The British Broadcasting Century with Paul Kerensa
By Paul Kerensa
100 Years of the BBC, Radio and Life as We Know It.
Be informed, educated and entertained by the amazing true story of radio’s forgotten pioneers. With host Paul Kerensa, great guests and rare archive from broadcasting’s golden era. Original music by Will Farmer. www.paulkerensa.com/oldradio
Be informed, educated and entertained by the amazing true story of radio’s forgotten pioneers. With host Paul Kerensa, great guests and rare archive from broadcasting’s golden era. Original music by Will Farmer. www.paulkerensa.com/oldradio
Latest episode
-
#100 - The Century! British Broadcasting's Story So Far, 1895-1923
It's The British Broadcasting Century's century! Thanks if you've joined us for the story so far, from Morse and Marconi to Reith and the Pips (before Gladys Knight took over lead vocals). This special 100th episode is for both the newcomer and the … -
#099 Godfrey Isaacs - The Man Behind The BBC Idea
On the day of episode 99's release, it's exactly 100 years since the death on 17 April 1925 of Godfrey Isaacs - Managing Director of the Marconi Company. More than that - new evidence shows that he came up with and championed the idea of the one BBC… -
#098 Ireland's First Radio Station... and the BBC News theme album
14 August 1923: Ireland's first licensed radio station takes to the air... Yes for one episode, The British Broadcasting Century leaves Britain to become The Irish Broadcasting Century. Well how could we not bring you the tale of Marconi setting up… -
#097 Manchester, Birmingham, Gardening, Radio Circle + a Wireless Elephant: The BBC in August 1923
Episode 97 finds the BBC in August 1923... Two of its studios get upgrades - 2ZY Manchester and 5IT Birmingham began under electrical companies Metropolitan Vickers and General Electric. So it's time for the BBC to give them new city centre premises… -
#096 Books on Broadcasting - and the Bodleian Library's 'Listen In' Exhibition
We're back! Season 7 begins with a Books Special - plus a visit to a special exhibition at Oxford's magnificent Bodleian Library - 'Listen In: How Radio Changed the Home'. It's curated by Beaty Rubens, who has also written a book of the same name. I … -
#095 Five Gold Airings: Vintage BBC Christmases 1922-42
Episode 95 is our Christmas special for 2024 - looking back to five vintage BBC Christmases of 1922-42. Well, I say 'five'. I mean nine. Christmas is a time for giving, so have four extra... Nine Gold Airings didn't sound as catchy. You'll hear: 192… -
#094 Wireless Manhunts on the BBC - in 1923 and 2023
Episode 94 finds us hunting presenters on the run... in 1923 and in 2023. But first, the tale of July 1923 in British broadcasting, which includes a pop-up non-BBC station in Plymouth (5DJ), the first BBC film critic G.A. Atkinson, a comedian asks a… -
#093 On-Air Symphonies and 'Seeing By Wireless' in June 1923 - and Stuart Prebble
June 1923 at the BBC saw the first symphony concerts on-air (with an 'augmented orchestra'), musical criticism from Percy Scholes, 2,500 voices broadcast at once, and new staff led by Admiral Charles Carpendale as Reith's deputy. Plus Scot John Logie… -
#092 The First Sports Broadcasts: from 'Yachts Slowly Drifting' to MCR21
Episode 92 The First Sports Broadcasts: from 'Yachts Slowly Drifting' to MCR21 Our moment-by-moment origin story of British broadcasting reaches 6th June 1923 - and what's sometimes thought to be the BBC's first sports broadcast: author Edgar Walla… -
#091 The Electrophone: The 1890s' Streaming Device
Episode 91 goes back over 130 years to the 'broadcasting' device that far predates radio broadcasting. But the same ideas were there: entertainment, religion, news even, brought to your home, sent one-to-many, live from West End churches and London's…
