The British Broadcasting Century with Paul Kerensa #020 The First BBC Christmas: From Carols to Kings
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Dec 16, 2020 Join Christmas expert James Cooper, founder of whychristmas.com, as he jingle-bells back to 1922, uncovering the BBC's inaugural festive broadcasts. Discover the first-ever religious broadcast featuring Rev John Mayo, delightful radio plays like 'The Truth About Father Christmas', and laugh along with comedy from Fred Gibson. Listen in as stations across the UK bring holiday cheer with unique broadcasts, including ghost stories and Handel's Messiah, showcasing how Christmas on the radio created a sense of community and joy.
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BBC Began As A Small, Improvised Venture
- The BBC launched in mid-November 1922 with only a handful of staff and three stations doing most programming.
- Early broadcasts relied on people borrowed from companies like Marconi and ad-hoc arrangements to make schedules work.
First Children's Hour And Pay Details
- On December 23rd 1922 Arthur Burroughs hosted the first Children's Hour and introduced several 'Uncles' for children's broadcasting.
- The BBC also paid early musicians a guinea a show and relied on Marconi to loan funds for initial costs.
News Was A Slow, Manual Production
- Early BBC news bulletins were produced by Reuters staff and recorded on Dictaphone before being read aloud by Burroughs.
- The process made breaking news slow because each bulletin was transcribed and then read live.