Radio

History

Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Company makes Britain's first live public broadcast from its factory in Chelmsford (sponsored by Lord Northcliffe, proprietor of the Daily Mail, and featuring the famous Australian soprano Dame Nellie Melba)		1920 (June)
British Broadcasting Company founded		1922 (18 October)
John Reith appointed as General Manager of the British Broadcasting Company		1922 (December)
British Broadcasting Company refounded as the British Broadcasting Corporation, with Sir John Reith as its Director General		1927 (1 January)
The BBC first began broadcasting regular weather forecasts		1923
BBC Empire Service (known later as the World Service) launched		1932 (19 December)
BBC Empire Service renamed as the Overseas Service		1939
Alistair Cooke's Letter from America first broadcast		1948
The Archers first broadcast (pilot series, Midlands only)		Easter 1950
The Archers first transmitted across the UK		1 January 1951
The first Goon Show		1951 (28 May)
BBC Overseas Service (formerly the Empire Service) renamed as the World Service		1965
Radio 1 launched – and the Light Programme, Third Programme and Home Service became Radios 2, 3 and 4 (respectively)		30 Sep 1967
Last episode of Mrs. Dale's Diary		25 Apr 1969
BBC Radio 5 launched		27 August 1990
BBC Radio 5 replaced by 5 Live		28 March 1994
BBC Radio 6 Music (known until 2011 as BBC 6 Music) launched		11 March 2002

Stations

Self–styled "Station of the Stars" – first broadcast to the UK in 1933, broadcast on 208 metres (Medium Wave); finally closed 1992			Radio Luxembourg
Britain's first pirate radio station: founded by Georgie Fame's manager, Ronan O'Rahilly (because he couldn't get Fame's records played on the BBC or Luxembourg); began broadcasting from 3 miles off Felixstowe, Suffolk, March 1964; from July 1964, two ships, off Frinton–on–Sea, Essex, and the Isle of Man.  Named after the daughter of John F. Kennedy (because O'Rahilly saw a photograph of her playing in the Oval Office – she was disrupting the process of government); still broadcasting (2015) via satellite and the Internet			Radio Caroline
Began broadcasting from off Frinton–on–Sea, Essex, December 1964; closed August 1967			Radio London
The first commercial radio station based on mainland Britain (8 Oct 1973); adopted the slogan "Leading Britain's Conversation" in 2014			LBC
The second commercial radio station based on mainland Britain (16 October 1973)			Capital
The BBC's first local radio station (8 November 1967)			Leicester
The BBC's second local radio station (15 November 1967); city also served since 1974 by the independent station Hallam FM			Sheffield
Former names (before 1967):	Radio 2		Light Programme
	Radio 3		Third Programme
	Radio 4		Home Service
Britain's first (legal) national commercial station – opened in 1992; broadcasts on 99.9–101.9 MHz			Classic FM
Opened in 1993, owned by Chris Evans from 1997 to 2000; broadcasts on 1215 metres			Virgin Radio
Virgin Radio was renamed in 2008			Absolute Radio
Opened in 1995 as Talk Radio UK; broadcasts on 1053 and 1089 metres; relaunched in 2000 as			talkSPORT
First broadcast in 2002 as BBC7 (name changed in 2011)			Radio 4 Extra
Digital sister station to Absolute, Kerrang, Planet Rock, etc.: launched in 2019, broadcasting classical music			Scala Radio
BBC local station serving Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire (since 1993 – previously known as Radio Bedfordshire)			Three Counties Radio

Theme Tunes

Barwick Green ("maypole dance" from the 1924 suite My Native Heath, by Arthur Wood – named after Barwick–in–Elmet, near Leeds, West Yorkshire)		The Archers
Theme tune is an extract from the 4th movement of Mozart's serenade Eine kleine Nachtmusik		Brain of Britain
Puffing Billy		Children's Favourites
By the Sleepy Lagoon (Eric Coates)		Desert Island Discs
Devil's Galop (sic) (composer Charles Williams)		Dick Barton
Horseguards, Whitehall (composer Haydn Wood)		Down Your Way
In Party Mood		Housewives' Choice
The Angus Prune Tune was the 'playoff' theme (i.e. always played at the end) of		I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again
The Knightsbridge March (Eric Coates) – Saturday evening "chat show", 1933–60		In Town Tonight
Chopin's Minute Waltz is the theme tune of		Just a Minute
Out of the Blue		Sports Report
With a Song in my Heart		Two–way Family Favourites

The Archers

Princess Margaret, Duke of Westminster, Britt Ekland, Anneka Rice and Camilla Parker–Bowles (Duchess of Cornwall) have all appeared in		The Archers
Fictional county in which based		Borsetshire
Village in which set		Ambridge
Village pub		The Bull
Traditional beer served in the Bull		Shire's
Real village, in Worcestershire, said to be the model for Ambridge (particularly the Bull)		Inkberrow
Saint to whom Ambridge's parish church is dedicated		St. Stephen
Farm run successively by Dan, Phil and David Archer (the last in partnership with his wife Ruth)		Brookfield
Farm run by Joe Grundy and his son Eddie, until their eviction in 2000; now owned by Oliver Sterling, and managed by Eddie's son Ed		Grange Farm
Ambridge's largest farm: run by "money–driven agribusinessman" Brian Aldridge, who is husband of Jennifer (née Archer), stepfather of Adam and Debbie, and father of Kate, Alice and Ruari (the last fathered extra–maritally)		Home Farm
Ambridge's country house hotel, sold by Jack Woolley to Caroline and Oliver Sterling (same name as the country estate owned by US president Grover Cleveland!)		Grey Gables
Played by Norman Painting, from the first trial series (1950) until his death in 2009 (character died in 2010)		Phil Archer
Phil's mother, played by Gwen Berriman for 30 years (character died in 1980)		Doris Archer
Phil's father; played by four different actors; died in 1986 trying to rescue a sheep		Dan Archer
Phil's first wife: died in 1955 in BBC Radio's dramatic ploy to distract attention from the launch of ITV		Grace Archer
Played by Jack May from 1952 to 1997		Nelson Gabriel
Played three roles, most famously Julia Pargetter; died in 2005		Mary Wimbush
Played by Graham Seed; died in a fall from the roof of his stately home, Lower Loxley, during the 60th anniversary episode (2 January 2011)		Nigel Pargetter
Found not guilty of the attempted murder of her husband Rob, in 2016, in an hour–long special where the jurors included Nigel Havers, Catherine Tate and Dame Eileen Atkins (born an Archer; married name ...)		Helen Titchener
Brothers Toby and Rex, rivals for the affections of Pip Archer: grandsons of George, who owned land in Ambridge in the 1950s and was Grace Archer's first husband; their father Robin had an affair with Elizabeth Archer in 1987; after their goose–egg business failed due to Toby's fecklessness, he started making gin at Rickyard Cottage (on Brookfield land)		Fairbrother
Linda Snell's dog – a German Shepherd cross, which died in 2016, and after which Toby Fairbrother named his gin		Scruff
Principled and somewhat stubborn pigman at Bridge Farm: built his house, Ambridge View, with the aid of a loan from his boss, Tom Archer; chairman of the parish council, and bellringing tower captain at St. Stephen's; his wife Susan went to prison for harbouring her brother Clive Horrobin; daughter Emma left Will Grundy for his brother Ed, then married Ed; son Chris(topher) became a farrier and married Alice Aldridge		Neil Carter
Played by June Spencer, 1950–3 and 1962–2022 (Thelma Rogers 1953–62); married Jack Archer and Jack Woolley (outliving them both!)		Peggy (née Perkins)
Son of the above, and cousin of David: runs Bridge Farm with his wife Pat; played since 2014 by David Troughton, son of the second Doctor Who; most likely to say "My back's killing me, but I've got to press on with the leeks"		Tony Archer
Business–minded son of the above, played by the real–life son of the actor who plays his father; long–term on–off affair with eco–warrior Kirsty ended in a tragic miscarriage; eventually married Welsh fruit juice entrepreneur Natasha		Tom Archer
First introduced as a country–singing acquaintance of Eddie Grundy; real name Doreen; married to Sid Perks (landlord of the Bull) until his death in 2010; married Kenton Archer in 2013		Jolene

Mrs. Dale's Diary

"I'm rather worried about Jim" is a typical (much–parodied) extract from		Mrs. Dale's Diary
The original Mrs. Dale (1948–63)		Ellis Powell
The second Mrs. Dale (1963–9)		Jessie Matthews
Occupation of Mrs' Dale's husband Jim		Doctor
Fictional London suburb in which the Dales lived (and Dr. Dale practised)		Parkwood Hill

Desert Island Discs

Desert Island Discs was devised, and presented from 1942 until his death in 1985, by		Roy Plomley
Number of discs that a castaway is allowed		8
Books already on the Island: The Bible, and the complete works of		Shakespeare
The first guest (29 January 1942): Austrian–born actor and comedian, married at the time to the actress and dancer Sarah Churchill, daughter of Sir Winston		Vic Oliver
German soprano: chose seven of her own recordings, in 1958; died in 2006, aged 90		Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
English pianist (born Mary Johnstone in 1916): chose eight of her own recordings, in 1979; died in 2005, aged 88		Dame Moura Lympany
Replaced Roy Plomley as presenter (1985–8)		Michael Parkinson
Third presenter (1988–2006)		Sue Lawley
Replaced Sue Lawley as presenter in 2006		Kirsty Young
Stood in for Kirsty Young, 2018–19, while the latter was on sick leave; appointed "for the forseeable future" in July 2019, after Young announced that she would not return		Lauren Laverne
The most popular luxury (chosen 189 times in the first 3,000 episodes – up to November 2014)		A piano
Guest on the 75th anniversary edition (29 January 2017)		David Beckham
The two people who share the record for the most appearances as castaway (four each)		Arthur Askey
		David Attenborough

The Goon show

The Goons were	(died in 1980, aged 55)		Peter Sellers
	(died in 2001, aged 79)		Harry Secombe
	(died in 2002, aged 83)		Spike Milligan
The fourth Goon (died in 1996, aged 74)			Michael Bentine
Collaborated with Milligan on the Goon Show scripts – sometimes called "the fifth Goon"; died in 2012, aged 89			Eric Sykes
Title of the first series (1951)			Crazy People
The smooth–talking principal villain (played by Sellers)			Hercules Grytpype–Thynne
Partner–in–crime of the above, played by Milligan			Count Jim Moriarty
Often the central character, falling foul of the above partners in crime – the only principal character played by Secombe			Neddie Seagoon
Squeaky–voiced boy scout from East Finchley – played by Sellers			Bluebottle
Incredibly stupid accomplice of the above – played by Milligan			Eccles
Doddering, senile old codgers ...	Played by Milligan		Minnie Bannister
	Played by Sellers		Henry Crun
Military idiot, noted for his cowardice and monetary irregularities – played by Sellers			Major Bloodnok

Round the Horne (1965–8)

Principal writers		Barry Took
		Marty Feldman
Previous series, also starring Kenneth Horne and written by Barry Took		Beyond Our Ken
Regular female contributor – played Dame Celia Molestrangler – died in 1998, aged 79		Betty Marsden
Rambling Sid Rumpo was played by		Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Williams was Sandy; his friend Julian was played by		Hugh Paddick

The Shipping Forecast

Precise time of the late night Shipping Forecast on Radio 4		00:48
Tune that precedes it (composed by Ronald Binge)		Sailing By

The Shipping forecast is also broadcast at 0520, 1201 (Long Wave only) and 1754 (Long Wave only on weekdays; FM and Long Wave at weekends).

Number of shipping areas

31

The shipping areas are, in the order in which they're covered in the forecast:

Viking, North Utsire, South Utsire, Forties, Cromarty, Forth, Tyne, Dogger, Fisher, German Bight, Humber, Thames, Dover, Wight, Portland, Plymouth, Biscay, Trafalgar, FitzRoy, Sole, Lundy, Fastnet, Irish Sea, Shannon, Rockall, Malin, Hebrides, Bailey, Fair Isle, Faeroes, South–East Iceland

Essentially, the forecast starts in the north–east and works its way clockwise around the British Isles.

Channel, Greenwich and Sandettie are

Lightvessels

The Shipping Forecast also mentions the following coastal weather stations (those in the first row are 'automatic'):

Tiree, Wick*, St. Catherine's Point*, Scilly, Machrihanish*

Stornoway, Lerwick, Aberdeen*, Leuchars, Boulmer*, Bridlington, Jersey, Milford Haven*, Aberporth*, Valley*, Liverpool Crosby*, Valentia, Ronaldsway, Malin Head

Those marked with an asterisk (*) are mentioned only in the 0048 forecast.

For more details of the areas referred to in the Shipping Forecast, see Earth Sciences.

The Radio 1 Breakfast Show

Obviously the most important thing is to remember the current incumbent, followed probably by the previous one. Other than that the first two or three are probably all you need to know. But I've listed them here for completeness:

1	1967–73		Tony Blackburn
2	1973–8		Noel Edmonds
3	1978–81		Dave Lee Travis
4	1981–6		Mike Read
5	1986–8		Mike Smith
6	1988–93		Simon Mayo
7	1993 (109 days)		Mark Goodier	Shortest serving (stood in as No. 8 didn't want to follow No. 6)
8	1994–5		Steve Wright	Resigned after Matthew Bannister's restructure
9	1995–7		Chris Evans	Resigned after a series of controversies
10	1997 (235 days)		Mark and Lard	(Mark Radcliffe and Marc Riley)
11	1997–8		Kevin Greening
			Zoe Ball	First female presenter
12	1998–2000		Zoe Ball	Left to start a family
13	2000–3		Sara Cox
14	2004–12		Chris Moyles	Longest serving (8 years, 253 days)
15	2012–18		Nick Grimshaw	Second longest serving (5 years, 319 days)
16	2018–		Greg James

Classic FM Hall of Fame

The Classic FM Hall of Fame is an annual compilation of the 300 most popular classical works, as polled by listeners of Classic FM through a public vote. It is traditionally broadcast over the Easter weekend.

Since its inception in 1996, only five pieces of music have topped the poll:

5	1996–2000	Max Bruch		Violin Concerto No. 1
8	2001–5 and 2011–13	Sergei Rachmaninoff		Piano Concerto No. 2
1	2006	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart		Clarinet Concerto
8	2007–10 and 2014–17	Ralph Vaughan Williams		The Lark Ascending
1	2018	Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky		1812 Overture

People

Presenter of The Life Scientific (BBC Radio 4, from 2011)		Jim Al–Khalili
Original presenter of Radio 4's Start the Week (1970–87)		Richard Baker
First female presenter of BBC Radio 1's Breakfast programme (1997–2000 – co–hosting with Kevin Greening 1997–8); named in 2018 as the successor to Chris Evans in the same slot on Radio 2		Zoë Ball
Presented Radio 1's Newsbeat, 1983–5; as Controller of Radio 1 from 1993 to 2000, was responsible for the controversial overhaul of the station, terminating the contracts of many long–standing presenters; subsequently returned to presenting, e.g. the Radio 4 obituaries programme Last Word since its launch in 2006		Matthew Bannister
First person to present programmes on all five BBC radio networks. Most famous for Our Tune		Simon Bates
Provided commentaries on BBC radio for the funerals of King George VI and Winston Churchill, and for the coronation of Elizabeth II		Raymond Baxter
First DJ on Radio 1		Tony Blackburn
Popular presenter of TalkSport's breakfast show – former footballer (over 200 appearances for Ipswich Town, 13 caps for Scotland)		Alan Brazil
BBC Radio's racing correspondent, 1959–2001 – the BBC's first specialist correspondent in any sport		Peter Bromley
Presenter of BBC Radio 2's mid–morning show from 1992 to 2003, when he left to join Greatest Hits Radio – taking the daily pop music quiz PopMaster with him		Ken Bruce
Impersonated Ken Bruce for the whole two and a half hours of his Radio 2 morning show, on April Fools' Day 2011		Rob Brydon
Presenter of the BBC Radio 4 live discussion programme The Moral Maze (since 1990)		Michael Buerk
Presented a Sunday afternoon show, All Time Greats, on BBC Radio 2 from 1981 to 2004, and a weekly evening show, The Music Goes Round, from 2004 to 2016 – both from a studio in his home in Perthshire; previously played Dr. Chris Anderson in the TV soap Emergency – Ward 10 (1957–67); died in 2017, aged 90		Desmond Carrington
Presenter of In the Psychiatrist's Chair (Radio 4): died in 2007, aged 64		Anthony Clare
Belfast–born newsreader: replaced Eric Robson in 2019 as presenter of Gardeners' Question Time (Radio 4)		Kathy Clugston
Letter from America (1946–2004): presenter (died in 2004, aged 95)		Alistair Cooke
Replaced Humphrey Lyttelton as presenter of I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, following the latter's death in 2008 (after one series in which he took turns with Stephen Fry and Rob Brydon)		Jack Dee

Brain of Britain: presenters	1967–72		Franklin Engelman
	1972–2003		Robert Robinson
	2004		Russell Davies
	2005–6		Robert Robinson
	2007		Peter Snow
	2008		Robert Robinson
	2009–		Russell Davies

Got his start in radio as Timmy Mallet's assistant on Manchester's Radio Piccadilly, playing a character called Nobby No Level, whose catchphrase was: "What I don't know – I don't know!"		Chris Evans
Replaced Terry Wogan in 2010 as the presenter of BBC Radio 2's Breakfast Show; presented the breakfast shows on both Radio 1 (1985–7) and Radio 2 (2010–18)
Scorer and statistician on BBC Test Match Special, from 1966 until his death in 2009 (aged 69) from legionnaires' disease; nicknamed "the Bearded Wonder" or "Bearders"		Bill Frindall
Made his name on Radio 1 (from 1973); joined Radio 2 in 1998; briefly presented The Morning Collection on Radio 3 and Kaleidoscope on Radio 4; then went to Classic FM; presenter of Counterpoint on Radio 4, from 2008		Paul Gambaccini
Read the football results on BBC Sports Report, 1972–2013 – on Radio 2 until 1990, then on Radio 5 / 5 Live; died in 2014, aged 78, from throat cancer		James Alexander Gordon
Former Radio 4 continuity announcer, replaced James Alexander Gordon as reader of the football results on BBC Sports Report (Radio 5 Live) on his retirement in 2013		Charlotte Green
David Jacobs' predecessor as presenter of Any Questions?		Freddy Grisewood
Star of ITMA		Tommy Handley
First actor to play James Bond (in Moonraker, on radio in South Africa)		Bob Holness
Took a job as a Radio 2 presenter, in the mid–1980s, after losing a libel case against Radio 4's Week Ending, which said he was "so ignorant he thought erudite was a type of glue"		Derek Jameson
Took over Radio 2's "mid–morning" slot from Ken Bruce in 2023		Vernon Kay
Lancashire–born BBC TV and radio presenter (North West Tonight, Five Live Drive): formerly editor–in–chief and managing director of the Daily Sport and Sunday Sport		Tony Livesey
Took over from Peter Bromley in 2001 as BBC Radio's racing correspondent		Cornelius Lysaght
Chairman of I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, from its inception in 1972 until his death in 2008		Humphrey Lyttelton

Woman's Hour: later presenters

1972–87: later joined the Today programme		Sue MacGregor
1987–2020		Jenni Murray
1998–2007: moved to The World at One, and then to Today (2018)		Martha Kearney
2007–2020: previously worked on BBC Radio 5 Live for 13 years; married to Adrian Chiles, 1998–2009		Jane Garvey
Replaced No. 2 above on her retirement in 2020; previously presented 5 Live's mid–morning weekday programme; also a regular presenter on BBC2's Newsnight		Emma Barnett
Succeeded No. 4 above in 2020, presenting the Friday and Saturday editions; previously worked on the BBC Asian Network; also a presenter on BBC1's Countryfile since 2015		Anita Rani

Presenter of BBC Radio 4's Broadcasting House, from its launch in 1998 to 2003; then took over PM; left the BBC in 2018 to join LBC		Eddie Mair
Presenter of Saturday Club (1957–69) and Sounds of the 60s from 1990 until shortly before his death in 2017 (both on the BBC Light Programme / Radio 2)		Brian Matthew
Presenter of BBC Radio 1's Breakfast Show, 1988–93; Radio 2 Drivetime, 2010–18; joined Scala Radio on its launch in 2019, in the mid–morning slot		Simon Mayo
Presenter of Children's Hour 1933–50, Children's Favourites 1954–65		Derek McCullough (Uncle Mac)
Radio 1's first regular female DJ – and its longest–serving presenter, after the death of John Peel		Anne Nightingale

The News Quiz: chairpersons	1977–?		Barry Norman
	?–1995		Barry Took
	1995–2006		Simon Hoggart
	2006–15		Sandi Toksvig
	2015–19		Miles Jupp
	2020 to date		Andy Zaltzman

Link man on I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again; chairman of Just a Minute, from its inception in 1967 until September 2019 (four months before his death)		Nicholas Parsons
Radio 1 DJ to whom John Lennon gave his last interview – just two days before his assassination		Andy Peebles
Last survivor of the original Radio 1 DJs; presented Home Truths on Radio 4 (from 1998); died suddenly from a heart attack in 2004, aged 65, while on a working holiday at moderate altitude in Peru		John Peel
Presenter of BBC Radio 4's Just a Minute, from 2021 (after the death of Nicholas Parsons, following a period of various guest presenters)		Sue Perkins
Succeeded Henry Kelly (around 1987) as the regular presenter of Midweek (Radio 4)		Libby Purves
Chairman of My Music (Radio 4, 1967–94; also on BBC2, 1977–83)		Steve Race
Presenter of Radio 4's Today Programme from 1975 until his death in 1994		Brian Redhead
Long–serving and much–derided pianist on Radio 4's I'm Sorry, I Haven't a Clue		Colin Sell
Presenter of Loose Ends and Counterpoint from (both on Radio 4, from 1986); died in 2007 of throat cancer, aged 76		Ned Sherrin
Presenter of Mastermind on Radio 4 (1998–2000)		Peter Snow
Radio 1 DJ, resigned live on air in 1993 with the words; "changes are being made here which go against my principles and I just cannot agree with them"		Dave Lee Travis
Tim Smith and Janey Lee Grace were co–presenters (on Radio 2) with		Steve Wright
Statistician on the BBC's cricket coverage since 2016; presenter of The News Quiz (Radio 4) since 2020		Andy Zaltzman

Programmes

1940s series in which Arthur Askey first came to fame		Bandwagon
Began as part of What Do You Know? in 1953; gradually took over the show, becoming a show in its own right in 1967; originally known as Ask Me Another		Brain of Britain
BBC Radio 4 sitcom about a group of social workers, based on a Guardian comic strip by Harry Venning: stars Sally Phillips in the title role		Clare in the Community
BBC Radio 4 music quiz: presented by Ned Sherrin 1986–2007, Edward Seckerson 2007, Paul Gambaccini from 2008		Counterpoint
Radio 4, 2000–7, revived in 2014 (also on BBC2 TV, 2002–7): comedy impressions show, starring Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens et al		Dead Ringers
BBC Light Programme, 1946–51: title character was assisted in his adventures by Jock Anderson and Snowy White		Dick Barton
Radio 4's long–running magazine programme for disabled people		Does He Take Sugar?
Devised by Franklin Engelman, also associated with Brian Johnston		Down Your Way
Radio 4's investigative programme, presented by John Waite		Face the Facts
Radio 4 programme created in 1979 by Derek Cooper; latterly presented by Sheila Dillon		The Food Programme
BBC Home Service / Radio 4, first broadcast in 1947: past chairmen have included Franklin Engleman, Michael Barratt, Steve Race and (most recently) Eric Robson; presented from 2019 by Kathy Clugston; panellists have included Bill Sowerbutts, Dr Stefan Buczacki (boo–CHAT–ski), Clay Jones and Geoffrey Smith		Gardeners' Question Time
One of BBC Radio 4's longest–running programmes, first broadcast in 1977: the presenter and two guests discuss three books, each chosen by one of them; presenters have included novelist Louise Doughty (1998–2001), and the broadcasters Sue MacGregor (2003–10) and Harriett Gilbert (2011 to date)		A Good Read
BBC Radio 4 biography series: presented by Joan Bakwell in 2001, Humphrey Carpenter 2002–4, Francine Stock 2005–6, Matthew Parris from 2006		Great Lives
BBC comedy series (1954–9), also on television 1956–61: featured Sid James, Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques (all to become better known subsequently as Carry On regulars) as well as the eponymous star, and others		Hancock's Half Hour
Presented by Wilfred Pickles; catchphrases "How do, how are yer?", "Are yer courting?", "What's on the table, Mabel?" "Give him the money, Barney" (Mabel was Pickles' wife)		Have a Go
Radio comedy sketch show, 1964–73, featuring John Cleese, Tim Brooke–Taylor, Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie, Nicholas Parsons, etc.		I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again
BBC Radio 4 – first broadcast in 2009, presented by Brian Cox and Robin Ince: has been decribed as a "witty and irreverent look at the world according to science"		The Infinite Monkey Cage
Live discussion programme, exploring the world of ideas: broadcast on BBC Radio 4 since 1998, chaired by Melvyn Bragg		In Our Time
BBC radio comedy programme, 1939–49: title inspired by a Daily Express headline of May 1939, referring to Hitler; followed the adventures of Tommy Handley as he undertook a series of bizarre (fictional) jobs; catchphrases "After you Claude – No, after you Cecil", "Can I do you now, Sir?"		It's That Man Again (ITMA)
Long–running Radio 4 panel game show (first broadcast 1967): contestants try to speak for 60 seconds on a given subject, without hesitation, repetition or deviation		Just a Minute
Radio 4's 'obituaries' programme: broadcast at 16:00 on Fridays (and repeated at 21:30 on Sundays); presented, since its launch in 2006, by Matthew Bannister		Last Word
The longest–running speech radio programme in history (1946–2004)		Letter from America
BBC radio sitcom, 1951–61: featured the real family of ex–Hollywood actress Bebe Daniels, with her husband Ben and children Richard and Barbara. Also on TV 1955–61 (first series on BBC, then ITV) and films in 1954 and 1955		Life with the Lyons
BBC Radio 4: produced by the BBC and the British Library in partnership, starting in 2012: "collecting intimate conversations between friends or relatives, to build a unique picture of our lives today"; presented by Fi Glover		The Listening Project
"Showcase for brass and military band music" on BBC Home Service / Light Programme / Radio 2, 1947–2018: presented from 1995 by Frank Renton		Listen to the Band
1950–85: "Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin ... " were the opening words to		Listen With Mother
Radio 1 topical comedy sketch show, 1989–90 – featuring David Baddiel, Rob Newman, Steve Punt, Hugh Dennis; also on BBC2 TV, 1990–2		The Mary Whitehouse Experience
Radio 4 comedy sketch show, 1985–92: written by and featuring Nick Revell and Andy Hamilton: Harry Enfield also appeared occasionally		The Million Pound Radio Show
Radio 4 discussion programme, presented by Michael Buerk since its inception in 1990: four regular panellists discuss ethical issues raised by a recent news story		The Moral Maze
BBC Radio 4 programme about numbers and statistics: first broadcast (as a one–off series of six programmes) in 2001, presented since 2007 by Tim Harford		More or Less
BBC radio sitcom, 1959–77, starring Jon Pertwee as Chief Petty Officer Pertwee ("Ev'rybody down!") and Leslie Phillips as Sub Lieutenant Phillips: ("Corrrrr", "Ooh, nasty...", "Oh lumme!", and "Left hand down a bit")		The Navy Lark
Radio 2 topical comedy sketch show, 1975–2001		The News Huddlines
Radio 4 topical, satirical comedy programme, from 1998: presented by Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis, regular contributors include Marcus Brigstock, John Holmes and Mitch Benn		The Now Show
Radio 4 sitcom, first broadcast in 1995, written by Andy Hamilton and starring him as the Devil.  Mainly set in Hell.  Also stars Jimmy Mulville as Thomas		Old Harry's Game
Radio 4 spoof news comedy, 1991–2: written by Chris Morris and Armando Ianucci (amongst others); featuerd Morris as anchor man (using his own name), and introduced Alan Partridge (played by Steve Coogan) as Sports Desk reporter		On the Hour
Radio 2 music programme, 1969–2018: presented by Robin Richmond 1969–80, and Nigel Ogden 1980–2018; theme tune was From This Moment On, by Cole Porter – played by Ogden		The Organist Entertains
Radio 4 panel game, devised and hosted by Nigel Rees: 57th and final series (beginning with the 500th programme) broadcast in 2021		Quote ... Unquote
The longest–running quiz on British radio (broadcast on the Home Service / Radio 4, since 1947): presented for many years, until his death in 1996, by Gordon Clough, then by Nick Clarke until his death in 2006, and since 2007 by Tom Sutcliffe; previous hosts include Gilbert Harding and Roy Plomley; contestants have included Irene Thomas, John Julius Norwich, Fred Housego and Val McDermid		Round Britain Quiz
BBC Radio comedy programme, 1965–8: Hugh Paddick and Kenneth Williams played Julian and Sandy, two camp friends who spoke the gay slang Polari		Round the Horne
Influential BBC comedy show, 1948–60, written by Frank Muir and Dennis Norden, starring Jimmy Edwards and later June Whitfield; introduced The Glums		Take It From Here
Radio 2 soap opera: launched in 1969, cancelled at short notice in 1980		Waggoners Walk
Orson Wells production that caused panic in the USA in 1939		War of the Worlds
Radio 4 satirical sketch show, 1970–98: theme tune was an extract from Party Fears Two by the Associates (a Scottish new wave band)		Week Ending
Britain's longest–running radio series (1926–98)		The Week's Good Cause
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in 1946, when it was described as "a daily programme of music, advice and entertainment for the home"; first presenter was Alan Ivimey; other early presenters included Jean Metcalfe (1950–68), Violet Carson (1952–6) and Judith Chalmers (1966–70); moved to Radio 4 in 1973		Woman's Hour
Radio 4 consumer affairs programme, first broadcast in 1970: currently (2021) presented by Winifred Robinson (Monday to Thursday) and Peter White (Friday)		You and Yours

Other

First record played on Radio 1		Flowers in the Rain
First record played on Radio 2		The Sound of Music

Two–word piece of advice on the cover of The Hitch–Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, according to the original radio series (although it didn't appear when the adaptation was published as an actual book); became the catchphrase or slogan of the series		Don't Panic!
BBC World Service: funded by a grant from the		Foreign Office
Regular sketch series from Take it from Here: featured June Whitfield as Eth, and Jimmy Edwards as the father of her gormless fiancé, Ron (typical dialogue: "Oh, Ron" ... "Yes, Eth?")		The Glums
Read in its entirety in an 8½–hour broadcast on Radio 4, Boxing Day 2000 (because the author refused to let it be serialised)		Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Arthur Fallowfield – Kenneth Williams's 'country character' in Beyond Our Ken (BBC Light Programme, 1958–64): catchphrase "Well I think the answer lies ... "		In the soil
First record played on Virgin 1215: Born to be Wild, by		INXS
Village in Dylan Thomas's radio play Under Milk Wood		Llareggub
London Underground station whose name is given to a spoof game on BBC Radio 4's I'm Sorry, I Haven't a Clue		Mornington Crescent
Name of the charlady in ITMA – played by Dorothy Summers; catchphrase "Can I do you now, Sir?"		Mrs. Mopp
Long–running music quiz on Ken Bruce's Radio 2 morning show		PopMaster
RAJAR measures		Radio audiences
Sponsor of the UK's Radio Academy Awards		Sony
Name of the ship in The Navy Lark		HMS Troutbridge
Bessie Bighead, Organ Morgan, Willy Nilly and Lily Smalls are characters in		Under Milk Wood
Detective played on BBC Radio 4 by Kathleen Turner, and in the unsuccessful 1991 film version		V. I. Warshawski

© Haydn Thompson 2017–23