Are You Sitting Comfortably? (Again)

From the earliest days of British radio the BBC  was keen to keep the children of Britain entertained (and informed and educated too of course). Each of the regional stations had their version of Children's Hour presented by one of the radio uncles and aunts, from 'Uncle Rex' Palmer in London to Kathleen Garscadden as Auntie Cyclone (yes, really) in Glasgow. For ninepence a year those young listeners could join the Radio Circle and receive their membership card and enamelled badge.

Children's Hour was aimed at those of school age and it wasn't until 16 January 1950 that the Light Programme schedules listed, for the first time, Listen with Mother a new programme for the under-fives. The notion for such a programme was imported from Australian radio where the BBC's Controller of Talks, and former Director of School Broadcasting, Mary Somerville had heard Kindergarten of the Air, which had been running since 1942.

Broadcast on weekdays at 1.45 pm Listen with Mother was "primarily for the three- to five-year-olds" and consisted of "stories, songs and nursery rhymes and will be opened and rounded off with music". The nursery rhymes were set to music by Ann Driver, presenter of Music and Movement  since 1934 and sung by George Dixon and Eileen Browne, both schools programme producers and broadcasters. It was Eileen who became one of the main presenters of Listen with Mother for the next two decades.

The other main voice on the programme was that of the storyteller who initially would appear on a monthly rotation so that "continuity will grow through hearing a familiar friendly voice each day." Within the first few weeks the actresses Julia Lang and Daphne Oxenford both took turns as the "story lady", joined later by Dorothy Smith. All three stayed with the programme for years.

Those stories, whether it was Roderick, the Little Red Roller, Lambkin and the Butterfly or The Little Cat in the Haystack, were prefaced by the opening words "Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin." Now synonymous with the programme and having long since entered the British consciousness they were supposedly ad-libbed by Julia Lang; but given this was the era when even live programmes were scripted, timed and rehearsed to the second this seems unlikely.   

The other element was music, and it was soothing music designed to let the toddlers nod off whilst mother would put aside her housework and listen to Woman's Hour that followed. In time the soothing music became a regular closing theme, the rather wistful cradle song or Berceuse from the Dolly Suite by French composer Gabriel Fauré.

Listen with Mother tended to use actors, and occasionally singers, as the presenters and storytellers. The list includes Maureen Morris, Catherine Edwards, Lorna Pegram, Sean Barrett, Gladys Whitred (who sang Time To Go Home at the end of Andy Pandy), Auriol Smith (founder of Orange Tree Theatre), Scottish singer Alison McMorland, Sam Kelly ('Allo 'Allo, Porridge etc), Patricia Gallimore (Pat Archer in The Archers), Jean Rogers (Emmerdale's Dolly Skillbeck), Lucie Skeaping (now presenter of Radio 3's The Early Music Show) and, presenting the programme in its closing weeks Tony Aitken and Nerys Hughes (The Liver Birds and The District Nurse).     

This recording dates from 16 June 1965 with Eileen Browne presenting, Julia Lang reading the story of Big Fat Puss-Cat. The continuity announcer is John Dunn. At the time the programme opened with an tune played on the celesta.       

When Listen with Mother started the majority of children's programmes on the radio came within the remit of the BBC's Entertainment Division under the control of R.J.F. Howgill and later Michael Standing. However, Listen with Mother was produced by the School Broadcasting division under Richmond Postgate (who in 1950, on a 9 month attachment, was the first Head of Television Children's Programmes) and then John Scupham. Following the axing of Children's Hour in 1964 Listen with Mother moved over from the Light to the Home Service (later Radio 4 ) where it remained for the rest of its run. In its new berth on the Home it was now followed by schools programmes in term-time or various musical concerts the rest of the year.

Increasingly competition from television meant that Listen with Mother sadly became an unwanted infant, more likely to be heard by 55-years olds rather than 5-year olds and eventually, and inevitably, got shunted around the schedules. In July 1973 it moved on an hour to 2.45 pm to follow Woman's Hour which itself had been shifted over from Radio 2.

When Radio 4 moved over to long wave in November 1978 Listen with Mother now went out at 11.45 am, an odd bit of scheduling just before lunchtime. By October 1979 it was back in the afternoon just after the 3.00 pm news and before Afternoon Theatre. Finally in September 1980 it was back again to mornings at 10.30 am and on VHF only, whilst the Daily Service was on long wave. Radio 4 controller Monica Sims, herself a former children's television executive, saw the programme as "a frightful nuisance" and that it "made the audience, or a lot of the audience, switch off".

Time was called on Listen with Mother in September 1982 and led to much "nostalgic wailing" with letters of protest and a petition handed in at 10 Downing Street, though it's doubtful that Mrs Thatcher was much of a fan. As a report in this sequence shows even Roy Hudd and Christopher Timothy were on hand to raise their objections and Chris Rowe - a song for every occasion - lamented its passing. These clips come from The World this Weekend and Today.  
       

The final edition presented by Nerys Hughes and Tony Aitken was broadcast on Friday 10 September 1982 ending with a round of goodbyes from the recent presenters.

But Radio 4 didn't totally neglect the under-fives. The following Monday, 13 September 1982 again on VHF only, the five-minute Listening Corner started, offering just enough time for a story. It was a familiar voice too for that first week, that of Tony Aitken.

Listening Corner ran for eight years with stories read by some former Listen with Mother storytellers such as Nerys Hughes and Carole Boyd, some from Play School like Toni Arthur and Fred Harris and guest readers that included Roy Kinnear, Willie Rushton, Kenneth Williams and even Alvin Stardust.

The last edition of Listening Corner aired on Radio 4 on 24 August 1990, though by then it running on repeats. On Monday 27 August Radio 5 launched and scooped up all the children's and school's programmes with the toddlers catered for by Andrew Sachs on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.      

"Goodbye until tomorrow....goodbye."

On the Light - Part 5 "Hullo Children, Everywhere"

If families had their favourites played on Sunday and housewives got their choice on weekdays then on Saturday mornings it was Children's Favourites.  In this the fifth of nine posts recalling the years of the BBC Light Programme I remember the time when kids requested the Swedish Rhapsody and Sparky's Magic Piano.

Even if you don't know remember Children's Favourites you'll know that delightfully cheerful theme tune, Puffing Billy. But the forerunner of the show started just over a year earlier as Children's Choice and it used the Housewives' Choice theme In Party Mood until Puffing Billy was shunted in a year or so later.

Children's Choice started off as a Christmas Day 1952 request programme on the Light Programme. The host was the singer Donald Peers. Throughout 1953 it effectively ran as a Saturday morning extension of Housewives' Choice; whoever was presenting during the week covered the junior edition too. Early record favourites were The Runaway Train by Vernon Dalhart, Nellie the Elephant by Mandy Miller and Charles Penrose with The Laughing Policemen - all still instantly recognisable to Stewpot's listeners some twenty years later.

The programme had a rebrand on 2 January 1954 to become Children's Favourites. In charge of proceedings was Derek McCulloch (pictured above), better known from his Children's Hour programmes in the 1930s and 40s as Uncle Mac. McCulloch had retired from the BBC in 1950 but became the somewhat testy compère of the request show, his familiar Children's Hour sign-off of "Goodnight children...everywhere" transformed into the opening words "Hullo children...everywhere". 

Uncle Mac's last edition was on 5 December 1964. By then even Children's Hour had been axed and the BBC wanted some younger blood on Children's Favourites. Perhaps this was in response to the growing competition from the pirates, even if the requests still came in for Max Bygraves singing You're A Pink Toothbrush, I'm A Blue Toothbrush.

Though McCulloch presented the lion's share of the programmes in the first eight years you could also write in to Archie Andrews and Peter Brough, Max Bygarves, Rex Palmer (Uncle Rex), John Ellison, Spike Milligan, Christopher Trace and Jim Dale. Between 1964 and 1967 you'd have heard Paddy Feeny, John Ellison and Leslie Crowther. And it was Crowther who took the show to Radio 1 where it became Junior Choice on 30 September 1967.

From 24 October 1965 Children's Favourites added a Sunday morning edition. The Radio Times advised that this double helping - initially presented by Paddy Feeny - aimed to "satisfy the mounting number of requests (from both parents and children) which has kept this popular morning programme spinning along for eleven years". It went on to say that "children - from toddlers to teenagers - are explicit about what they like and why. Even the youngest listeners are quick to follow the trends of the new pop sounds, but there's also a constant demand for all those intriguing children's 'standards' - many of them off-beat novelty records which nudge the charts without reaching the hit parade but still delight generations of children. Among the artists who are perennial favourites are Danny Kaye, Charlie Drake, Julie Andrews, Rolf Harris, Burl Ives, Doris Day, Petula Clark, Cliff Richard and Anthony Newley." I'll leave you to provide the appropriate novelty song titles for these singers.  

The early years of Children's Favourites are recalled in this 1988 Radio 4 documentary written and presented by Jeremy Nicholas: Hullo Children Everywhere. Nicholas described part of the appeal of the programme as "its thumb-sucking security, each week the same old welcome friends singing the same old welcome songs".  

In this second recording it's former Junior Choice presenter Ed Stewart who recreates the days of Children's Favourites. This show was broadcast on Radio 2 on 29 July 1995 as part of the station's celebrations of the Light Programme years. 

I Predict a Riot

In the first part of Trumpton Riots Brian Cant remembered the worlds of Noggin the Nog, Jones the Steam and the Soup Dragon. Due to popular demand, well two requests, here’s the rest of this five-part series first heard on BBC Radio 4 at Christmas 1993.

In Today is Saturday Caron Keating recalls the chaos that was Saturday morning TV on TISWAS.  There are reminiscences from Chris Tarrant, Lenny Henry, Sally James and Bob Carolgees. The identity of the Phantom Flan Flinger is not revealed  but there is a chance to sing-a-long with The Bucket of Water Song and a unique rendition of Bright Eyes.
 

Through the Arched Window revisits Play School. Maggie Philbin hears from former presenters Brian Cant, Johnny Ball, Julie Stevens, Chloe Ashcroft and Fred Harris. We find out about the theft of Big Ted, why there was a reserve Hamble and why we rarely went through the arched window.
 

Programme four asks Val or Sue, John or Tommy? as Sally James she goes back to the days of Blue Peter and Magpie.  There are contributions from Peter Purves, John Noakes, Biddy Baxter, Tommy Boyd, Mick Robertson and Susan Stranks. The history of Magpie is somewhat misrepresented, totally overlooking the first presenters Tony Bastable and Pete Brady and there’s no mention of Douglas Rae who joined in August 1971.
 

In the final programme Fred Harris visits the world of Pugwash, Windy and Barney McGrew. Fred talks to voice of Bill and Ben and Pugwash Peter Hawkins, Mr Benn creator David McKee, animator of Captain Pugwash John Ryan, Michael Cole who came up with Fingerbobs and creator of Trumpton and Camberwick Green Gordon Murray.  Hear about the real Festing Road, why Rick Jones was Yoffy and the sad fate of the Trumpton puppets.
 

Trumpton Riots

Childhood memories will come flooding back with this celebration of the work of Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin from Christmas Day 1995.

First a quick review of what else was on offer that day from the pages of the Radio Times.

On 1FM it was Chris Evans at breakfast, live one assumes, followed by Simon Mayo, Danny Baker, Wendy Lloyd and a Radio Tip Top Christmas special. The evening line-up included Peter Cunnah, D-Ream front man, reviewing the year’s dance music and a concert from Wet, Wet, Wet.

As was tradition for many years Roger Royle (he's back again this Christmas Day) was on Radio 2 before Don Maclean’s Good Morning Christmas. Daytime shows included Ken Bruce, Aled Jones and a Disney special. The late night DJ, sitting in for the holidaying Derek and Ellen Jameson, was Martin Kelner.

Radio 3 presenters doing the Christmas shift were Penny Gore, Paul Gambaccini, Piers Burton-Page and Susan Sharpe. Aside from classical music offerings there was a Dave Brubeck concert in celebration of his 75th birthday and Jeremy Nicholas spinning some old 78s in The Shellac Show.

The war in Bosnia had finally come to an end in December 1995 so Radio 5 Live had several shows live from the area with Sheena MacDonald and Liz Barclay. The station also had three different reviews of the year with Robin Lustig presenting Spotlight 95, Bill Hamilton presumably concentrating on the positive news only in Now the Good News and Sybil Ruscoe also in retrospective mood in the daily Ruscoe on Five.

Radio 4 was still providing the kind of music programme that have long since disappeared from its schedules: opening the day was Brian Kay and in the evening the BBC Singers gave us “music in a lighter vein”.  From 7 to 8.40 a.m. Russell Davies hosted Morning Cordial and during the day amongst the repeats were three new series: Walter’s Festive Frolics with John Walters, At Bertram’s Hotel, a Michael Bakewell  adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel starring June Whitfield and Trumpton Riots. Comedy came from The Masterson Inheritance, I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue and News Quiz of the Year with Barry Took in the chair.

Commercial radio listings for Christmas Day 1995

But back to the world of the Graculus, Professor Yaffle, Blue String and magic bean plants in the first programme in a five-part series paying tribute to children’s TV of the 70s (in fact the 60s and 70s), Trumpton Riots. In episode 1, Nogs, Togs and Clangers, Brian Cant remembers the creations of Postgate and Firmin’s Smallfilms outfit: Bagpuss, Noggin the Nog, Ivor the Engine, The Clangers and Pogle’s Wood.

 

Are You Sitting Comfortably?

I’ve been down various audio avenues and alleyways since my third post last November in which I recalled some early radio memories of hearing Listen with Mother, though it’s that haunting melancholic closing theme from Faure’s Dolly Suite (above) that probably lingers in the memory.  So to remind you what the programme sounded like here’s an edition from 16 June 1965 in the days when it went out on the Home Service. The announcer is John Dunn.

It’s amazing isn’t it how over the years the phrase “Are You Sitting Comfortably? Then I’ll begin” has become part of the language, even though the programme is now a distant memory. It conjures up cosy black and white images of the children playing in front of the wireless, mother going about her housework, father out at work in some suburban post-war full employment world that never really existed.

It’s probably such memories that led to the outcry on 1982 when the BBC announced the decision to axe Listen with Mother after 32 years as by then few children actually listened, with mother or otherwise. The audience share of pre-school children was just 2%. An audience survey in the mid-70s revealed that there were as many long-distance lorry drivers as young children listening, presumably sitting comfortably in their cabs.

The then Network Controller Monica Sims, formerly head of BBC Children’s Television, saw the programme as a “frightful nuisance” as listeners switched off after Woman’s Hour. So in September 1980 the programme was shunted off to a mid-morning VHF only slot opposite the Daily Service and two years later the axe fell.

Here is that final Listen with Mother from 10 September 1982. The presenters are Tony Aitken and Nerys Hughes (of The Liver Birds fame). As you’ll again hear, contrary to what reference books and online encyclopaedias state, the phrase “are you sitting comfortably?” precedes the story and not the actual programme.