The British Broadcasting Century with Paul Kerensa #110 GK Chesterton, 75 Years of R2's God Slot + The Truth About Father Christmas
As this podcast lands, it's 75 years to the day since the first 'God slot' on the BBC Light Programme. It was first called Five to Ten, and is now Pause for Thought on BBC Radio 2.
Podcast host Paul has been Pausing for Thought for over a decade, with Chris Evans, Zoe Ball and Scott Mills, and was recently asked to present a history of Pause for Thought to a roomful of Pause for Thoughters, the Radio 2 boss, and today's Breakfast Show host Scott Mills. So a version of that is on this episode, with some golden oldie clips, including Ray Moore and Derek Jameson. And even a bit of Steve Wright, because why not.
It's a mini-sode ahead of our Christmas special, so we look ahead to that, with a little more info on Paul's upcoming Radio 4 drama about the first radio drama, The Truth About Phyllis Twigg.
The companion episode will be next time on the podcast, but for now there's info on where in London you can go to listen to the story version of that original radio drama - ME London, the hotel on the site of Marconi House and the BBC's first studio. You can go this December, and listen to our exclusive recording, by, Paul, Carina Saner (Phyllis' great-granddaughter) and Flora Saner (Phyllis' great-great-granddaughter).
...And if you can't make it to London, we'll play it for you on the next episode.
A little too on our moment-by-moment timeline of British broadcasting - we're in November 1923 and it's GK Chesterton from Manchester, a Welsh talk from Wales, the first radio novel, and some comments in the Radio Times on the benefits of radio opera.
(This WAS going to be an episode about the first BBC Armistice broadcast - but with all the above to tell more immediately, I decided to hold back the Armistice episode till the New Year. I know - it's not November - but we have a timeline to follow. In early 2026)
SHOWNOTES:
- Random Radio Jottings’ blog post on Pause for Thought’s history - with clips! https://andywalmsley.blogspot.com/2020/04/pause-for-thought.html
- ME London hotel host our recording of The Truth about Father Christmas, Dec 2025 only! Some more details from the manager: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mattba_melondon-takemetothemoon-activity-7402369630956326913-n1OS/ ...Pop by the hotel, have a listen! Get in touch with them first to be sure: https://www.melia.com/en/hotels/united-kingdom/london/me-london
- The BBC listings page for The Truth about Phyllis Twigg - 2:15pm, Christmas Eve 2025, Radio 4: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002ntmx
- An article from Downthetubes about The Truth about Phyllis Twigg: https://downthetubes.net/the-truth-about-phyllis-twigg-lifts-the-lid-on-secrets-of-early-bbc-radio/
- Paul on Radio 4 Extra's Daily Service, inc a little on The Truth about Father Christmas: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002n6kc
- A few selected highlights of Paul's History of Pause for Thought slide show at Broadcasting House: https://bsky.app/profile/paulkerensa.bsky.social/post/3m6orjdhkxs2m
- Original podcast music is by Will Farmer.
- Any clips are other oooooold and out of copyright, or recent and the copyright is the BBC's - tiny excerpts hopefully qualify as fair use. Right? Right.
- Our survey of what you like/don't about this podcast is here: http://tiny.cc/bbcenturysurvey
- Paul's live show on the BBC origin story visits Norfolk and Leicester in 2026 - and maybe your place? Get in touch: www.paulkerensa.com/tour
- Substack: www.paulkerensa.substack.com
- This podcast is not made by today's BBC. It's just about the old BBC.
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Next time: Episode 111: The Truth About The Truth About Phyllis Twigg - our new radio drama about the first radio drama.
More on this broadcasting history project at paulkerensa.com/oldradio