The British Broadcasting Century Podcast has celebrated its hundredth episode by, what it says, is righting some wrongs in radio’s origin story.
Since launching five years ago, the podcast on the early BBC (though not made by them) has championed forgotten pioneers behind some of today’s favourite genres – often female or regional broadcasters.
The podcast is hosted by Paul Kerensa, comedy writer and broadcaster for the BBC, including co-writing BBC1’s Not Going Out and presenting Radio 4 Extra’s Daily Service.
“Men from London wrote the history books,” said Paul. “It’s about time we set the (gramophone) record straight.”
Episode 100 includes new information and archive of overlooked landmark moments, including:
- Britain’s first disc jockey was Gertrude Donisthorpe in summer 1917, from a field in Worcester. At first only reaching her husband, she soon gained a listenership of several hundred army recruits. The new podcast episode includes a rare clip of her reflecting on her achievement as the first woman on the radio.
- Britain’s first radio dramatist has for over a century been wrongly credited as Richard Hughes, with 1924’s A Comedy of Danger. The podcast, with Professor Tim Crook, has undertaken new research, proving that Phyllis Twigg’s The Truth about Father Christmas came first in Christmas 1922, with a full cast and sound effects. Further still, the podcast has shown that she became the world’s first TV chef.
- Britain’s first religious broadcast has been wrongly claimed as Rev John Mayo on the BBC, Christmas 1922. But new research for the podcast has found a Peckham preacher whose radio sermon came five months pre-BBC. His broadcast service reached as far as Coventry and Frinton, where listeners offered to send him full collection plates.
- The first BBC sports programme was thought to be Edgar Wallace on the Derby in June 1923. But The British Broadcasting Century has uncovered a Welsh sports programme from two months earlier (it was probably rugby…).
- The BBC’s first song has been claimed by the BBC as Drake Goes West sung by Leonard Hawke on day 3 of the BBC. But the first song was on day 2 from Manchester 2ZY: Kreisler’s Liebesleid.
Other forgotten firsts revealed on the podcast include the first radio traffic report (over Epsom racecourse, April 1921), London’s first broadcast (a charity comedy show, August 1921) and the first sports commentary (Marconi himself on an Irish sailing regatta in 1898 – via Morse code).
“After a hundred episodes, we’re only up to August 1923 in the BBC origin story, so who knows what other first firsts we might discover,” Paul continued. “Another 100 episodes and we might be get to television. Another 1000 episodes and we might get to The Goons. I fear at this rate we’ll never reach Mr Blobby!”
Onstage this summer too, Paul brings An Evening of (Very) Old Radio to Camden Fringe on 5th and 6th August at The Water Rats pub. Details for this show based on the podcast are on the Camden Fringe website.
The British Broadcasting Century Podcast’s 100th episode is available on all the podcast platforms – and it’s nothing to do with today’s BBC.
