handle a bit of vulgar language.

“In general, I think that Radio 4 listeners have a high tolerance for swearing,” said Peter Rippon, editor of Broadcasting House and The World at One. “When we bleep or edit out swearing, listeners argue that we are insulting their intelligence and censoring when we do it.”

This could raise the temperature during Today interviews, but will The Archers succumb to such profanity?

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