Radio and TV - Memories and Favourites

Old Lincolnian, yep, another old timer, I can only think of 'Brucie' still around, everyone is running out on me, have to watch the funny channels these days to still see them, watched the old musical hall the other night, Roy Castle etc., listen to radio 2 for all the old jazz legends. Funny old world.

Kaga, most of the older comedy shows are often on Radio 4 extra including Round The Horne, Dad's Army, Hancock, ISIRTA etc Radio 4 Extra

Thanks OL but yes I do sometimes listen to them, today Jack Douglas, Butlins, Des O'Connor, can't forget them. 'I wanna tell you a story', Max Bygraves. Landed up near Dreamtime at Cottesloe Beach. Had a mate in Coventry, Red Coat boy at Warners I of W during the fifties. Remember it as if yesterday.

Of course my favourite radio programme was the football results on Saturday evening. 1954. So I'm sitting there listening to the results and checking the 12 results column. Hey, I have two lines with ten correct, then eleven correct and I'm jumping out of my skin, the last result is running two mins late and either team can win and I will have one first dividend and one second dividend and the score is 1-0 and I'm shouting come on ref blow the bl@@dy whistle, but oh no there's a penalty, and a goal, then he blows the damn whistle. A draw, and I have only two second dividends, but it still made a few hundred. 1954. It's now summer, so the coupon is on the Aussie results, 7 draws, and it's the newspaper, so I'm checking, three correct, then four, then five and the sweat's running down my forehead, then six, the seventh is an away, so I check again, and there is only six draws on the coupon so I have top, 1st dividend, but only half dividend for my permutation is to a halfpenny. I'm jumping round the room like a madman, next morning I phone the Cov Telegraph sports guy, yeh should be a few thousand, I phone the Sporting Buff in Manchester, yeh should be a few thousand, even for half share, Come the day of the payout, a few hundred, not even a thousand, there had been about a dozen aways, and a good many winners. Oh well, I have a gorgeous date tonight. 'Fingers crossed'.

Hi forumites I well remember the war time news "Here is the six o'clock news and it's Alvar Lidell reading it". After the main news there would follow a lot of garbage that meant nothing to us but it meant a lot to the partisans in France. If we were lucky we would hear Lord Haw Haw telling us that, for us, the war was lost, we must drag Churchill to Trafalgar Square and hang him from a lamp post. Then, if we were very lucky Marlene Dietrich singing 'Where have all the Flowers Gone?' Even as a boy her sultry voice sent shivers up my spine. I was lucky enough to see her in London sometime during the early 70s and she was just as good as she was thirty years earlier.

Everytime I switched the wireless on it was the damned radio doctor, he gave me the real hump.

Except when the football results are on.

"In Town Tonight" "Once again we halt the roar of London traffic to bring you . . . " - it was a magazine programme, generally about people and events who were "in town tonight." I`ve got a feeling it was a predecessor to "Down your way"

I remember it - but on the telly! In Town Tonight was a BBC radio programme broadcast on Saturday evening from 1933 to 1960 (except for a period of 26 weeks in 1937 when The BBC presents the ABC was broadcast instead). It was an early example of the chat show, originally presented by Eric Maschwitz. Its theme music was the Knightsbridge March by Eric Coates. Its introductory sequence had a voice crying "Stop" to interrupt the sound of busy central London, before an announcer said "Once more we stop the mighty roar of London's traffic ..." At the end of the programme the voice would say "Carry on, London". Towards the end of its run the programme was simultaneously broadcast on BBC Television, presented by John Ellison. Antony Bilbow and Nan Winton were the last presenters of the programme and carried on in its successor which began after a missing week. After its demise the programme was replaced by In Town Today, which was broadcast at lunchtime and ran until 1965.

It's Monday night at eight o'clock, Oh, can't you hear the chimes They're telling you to take an easy chair To settle by the fireside Look at your Radio Times For Monday Night at Eight is on the air

I've been scrolling through this topic and it has bought back many happy memories. I have listened to all of the programmes listed and enjoyed them all. What did surprise me was that I didn't see any reference to The Archers (or maybe I missed it). As a family we used to listen to it every night at 6.45pm and woe betide you if you spoke whilst it was on. Saturday night's favourite was Dick Barton (Special Agent). Sunday morning it was Family Favourites, this was where I was introduced to the 1812th overture, which is still a favourite of mine. We also listened to Meet The Huggetts, with Jack Warner and Kathleen Harrison. For the life of me I can't remember if it was in Meet the Huggetts or another programme that an actress's catch line was Ooooh Ron. Can anyone remember?

Good day to all forumites. Dick Barton was a favourite of most school children but Tricia, wasn't that on every day? I have memories of children running home from school so as not to miss the start. Must add that I don't recall ever listening to it. Had other things on my mind. Betty Fisher to name but one. I do remember Ooooo Ron and can recall from whence it came: Take It From Here I can recall the BBC Home Service and the Light Programme but my wife insists that BBC broadcast another channel but I cannot remember another one. Suppose she is right, she always is. Edited by Midland Red, 25th Mar 2016 2:27 pm (Faulty link clarified)

Thanks for that Norman. After reading your link I remember it well and it was June Whitfield who used to say OooooRon. You are probably right about Dick Barton, the grey matter doesn't work so well these days. I also recall the Home Service and the Light Programme, but seem to remember mum talking about the 'Third Programme', again I can't be sure.

It was called he Third Programme Tricia and was the "highbrow" service with classical music and arts programmes. Not surprisingly it eventually became Radio 3. The Home Service was mainly speech and the Light Programme mainly light entertainment and popular music.