91Èȱ¬

Radio has evolved a fair bit since 1948 but in an attempt to give an insight into the time in the most entertaining way possible, two East London writers have produced a soap called "Mrs Dale meets Eastenders."

Mrs Dale's Diary was the 91Èȱ¬'s first major post war serial drama.

It began it's run on the Light Programme on the 5th January 1948 and left British housewives gripped from one episode to the next for 21 years.

Perhaps the clearest indication of how times and soap operas have changed is in the depiction of a typical middle class family living in the fictional London suburb of Parkwood Hill.

This is an imaginary setting far removed from down at heel Albert Square!Ìý

In the early days the programme revolved around the humdrum diary entries of Mary Dale, a dutiful doctor's wife, who began each episode with her latest unchallenging extract.

Mary often spoke of her concern for her husband: "I'm rather worried about Jim..." but her agonising could equally be extended to her son, Bob or daughter, Gwen.

The diary format was eventually dropped, the show was renamed The Dales and more racy storylines were written as society changed at the beginning of the 1960's, but the Dales themselves remained rooted in 1948 which perhaps explains why it was eventually dropped in 1969.

Anna Aapola and Ffiona Rowland, who both work at Toynbee Hall in Whitechapel have reinvented Mrs Dale's Diary for their modernised version which delves into the medical politics of the time.

1948 also saw the birth of the National Health Service amidst huge opposition from the medical establishment.

"Dr Dale" and his family provide a perfect vehicle to explore the issue whilst reviving an old 91Èȱ¬ favourite.

To listen to Anna and Ffiona's efforts click on the link below.

Historic comedy

Ben Rogers and Ruth Rowbury have been inspired by radio comedy, "Take It From Here."

Written by Frank Muir and Dennis Norden, the show was first broadcast on the Light Programme on 23 March 1948 and garnered a reputation for quickfire quips and clever wordplay.

The stars of the show were Jimmy Edwards, Dick Bentley and Joy Nichols who had all worked together on a previous programme called Navy Mixture.

When that series came to an end in 1947, it was decided that another vehicle was needed for the trio and Muir and Norden, who had each written separately for Navy Mixture, were brought together by producer, Charles Maxwell to write the new show.

Ben and Ruth's tribute is called Take It From There and uses the original format whilst updating the humour to complement their own writing style.

Ben and Ruth both star in Take It From There along with Stephane Middleton.Ìý

One of the many breakthroughs made by Muir and Norden was realising the comic potential in topical issues, books, plays and films.

The parody sketch was to become popular on Take It From Here and the show was certainly not afraid to treat it's audience with a much higher level of intellect than many of its predecessors.

Despite a lukewarm response at the beginning, the show soon became a hit.

But the most famous creation on the show was a product of the early 1950's.

The Glums were Muir and Norden's answer to the clean living families that dominated the radio airwaves of the time and are recast in Ruth and Ben's programme as the Glooms.

Irrespective of whichever surname is adopted this family were and are a far cry from the Dales!ÌýÌýÌý

Click on the link below to listen to "Take it from There"