The question in my mind is who does the BBC think is the main audience for the BBC 4 Sessions? They may attract some mainstream viewers, by chance or out of curiosity, and from that perspective it made a great show - a bit different from anything else on, and miles away from the mainstream perception of "folk". So in that respect, well done.

However I suspect that the majority of viewers for any of the BBC 4 Sessions are people who are already familiar with the performers, or at least the genre, and who will more be interested in the music than the show. In the majority of cases (the June Tabor session stands out as a shining example) this is what they provide. It looks as if they tried to do something a bit different and special for Christmas, but in doing so took their eye off the ball.