Two's Company - 50 Years of Radio 2

My first memories of listening to Radio 2 are those Sunday lunchtimes when Family Favourites, Michael Aspel hosting I seem to recall, was on the family Grundig wireless set. Yes, families really did have the radio on during the day and all sat down at the table for a meal, hard to believe I know. It was that and the comedy shows that followed with The Clitheroe Kid being a particular favourite- goodness knows why when I listen back to it now.

By the time I'd become interested in radio in the mid-70s I was fascinated by the way the station started each day: the test tones, then silence, the announcer - Colin Berry on weekdays and Tom Edwards on Saturday - playing the In Tune with You jingle ("the music's all here and waiting to spin, as we start to get ready to brighten your day") and welcoming listeners on 1500 metres long wave, 247 metres medium wave and stereo VHF.

I consumed as much of the station as I could even tuning in to those shows featuring the radio orchestras, I still have a couple of tapes with music arranged and conducted by Alyn Ainsworth for the Radio Orchestra. For years I was obsessed with tracking down a recording of Count Basie's Nice 'n' Easy, the theme for The Late Show, it was only when Amazon came along that I was able obtain the CD and hear the full track.

Little did I think that decades later some of those recordings I made of the station's output could be shared with the world via this blog. I know I can't possibly hope to communicate fifty years of Radio 2 in fifty minutes (actually fifty-two) but this is my audio tribute to mark the station's golden anniversary. It doesn't aim to be a comprehensive, the clips you hear, and most apart from some very early ones are mine, are what I could lay my hands on during three editing sessions earlier this summer. Enjoy this audio soundscape from Paul Hollingdale to Simon Mayo.

You'll hear: Paul Hollingdale, Robin Boyle, Jimmy Young, Michael Parkinson, Billy Cotton, Michael Aspel, Round the Horne, The Navy Lark, Pete Murray, The Dales, Waggoners Walk, Terry Wogan, Brian Matthew, Friday Night is Music Night, Colin Berry, Tom Edwards, Charlie Chester, David Gell, Len Jackson, Alan Dell, Benny Green, David Bellan, Tim Gudgin, John Dunn, Round Midnight, Ray Moore, Desmond Carrington, Gloria Hunniford, Sheila Tracy, Sport on 2 with Peter Brackley, Peter Jones, James Alexander Gordon, Jean Challis, David Hamilton, Wally Whyton, Humphrey Lyttelton, Pop Score (announcer Nick Jackson), The Monday Movie Quiz, The Law Game (announcer Peter Dickson), Hello Cheeky, The Grumbleweeds, The Random Jottings of Hinge and Bracket, The News Huddlines (announcer Richard Clegg), Sing Something Simple (announcer John Marsh), Richard Baker, Alan Keith, Hubert Gregg, Steve Race, Don Maclean, Nigel Ogden, Alan Freeman, Johnnie Walker, Fran Godfrey, Sarah Kennedy, Jeremy Vine, Paul Gambaccini, Russell Davies, Clare Teal, David Jacobs, Steve Wright, Tim Smith, Sounds of the 60s, Alex Lester, Paul Jones, Mike Harding, Bob Harris, Ed Stewart, Jonathan Ross, Andy Davies, Ken Bruce, Stuart Maconie, Mark Radcliffe, Tony Blackburn, Chris Evans, Alan Dedicoat and Simon Mayo.