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A History of the BBC in 100 Blog Posts: 1947.
The 25th anniversary of British broadcasting was commemorated with a special issue of the Radio Times, which amongst other things includes an essay from the then DG Sir William Haley, an interview with Bernard Shaw ("When I want to hear a good play, I listen to one of my own.")(pictured) and half a page from The Dean of St Paul's about "a quarter of a century of religious broadcasting . . ." It's all a bit fusty compared to the cavalcade of interviews the magazine published seventy-five years on.
Although much of the radio schedule was as normal, there were commemorative programmes throughout the week with near nightly concerts and various talks. On the 12th November 1947 itself the Home Service hosted, "Do You Remember", "The BBC Birthday Night Programme" introduced by John Snagge and featuring "sixty minutes of famous personalities, commentaries, occasions, and entertainments" followed by a talk from Sir William, "The Place of Broadcasting".
Although still in its infancy, BBC Television filled prime time in the tail end of the week with a number of shows. "Scrapbook for 1922" which included extracts from Pathe films of that year (and goodness me is available on YouTube), a central documentary "The Story of the BBC" billed as "recalling facts and personalities in 25 years of broadcasting", "Funny Thing This Wireless!" a "light-hearted review of the 25 years" featuring the likes of Frank Muir, Clive Dunn, Vera Lynn and Ronnie Hill and a "Viewer's Viewpoint" discussion featuring luminaries like film director Michael Powell and "an ordinary viewer."
25 Years of Broadcasting
"No ONE can doubt any longer that Broadcasting has a place."
[World Radio History]
"The whole is cast, by special request, in the form of A Grand General Jubilee Salute to the BBC. Broadcast on BBC Third Programme, Saturday 15th November 1947 at 22:05 (or 10.5pm as it was known in those days)."
[Chris Goddard][BBC Programme Index]
"Sir Malcolm Sergeant appears before one of only two cameras, covering BBC Proms 1947 for television, for the first time."
This is an excerpt from the radio broadcast.
[BBC Clips][BBC Proms Archive][BBC Programme Index]
"The chief-conductor of the Proms Sir Malcolm Sargent epitomised the classical music festival from 1947 until 1967. He took part in an astonishing 514 concerts, and shaped the BBC Proms as we know them today."
[Royal Albert Hall]
People
"The sound effects girls at work during studio broadcast of the "Dick Barton" radio show."
[Pathe]
"The photograph shows Adelaide Hall taking part in a programme of Black music called 'Variety in Sepia', that was broadcast from the specially built television studio at Radiolympia."
[National Portrait Gallery]
Places
"BBC reporters describe being trapped by bad weather for 29 days in 1947."
[Trinity House]
Programmes
"In 1947, Brian George, the head of the British Broadcasting Corporation’s Central Programme Operations, hired Séamus Ennis to help record traditional music throughout Ireland."
[Modernism/Modernity]
"By the time BBC TV was turned on again after World War Two, they'd lost the advantage to commercial TV in US. Would they be able to catch up?"
[BBC Sounds][BBC Programme Index]
"Today’s seasonal post relates a tale of woe about a pantomime broadcast from a Christmas past. What follows is a brief encounter with the catalogue of problems that afflicted the planned presentation in early January 1947 from the Grand Theatre of ‘Croydon’s biggest pantomime’, Jack and the Beanstalk."
[Screen Plays][BBC Programme Guide]
Politics
"Allegations of bribery centred around dance music booking in the BBC."
[Pathe]
"This book, which has been written to impart to its readers fundamental knowledge about the operative, performing and allied arts of television -the latest medium of mass home entertainment -is the first, it is hoped, of a series of annual reports on visual radio in Britain and the world."
[World Radio History]
"The task set me in this article is to take a leaf out of Wisden and select the Six Best of the Year"
[World Radio History]
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