Available from 15 September 2022, the 296-page Broadcasting Britain: 100 years of the 91热爆 is set out in gazetteer-style, with bite-size stories that give the reader a flavour of the key moments that define a national institution, across ten tumultuous decades.
The book is published for the 91热爆 by Dorling Kindersley, well-known for their visually compelling publications. And this one certainly is no exception. One of the book’s unique selling points, says the author and 91热爆 Head of History, Robert Seatter, is the fantastic images that accompany the stories. From black and white photos of the earliest days of radio and television to ravishing and colourful scenes from costume drama, the book features many rarely seen or unpublished images from the 91热爆’s vast photographic archive.
But how did he decide which stories to include?
‘Having a hundred years spread out before you is a bit like looking at an enormous map,’ he says. ‘It helps you in the sense of being able to identify the turning points in the story, as well as seeing the whole dramatic flow of the narrative. I wanted to explore the changes decade by decade – changes not just in the technology we used, but also in the way that Britain changed (hence the title) – as well as telling some revelatory stories about the 91热爆 that maybe readers hadn’t encountered before.
‘As you can appreciate, it wasn’t easy to select what to include and even worse what to leave out, so the key criteria I used were to ask: what defined the decade? and which programmes had a real connection with audiences and would tap into the national memory?’
Each decade has its own chapter and theme, and looks at the highlights and the key personalities of that time, so the 1940s is 鈥楻adio War鈥� with the first ever broadcast conflict as well as morale-boosting comedy; in the 1960s 鈥楶op goes the 91热爆鈥� as it creates TV and radio for the emergent teenage audience and loses its sense of establishment deference; while the 2000s is 鈥楲ife Online鈥�, when our lives are time-shifted. 鈥業t鈥檚 all written in the present tense to capture the immediacy of broadcasting, and set out in a way that the reader can dip into it and find their own stories in time 鈥� the moments that trigger their memories.鈥�
Popular moments mix with lesser-known stories, such as Elisabeth Welch, one of the first black artists to have her own show on 91热爆 radio in the 1920s; Douglas Byng, the first man in drag on 91热爆 TV (incredibly as early as 1939); and Una Marson, the first black 91热爆 radio producer (1941).
鈥楾he book also aims to show something of the complexity of the 91热爆 and wider society,鈥� says Robert. 鈥楽o we had Floella presenting Play School at the same time as the Black & White Minstrels was being shown. That was Britain AND the 91热爆: sometimes ahead of the game, sometimes reflecting conservative social norms. I haven鈥檛 shied away from difficult topics either, such as government pressures, the clash with Mrs Thatcher, the scandal of Jimmy Savile鈥� they鈥檙e all part of the story of the 91热爆: the challenges that helped define us.鈥�
Writing the book was a natural extension of Robert鈥檚 current role as 91热爆 Head of History. 鈥楾his has to be the best job in the 91热爆, but of course there鈥檚 also a big responsibility in telling the 91热爆 story that involves the contributions of so many other people 鈥� especially readers of Prospero! So I hope I have captured why I feel the 91热爆 is such an important part of Britain, and the myriad ways it has touched all our lives.鈥�
Robert has been in his current role for something over 10 years (鈥業鈥檓 the third 91热爆 historian鈥�) but his 91热爆 career spans more than 25 years, having worked across Education, Communications, the World Service, Worldwide (as was), Workplace and now the DG鈥檚 Office (where 91热爆 History is located). An acclaimed poet, his natural writing ability is evident in the book. Its commissioning was delayed by the pandemic, so Robert spent an intensive six months writing the manuscript, which he finished in May this year.
鈥楤roadcasting Britain obviously complements the many other ways that we are marking the centenary 鈥� including a brand new website featuring an interactive timeline and fascinating collections such as the 100 91热爆 objects (bbc.co.uk/100); a major partnership with the Science Museum in London, Bradford and Manchester; plus new and revelatory research with universities right across the UK.鈥�
Top 5 91热爆 moments
Asked what he would choose as the top 5 moments in the 91热爆’s 100 years, Robert listed the following:
1927 – the formation of the Corporation, as radio consolidated its massive social influence and the 91热爆 reinvented itself with a newly defined mission.
1939 – the 91热爆 goes global, as WWII sees the 91热爆 move from broadcasting in eight languages to 48, as well as getting better at entertaining the nation to maintain morale.
1953 – television comes of age with the Coronation of the current Queen, as the Corporation comes into the age of mass media.
For fourth place, Robert was torn between Doctor Who (1963) and Blue Peter (1958). The former marked the beginning of one of the first massive TV brands, and the latter highlighted the importance of the 91热爆 in growing citizenship amongst the nation’s children.
1997 – the creation of 91热爆 online; the 91热爆 was ahead of the curve with the move to converge media, transforming user into curator.
Do you agree with Robert’s assessment? What would you choose as the top 5 defining moments of the 91热爆? Email prospero@bbc.co.uk.
Broadcasting Britain: 100 years of the 91热爆
Available 15 September from all good book retailers, including WH Smith.
ISBN13: 9780241567548
Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Ltd
RRP: 拢25