#075 (The) Radio Times at 100 - Part 1

The British Broadcasting Century with Paul Kerensa

Happy 100th to (The) Radio Times!

(The 'the' vanished in 1937)

Britain's favourite magazine is a century old this very week, at time of recording.

So it's a bumper edition - not dissimilar to the fat two-weeker that lands on your doorstep or falls off supermarket shelves due to weight and gravity every festive season. This is a two-parter, paying tribute to a century of the 'Official Organ of the British Broadcasting Company' as it was once subtitled. If it's on, it's in, and it's in this podcast.

Part 1 brings us from 1923-1991 - with two tour guides:

Shem Law is one of today's two Radio Times editors, and he invited me to RT HQ for a chat, a cuppa, and a browse of his favourite covers. (See link below for a link to our Facebook page, to see the covers he picks at as favourites - or least favourite).

Dr Steve Arnold is a RT enthusiast, collector and broadcast historian. If it's on Radio Times history, it's in his brain.

Also this episode, Radio 4's Justin Webb on his grandfather Leonard Crocombe - the first RT editor. Or was he? Steve Arnold has more on that.

This is only part 1. Part 2 will follow in a couple of days, with more from Shem and Steve as well as Tony Currie, author of The Radio Times Story.

SHOWNOTES:

• The pics of those covers, and other visual talking points (the WW2 map, my oldest RT etc): https://www.facebook.com/groups/bbcentury/posts/828907702013685/
• Steve Arnold's website: radiotimesarchive.com
• The Radio Times Story by Tony Currie: https://amzn.to/3t0TCQc
• The Radio Times Cover Story book, edited by Shem Law & co: https://amzn.to/3ES4YZv
• The Gift of a Radio by Justin Webb: https://amzn.to/45c3GDo
• Paul Kerensa's books: https://amzn.to/3LEGOWd
• We are nothing to do with the BBC - this is a solo independent operation.
• Support us at Patreon.com/paulkerensa - £5/mth gets you videos galore.
• Paul's on tour this Autumn with An Evening of (Very) Old Radio AND The First Religious Broadcast: Re-Staged - paulkerensa.com/tour.
• Music by Will Farmer.
• Subscribe, Rate, Review, Thanks!

NEXT TIME: Part two of the Radio Times back story!

paulkerensa.com/oldradio