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Happy 40th birthday BBC Radio

‘The ’, ‘Six Continents’, Where did the old ‘Home Service’ stop and * * * * * ‘From our own correspondent’, ‘Breakfast on the new Radio 4 start? A change in name, Radio 4 was the BBC Home Service, and 3’, , ‘’, ‘Children’s that’s all. And Radio 1 forced by the pirates. may be again if in times of national Hour’, ‘Uncle Mac’, ‘The Navy Lark’, ‘’. . But emergency all other channels are forced to ‘Hancock’s Half Hour’, ‘The Today most of all John Peel and ‘The Shipping close. If that happens hope the BBC programme’, ‘’, John Peel, Forecast’. controllers follow the precedent set 40 years ‘Gardeners’ Question Time’, ‘The Brains ago and continue with an uninterrupted Trust’, ‘’, ‘Take It From Neville Goodman schedule. In particular, I would emphasise Here’, ‘’, ‘I’m sorry I haven’t a * * * * * the necessity of continuing to broadcast clue’, ‘The Early Music Show’, ‘Late Our weekend rota, years ago, was shared ‘’, ‘The News Quiz’ and ‘I’m Junction’, ‘Front Row’, ‘The Shipping among six doctors from three practices in sorry I haven’t a clue’. BBC radios 1 –4 may Forecast’, ‘’, ‘’, ‘Test adjacent areas. So, every sixth weekend saw be 40 years old, but the daddy of them all is Match Special’, ‘’, Jack de me car-bound for hours at a time as I Radio 4, at almost 70. Manio and John Humphreys — but most of crossed and re-crossed a large part of South It is almost impossible in this technological all John Peel and ‘The Shipping Forecast’. — and, ever since then, Radio 3 and age to imagine what would have to happen Lying in a tent in the in 1974, Radio 4 have been among my dearest to precipitate a crisis so deep that we’d be listening to the rain beating down and the friends. restricted once again to a single radio BBC announcer reading out the Scottish Radio 3 meant music; I would get into the station. The need for light relief, the British Shipping Forecast, ‘Machrihanish, …’. car and switch on to find myself in the middle ability to laugh in the face of adversity and to Driving around in the car anywhere, anytime, of some piece I could not identify. I would laugh at our leaders and ourselves, could be and flicking on Radio 4. Fascinating facts play guessing games as I listened for some our saving grace. While boosting national about far-off places or little thought-about melodic or harmonic clue. Or, there would be morale with my three favourite radio things to relieve the tedium of motorway performances of some great works I knew programmes I could also see a role for them driving. lunchtimes long ago: family very well, and I would sing along loudly. All in issuing coded messages and feeding around the table, giggling to Ha-ha-ha this sustained me as the hours dragged on. misinformation to our enemies (how could ‘Hancock’s Half Hour’, or to Leslie Phillips’ There were jazz programmes, too, and I can they ever begin to comprehend ‘Mornington ‘Left hand down a bit’ in ‘The Navy Lark’. remember hearing the great Errol Garner Crescent’?). Therein lies the heartbeat of Queries about cotoneaster and alliums on play ‘I’ll remember April’ with such ebullient Radio 4. Is it really just a comforting relic of ‘Gardeners’ Question Time’. Brian bounce and humour that I had to stop the the empire and what it means to be British? Johnstone discussing cakes sent in by car in order fully to savour it and to laugh at My Archers addiction is already on record, listeners to ‘’. the sheer pleasure of it. There were talks, but is the time to admit to a weekday The BBC just is. Even more than the NHS, there were plays — there was none of the schedule dictated by Radio 4. I wake to John it is the institution that defines us, feeds us. passivity of watching , for you Humphrys and on ‘The It is assailed from all angles by those who are conjured up images from sound as you Today Programme’ and am regularly irritated jealous of it and want to destroy it: most of listened. by their subtle attempts to subvert my own all by . He would impose his I would switch between Radio 3 and Radio opinion on matters of national importance. values on us, which are not the values of ‘File 4; between them they never let me down. If Nonetheless, it saves reading a newspaper, on 4’ and ‘I’m sorry I haven’t a clue’. We Radio 3 was broadcasting Stockhausen or enabling me to multi-task, keeping up with won’t miss it till it’s gone. Boulez, Radio 4 was sure to have comedy or the news while showering, dressing and Wake up to ‘Breakfast’ on 3; get ready for something like Melvin Bragg being having breakfast. bed to ‘’. With no fascinatingly polymathic; similarly, if Radio 4 During the day, ‘Women’s Hour’ or ‘You advertisements in between. Priceless. was overdosing me with show-business and Yours’ are treats while driving to off-site Radio 2, the old ‘Light Programme’. Its trivia, then Radio 3 would have Bach or meetings, but in the evening, routine returns. music was once for housewives and the Brahms or Bruckner to keep me happy. And My evening meal is prepared during the deeply untrendy. Except that now its music it has continued thus, on car journeys; as I 18.30 slot and eaten in the company of my is very much my music: Mike Harding’s folk hammer away at my computer; as I try to Ambridge friends. Thereafter, it’s ad hoc music; the of Bob Harris, and cook, or as I just sit down to listen ... Radio listening only if an advance announcement Nick Barraclough. 3 and Radio 4, my friends for life. has whetted my appetite for something Yes, I know some that I’ve mentioned (most often ‘Front Row’). I’m usually sound predate Radios 1 –4, but it is all of a piece. Michael Lasserson asleep before ‘ ’ , but I have

924 British Journal of General Practice, November 2007 Reportage

to confess to looking forward to insomniac I’m a well-balanced individual though with the programmes have been on air for longer old age when I plan to train myself to doze chips on both shoulders and not a zealot. Let than 40 years. They feel like Victorian off to ‘’ and the late night ‘Shipping us celebrate the achievements of Radio 2, battleships sailing on majestically, Forecast’. Europe’s most popular radio station. By all impervious to transient changes of taste. means try the rest, including the ones with Think of ‘’ (1942), ‘Any Marjory A Greig adverts. Then come home to the best. Questions’ (1948), ‘’ (1953), ‘The ’ (1948), ‘Women’s Hour’ * * * * * Max Inwood (1946) and ‘Gardeners’ Question Time’ As I write this, I am on the Radio 2 website, (1947, and claiming to have answered listening to Benny and the Jets from Elton * * * * * 30 000 questions). ‘Gardeners’ Question John’s O2 Arena concert on the BBC listen Someone recently observed that we never Time’ is very English anomaly. Like ‘The again feature. It sounds like a great concert. see ugly or unattractive newsreaders on the Living World’, this is surely a programme I know that it doesn’t have the street cred of television. Radio, of course is different. I designed for television. How does it manage Snow Patrol but it is great music and you can don’t have a clue what looks to continue its existence on radio? It’s a hear all the words. Where were you when like, but her voice is a marvel, something to reminder of another pre-Radio 4 oddity, you first heard ‘Philadelphia Freedom’? make feel safe and secure, like being ‘Educating Archie’, which ran for some years Of course, the other BBC stations have tucked up in bed with a hot water bottle. The with an extraordinarily talented range of their uses but only for specific purposes. kaleidoscope of voices is one of the tutors for Archie. But Archie was a Like a toilet brush perhaps. Does anyone attractions of Radio 4, each one with its own ventriloquist’s dummy. On radio. listen to Radio 1 these days? When you instantly recognisable identity (in passing, And when you get fed up with Radio 4 you eventually tire of atonal music on Radio 3 can anyone tell me what the memory can always complain to ‘ ’. Nobody and endless political speculation on Radio 4, process is in this — how a few words spoken from the BBC ever apologises, or admits to it is good to get back to Radio 2. Like a well- down a phone are enough to tell us who is any error, but like Radio 4 itself, it’s worn pair of slippers, there is no question, it speaking?). I can remember distinctly voices quintessentially English: a well-mannered, is the place to be, , tomorrow, and from at least 40 years ago: the morning civilised, exchange of views. In impeccable always. rumblings of Jack de Manio doing ‘Today’ received pronounciation English. There is something quite special and (all on his own in those distant days); the connecting with the past, about starting the wonderful journalist William Hardcastle on What is the matter with Radio Four? day with someone who I remember from my ‘’ — a medical school I’m not an old fart and I’m not an schooldays. I know that Terry’s other listener friend said that he was one of the few people old bore would agree with me that his wit and who sounded fat; or the patrician tones of Or a grumpy old bugger like observations on life grow more true with Derek Cooper on ‘’. Evelyn Waugh, each passing year. Like most GPs, I don’t Perhaps this is all a middle class conceit, But it doesn’t half stick in my craw! hear much of in the forenoon but that visual appearance is a shallow quality, lunchtime never fails to while voice is altogether more serious. From ‘Now we are Sixty’, by Christopher produce interesting debates before handing Without doubt voice can be very persuasive. Matthew (after AA Milne). over to the unique talents of Steve Wright The duo Flotsam and Jetsam sang on radio and the madcap at drivetime. (long before the birth of Radio 4): David Jewell Who could forget giants of the past such as John Dunn and Jimmy Young? Brian Little Betty Bouncer Matthews is back after a long illness. Loves an announcer on a Saturday. Bob Harris on Down at the BBC. a Thursday. These are household names. It is She doesn’t know his name not too strong to say that they contribute to But how she rejoices my understanding of what it means to be When she hears that voice of voices. British. Gentle, civilised, but with a hint of self-deprecating humour. Perhaps I am just being seduced by an Radio 2 is not all pink and fluffy. It also has endless supply of talk enunciated in what my the power to stir strong emotions. It engages wife describes as ‘English Fruity’. with the affairs of the day. Some of the If it were only mellifluous voices uttering evening magazine programmes have impeccable received pronounciation English gripped my imagination causing me to listen we would soon be bored. The glory of Radio to the end. Stories about Karen Carpenter, 4 is the breadth of content: news and current Pavarotti, and just last week, one about the affairs, documentaries, fiendish quizzes, career of the Sex Pistols were as good as comedy, soaps, , arts, religion, history, anything on Radio 4. and philosophy. Remarkably, a number of

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