#029 The First Listings: from Norman Long to Neville Chamberlain

The British Broadcasting Century with Paul Kerensa

Yellow highlighters at the ready - the listings have arrived! Except it's weeks 2 + 3 of the BBC, back in Nov/Dec 1922, and the Radio Times is nearly a year away. So how do we know what's on the wireless? And is it called radio yet?

A few trusty local newspapers printed a few listings - though watch this space, as they'll decide differently in a few episodes time. From The Pall Mall Gazette to The Derby Daily Telegraph, we've cobbled together the first BBC listings, thanks to our newspaper detective Andrew Barker.

Plus a few memos read by the early BBC staff who received them, an insight into the first Children's Hour, and the debuts of comedian Norman Long and the 2LO Wireless Orchestra.

There's also the return of the Parliamentary Podcast Players to shine a light on some dodgy dealing in Westminster (Government sleaze? At least that's no longer with us). It's all down to ex-Postmaster General F.G. Kellaway, who negotiated with the Marconi Company and co to help set up the BBC, now becoming a Marconi Company director. Could he have set up his own company for a windfall? We also whizz back to the Marconi Scandal of 1912, when shares were scooped up by government ministers thanks to some alleged insider dealing.

Our guests are Andrew Barker and Alan Stafford (Alan's books include It's Friday, It's CRACKERJACK).

Hear rare archive clips from:

• 2LO Musical Director Stanton Jefferies
• 5IT Chief Engineer A.E. Thompson
• 5IT Station Director Percy Edgar
• Comedian Helena Millais
• Percussionist Billy Whitlock
• Comedian Norman Long

And thanks to our Parliamentary Podcast Players:

• Mr Speaker - Wayne Clarke
• Captain Benn - Edi Johnston
• Mr Short - Lynn Robertson Hay
• Mr Hurd - Philip Rowe
• Mr Middleton - Paul Stubbs
• The PM Mr Bonar Law - Daniel Edison
• Mr Neville Chamberlain - Pete Hawkins

SHOWNOTES:

• Our Norman Long excerpt is from AusRadioHistorian - see his Youtube channel for hundreds more old gramophone records.
• We mention singer Topliss Green - you can see and hear him sing, later, in this footage from British Pathe.
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Next time: the first four employees... including the arrival of John Reith.

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