old radio programmes in pre TV days

mrsmopp I certainly remember In Town Tonight...

The Knightsbridge March (Eric Coates), the sounds of traffic, the flower seller - "Vi'lets, Lovely Vi'lets" - and nthen that stentorian bellow (in reverb) "Once again.... to bring you some of the interesting people who are In Town Tonight!"

And at the end - "Carry on, London!"

Most of the content was pretty tame, but the production was dramatic!

Your name is, of course, pure ITMA... Dorothy Summers was the raucous char-woman in question, looking in to ask 'Can I do yer now, Sir?' (On her first appearance the line wasn't quite right - it was 'Can I do for you now, Sir?' - the rhythm, all wrong.

As a child I loved the succession of odd-ball characters that plagued Mr 'Andley - Signor So-so (genuine Italian accent from Dino Galvani, The Colonel, ever ready for another libation, Sam Scram and Lefty who complained 'It's me noives...' All created by Ted Kavanagh, Tommy Handley and producer Francis Worsley.

And in occupied countries, even people who didn't speak English would still risk listening, just to hear the laughter of the British studio audience.

I mean smacked bum - gawd, the thing we say in typos!!

The Goon Show. On the school bus the next day, we'd re-create the entire dialogue. Funny how we could remember all that, but couldn't learn our Shakespeare sonnets or Latin verbs!!

Then there was The Archers, and later, all the pop music on Radio Caroline, and also on Radio Luxemburg.

Mum got cross and turned the wireless off when Mrs Dale's Diary came on. She said it was right wing and snobbish!! She was the same when 'The Grove Family' came on the telly.

It's a wonder we had a radio at all - as a little 4 or 5 year old they found me prising the back off it to 'find the little people inside'.

The snacked bum did nothing to teach me how radio worked.

Maniac...Dick Barton was my favourite evening treat.
Two Way Family Favourites, listened to on Sundays as we ate the roast beef and Yorkshire pud [that had been cooked in the village baker's big oven, along with many others] I also liked the programme featuring George Cole. Was his dog called Sykey?

The programme in the Western setting was probably Big Bill Campbell's show.
Campbell and his Rocky Mountaneers had a Sunday afternoon spot - singin' and playin' around the ol' camp fire... Mighty fine... mighty fine...

The square dance programme featured Phil Cardew and the Corn Huskers (all session players - not many square dance bands featured a clarinet). The caller was a bit tame, I remember, by comparison with the American tobacco auctioneer style callers - he favoured a singing style.

Maniac, I don`t think it was that, I think it was coming from a dance hall, but I wasn`t very old, so may not be remembering very well, can just remember the man calling out all the moves for the dancers. Oh, the days, eh, when we listened to dancing!

Like many the memory of Two Way Family Favourites whils the Sunday roast was cooking and Dad was either in the garden or at the Pub! Mrs Dale's Diary was my Mum's favourite and for me the Clitheroe Kid with Jimmy Clitheroe.

number Was that the programme set in cowboy country -they often had a hoe-down. can't recall the name or regular cast.
Listened to 'Dick Barton special agent' before doing my homework

Did anyone listen to the square dancing, with the man calling out all the moves? I associate that with a memory of sitting toasting bread over red coals on the end of a long toasting fork.

In Town Tonight, In Town Tonight,
Stop!
Once again we stop the mighty roar of London's traffic.......
Etc.
I think that was how it went. Remember it?

Wonderful - I loved Listen with Mother (surprised to learn Daphne Oxenford only died recently) & I was an Ovalitinie - still got the badge. Later Uncle Mac on Saturday mornings -Runaway Train, Max Bygraves etc. Paul Temple was scary & we listened as a family to the play on Saturday evenings. I remember the smell of baking on Friday nights when I came home from Guides & then had the weekly bath whilst listening to Friday Night is Music night. Sunday roasts after Chapel accompanied by Two Way Family Favourites, Round the Horne & Jimmy Edwards (plus Ron & Eth) with parents embarrassed by the risqué bits. Plus Wifred Pickles & Mabel at the table & doing homework while listening to radio plays. I also remember listening to a commentary of a boxing match between Cassius Clay & ? whilst sitting on top of a ladder doing a sketch of the ladder for art homework (still have it!).
I had 4 years of my childhood & commercial radio in Sydney and can still sing the ad for Aeroplane Jelly "I love Aeroplane jelly, Aeroplane Jelly for me, I like it for dinner, I like it for tea, A little each day is a good recipe ..."

Lots of memories here great. Mrs Dale's Diary I loved that and Children's Favourites. I remember Sunday was good with Educating Archie/ Navy Lark/ Jimmy Edwards etc.etc etc.

Children's Hour... The Box of Delights, The Swish of the Curtain, Toytown ('Uncle Mac' again, as Larry the Lamb), Winnie-the-Pooh - with Norman Shelley as Pooh - wonderful.

I remember curling up in an armchair by the fire, with no lights on, to listen to Saturday Night Theatre - all those wonderful voices - members of the BBC Drama Repertory Company.

And the newsreaders/announcers: Stewart Hibberd, Alvar Lidell and my favourite, whose recorded voice heard today sends me straight back to childhood, Frank Phillips.

Finally, the comedians - Ted Ray, Tommy Handley, Claude Dampier, Vic Oliver (with Bebe Daniels and Ben Lyon) Clapham and Dwyer, Gillie Potter - he was another favourite of mine.

Glad you are PrintMiss.

Thanks for that Grannyeggs unfortunately, my hearing loss is such that talk on the radio is beyond me - can hear the music, not the words. Still here though!

Printmiss you can still hearPaul Temple on Radio Four Extra. I think it is at 9am and repeated,but can't remember which days.

Used to rush home from work to catch Dick Barton - Special Agent! and what about Paul Temple? Friday Night is Music Night - I believe that is still going, and when the children were small and had their afternoon nap - (yes, they did ) I would curl up and listen to Women's hour.

Workers playtime,UncleMac and the early Archers.

I had no memory of this until I read this thread, now I have a vision of our steamy kitchen, a blazing fire and Two Way Family Favourites on the Bakelite wireless.

I can even picture me in my hand knitted, yellow, itchy sweater.

Two way family favourites with Cliff Mitchelmore and
Jean Metcalf. I can smell the Sunday roast cooking!!
I think Cliff and Jean got married didnt they?

Oooh yes, after Family Favourites. Wakey Wakeeeeee!! Ta de de da da da, ta de de da da da!

The Billy Cotton Band Show!

I loved Wilfred Pickles.
Also remember fondly listening to Workers Playtime at lunchtime on weekdays.
Mrs. Dale`s Diary, and Waggoners Walk were my favourite radio dramas.
Oh yes, and the Ovaltinies on a Sunday evening!
Nearly forgot about The Navy Lark.
And Sunday lunchtime wouldn`t have been Sunday lunchtime without Two Way Family Favourites. Loved the theme music, With a Song in my Heart,

Round the Horn - I recently had cause to listen to several episodes and I could not believe it - they would never be allowed now!

I remember my grandma listening to "Mrs Dale's Diary", and my dad liked "Round the Horn". Sundays weren't Sundays without the smell of roast coming from the kitchen and Two Way Family Favourites on the radio.

I used to love Uncle Mac on Saturday mornings - singing along to I'm a Pink Toothbrush, Little White Bull, Nellie the Elephant, etc.