Vernon’s Vault

If you’ve tuned in to Vernon Kay’s Radio 2 show just after 10 am you’ll be familiar with the feature Vernon’s Vault where old radio and tv recordings are dusted down and given an airing. Quirky reports from the like of Nationwide, Tomorrow’s World or by Fyfe Robertson seem to be particular favourites. 

Vernon’s Vault itself is introduced by a selection of clips that runs for just 15 seconds. But have you ever wondered what they are? Well wonder no more, here’s the answer.

Here’s what you hear in quick succession:

Stand by for switching, get tuned to Radio 2, 2LO Calling, This is direct television, This is London, BBC Radio 2, Billed as the greatest show on earth, One thing’s never going to change, They think it’s all over, Radio 2, go [Cue theme]  

So let’s pull this thing apart and see what we have here.

“Stand by for switching, get tuned to Radio 2.” This is Robin Scott, the first Controller of Radio 1 and Radio 2 at the launch of Radio 1 on Saturday 30 September 1967. 

“2LO Calling.” This clip proved the most difficult to track down with 100% certainty and I pestered a few people to get to the bottom of it. It’s obviously a re-creation of an opening announcement from when the BBC started in November 1922. There’s a similar announcement on track 1 of the double CD 75 Years of the BBC but that has no credit and the voice isn’t quite the same. For the BBC’s 100^th anniversary a recording of Arthur Burrows, the first director of programmes and the man that read the opening news bulletin, was released but here he says “2LO, Marconi House, London Calling” rather than just “2LO Calling”, though that could be down to a bit of editing. In the full recording of Burrows here he talks about the BBC starting 15 years earlier and that he is talking in 1937. That suggests it’s his contribution to Scrapbook for 1922 broadcast on the Regional Programme on 21 January 1937 and repeated on the National Programme the following day. I know that BBC Sound Archives retained this programme so on balance I’ve gone for that date.         

“This is direct television” is the voice of Elizabeth Cowell, the first female TV announcer. The clip comes from a film made of test transmissions at the Radiolympia exhibition at Alexandra Palace in August 1936.

“This is London” is the unmistakeable voice of announcer John Snagge. The clip is his D-Day announcement on 6 June 1944.

“BBC Radio 2” comes from the start of BBC Radio 2 at 5.30 am on Saturday 30 September 1967. Presenting Breakfast Special that day was staff announcer Paul Hollingdale.

“Billed as the greatest show on earth” is Newsbeat’s Frank Partridge reporting ahead of the Live Aid concert on Saturday 13 July 1985. I found a recording of this in the Radio 1 documentary Live Aid – One Year On.

“One thing that’s never going to change” comes from the last ever scene of The Dales, previously known as Mrs Dale’s Diary. Jessie Matthews plays Mary Dale who was always worried about her husband Jim, played here by Charles Simon. The final episode aired on BBC Radio 2 on Friday 25 April 1969.

“They think it’s all over” is part of the famous BBC tv commentary by Kenneth Wolstenholme for the 1966 World Cup Final between England and West Germany just as Geoff Hurst scores his decisive last minute goal. The final was played on Saturday 30 July 1966.

“Radio 2 go” is again from that Robin Scott announcement.

And finally what of the Vernon’s Vault theme. That’s a piece of production music from BMG Production library called Bygone Bumps. Composed by Ron Baines, it’s a track on the Vintage Sunshine album from Deep East Music. I’ve also used part of a performance of the track by members of the brass section of the BBC Philharmonic as featured on Vernon’s show on 15 December 2023.

All those clips appear in this video sequence I’ve put together.

With thanks to Phil McGarvey, Janine Maya-Smith and Mark Punter