The castaway who annoyed Churchill - BBC News BBC News The castaway who annoyed Churchill By Alex Hudson BBC News 26 January 2012 Read more about sharing. Close share panel The first ever castaway on Desert Island Discs 70 years ago was a man who not only annoyed Winston Churchill but also earned Adolf Hitler's enmity. So who was Vic Oliver and why isn't more known about him? Vic Oliver was welcomed on to the first ever Desert Island Discs programme as a "comedian, lightning club manipulator, violinist and comedy trick cyclist", according to the surviving scripts. That is quite an introduction. Recorded in the BBC's bomb-damaged Maida Vale studio on 27 January 1942, the first ever Desert Island Discs aired on the Forces Programme at 20:00 two days later. Oliver was a radio comedian, an Austro-American variety star and music hall bill-topper. He was a brilliant musician who, while playing his instrument deliberately badly for laughs, led the way for comics Les Dawson and Victor Borge.

Winston Churchill on Vic Oliver "He did not impress me with being a bad man; but common as dirt: An Austrian citizen, a resident in US & here on license & an American passport: twice divorced: 36 so he says. "A horrible mouth: a foul Austro-Yankee drawl. I did not offer to shake hands: but put him through a long examination. "He described Sarah [Churchill] as the 'brainiest & smartest gurl' he had ever met." Winston Churchill, Taken from Winston and Clementine: The Personal Letters of the Churchills, by Mary Soames Note: Churchill made a mistake - Oliver was married and divorced only once before he met Sarah. But behind the veneer of showbusiness and celebrity, his life story is as compelling as it is colourful. Born Victor Oliver von Samek in Vienna, Austria in 1898, Oliver's fame peaked during World War II. His hit BBC radio series Hi Gang! was so successful that it had film and theatre spin-offs.

"These programmes used to get bigger audiences than EastEnders does now so it's hard to get your head around how much they've been forgotten," says Dr Sian Nicholas, of the Centre for Media History at Aberystwyth University. Oliver's original plan was to train as a doctor in Vienna but that was interrupted by World War I. It was rumoured that he had fought alongside Adolf Hitler, though Oliver chose never to address the subject. Once the war was over, he concentrated on music and studied piano, violin and conducting at the Vienna Conservatoire before becoming assistant conductor at the Graz Opera House. After emigrating to the US, he played piano in restaurants, bars and silent cinemas. The leap into comedy came when announcing a charity collection during the interval at a theatre where he was performing. His English was still poor and he ended with the words: "I shall now come down and go through you all." Laughter and large donations followed and a comedy star was inadvertently born. For Churchill, he was a nobody Dr Sian Nicholas, Aberystwyth University A little while later, Oliver met a British stage dancer. Her name was Sarah Churchill and she had a very famous father.

The romance grew quickly and their love life was played out in the papers as any major star's would be today. Oliver had become a big star in the US, both on radio and on the stage. He began to be offered work in Britain, travelling to star in Charles B Cochran's 1936 revue Follow the Sun. And despite protestations to the contrary - Oliver told a newspaper in September 1936 that he was not the marrying kind - he had made plans for Sarah, 16 years his junior, to be his wife. This news did not go down well with the Churchills. "The first time I saw my mother cry, I was absolutely overwhelmed," Sir Winston's youngest daughter Lady Soames told the Daily Telegraph in 2002. "I was 13 and she broke down in floods of tears because Sarah had run off to America to marry Vic Oliver. I realised then how much Sarah had hurt them." Find out more In letters released after Sir Winston's death, he referred to Oliver as "common as dirt", among other unflattering things. Despite the Churchill family's initial objections, the couple married in New York on Christmas Eve 1936.

"It would be such an unsuitable marriage," says Nicholas. "For Churchill, he was a nobody, an immigrant nobody, a Jewish nobody, an entertainer. The fact that he's made a lot of money from it didn't really matter. I'm not surprised that, in private, Churchill wasn't impressed at all." But it is believed that Churchill warmed to his son-in-law over time and, according to biographer Paul Addison, was distressed when it became apparent the couple would divorce. The marriage was a difficult one and, in 1941, the couple effectively separated. Oliver filed for divorce in March 1945. During the war, Oliver became a big star in the UK. It was in 1940, alongside film star couple Bebe Daniels and Ben Lyon, that Oliver got his British break. Daniels and Lyon had moved to London in 1935, working during the war by entertaining troops and factory workers - a task for which Daniels was later awarded the Medal of Freedom by US President Harry Truman. From the idea of amusing people and keeping their spirits up during wartime, the idea for a radio show grew - Hi Gang!

"That programme really put me on the map because, when everyone else was going to the country and sheltering, we were there every Sunday regardless of the Blitz," Oliver said in his only surviving interview, recorded in the 1960s. Vic Oliver's life in short Born Victor Oliver Von Samek on 8 July 1898 in Vienna Married Sarah Churchill in 1936. Divorced 1945 Married Natalie Frances Conder the following year Founded the Vic Oliver Concert Orchestra An accomplished violinist, he used his talent in his comedy Comedic style later adopted by Victor Borge Appeared in BBC radio shows Hi, Gang! and Discord in Three Flats in 1962 Died in Johannesburg on 15 August 1964 "We were there broadcasting to the people and spreading humour and good entertainment among them. The people have never forgotten it, that's when I took out British citizenship." The programme turned into a stroke of Allied propaganda genius. Hitler began his targeted bombing of London only months after it began. While Nazi leaflets told of the flattening of London, Hi Gang!

and its American stars remained in the capital and broadcast each Sunday for all 52 weeks of the year. Oliver now had a prominence which, with his Jewish heritage, ensured his appearance in the Nazis' "black book". This list detailed those who were to be immediately rounded up in the event of a successful invasion of Britain. Other names on the list included Noel Coward, Virginia Woolf and Paul Robeson. "At the very least, they would have been arrested and interrogated," says Gary Sheffield, professor of war studies at the University of Birmingham. "Very possibly for many of them, it could have been far worse." Oliver remarried in 1946 and continued to play in both big venues and appear on radio, even up to 1962 when he appeared in sitcom Discord in Three Flats. He died in Johannesburg on 15 August 1964. From humble beginnings as a trainee doctor and then a theatre pianist, he had become one of radio's most recognisable voices in an era when variety stars were household names.

BBC News | TV AND RADIO | Desert Island delights Tuesday, 29 January, 2002, 07:26 GMT Desert Island delights Tony Blair appeared on the show in 1996 It started in 1942, and has been a constant presence in the choppy waters of radio ever since. BBC News Online looks at the history of Desert Island Discs, which celebrates 60 years on Tuesday. The show's format, which has evolved gradually over the years, is simple. Each week a guest is invited onto the programme to select eight records they would take with them onto a desert island. Roy Plomley in 1967 with guest Dame Gladys Cooper This being a Radio 4 island, there is already a Bible - or religious work of your choice - and some Shakespeare to keep your mind ticking over. In addition to the eight records, the castaway can select a book and a luxury item which must be inanimate and have no practical use. These are comparatively recent additions to the island - the luxury item came along in the 1950s, the book a decade later. Tropical idyll The man behind the tropical idyll was Roy Plomley.

The idea came to him after his coal fire went out in his digs in Hertfordshire in 1941, although he later said a feature in a 1930s magazine may have been another inspiration. Sir Paul McCartney appeared in 1982 American comedian Vic Oliver was the first guest when the show was recorded at a bomb-damaged Maida Vale studios, London, on 27 January 1942. It was transmitted two days later. Oliver was performing in a West End musical at the time, and so was available when Plomley's first choice - Dr CEM Joad of the Brains Trust - said he was busy. Performers, literary critics, and radio personalities made up many of the show's early guests. John Major was the first serving Prime Minister to appear A cosy mix of highbrow names and showbusiness stars sustained the show through its early decades, with Desert Island Discs taking its place on BBC Radio 4's first day in 1967. Cosy It became a staple of the schedule.

Guests were rarely embarrassed, and Plomley - who was also the first host of comedy show One Minute Please, which later became Just A Minute - built up a reputation for hardly asking any questions at all. He was given an OBE in 1975. But storm clouds hit the island after Plomley's death in 1985. Michael Parkinson took over as host, but his stint proved unpopular with listeners and Plomley's widow, Diana. Luxury requests Oliver Reed wanted a blow-up woman Princess Michael of Kent wanted a cat Sue Lawley replaced him in 1988, and now the programme has a slightly harder edge. Politicians now vie with celebrities and great thinkers to appear on the programme. Controversy has been added to the mix. Lady Diana Mosley - widow of fascist leader Sir Oswald - generated hundreds of complaints when she appeared in 1989. Shock Famously, Gordon Brown was asked in 1996 why he had never married - shocking some listeners, but not the then-shadow chancellor.

Plomley's widow, Diana, still holds the rights to the programme The mix of guests continues to this day - before Christmas, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver selected a Roachford track because it reminded him of his wife Jules, while this week saw pianist Phyllis Sellick chose Rachmaninov, Brahms and Ravel. A decade ago BBC Radio 4 splashed out on a party to mark 50 years of the programme - inviting a range of past guests. This year the network is planning a concert at the Royal Festival Hall, which will be broadcast on 23 March. See also: Desert orchid | Media | The Guardian Desert orchid A look back at Sue Lawley's sometimes controversial time at the helm of Desert Island Discs Lawley: only the third host in the show's 64-year history A look back at Sue Lawley's sometimes controversial time at the helm of Desert Island Discs Wednesday 12 April 2006 10.25 EDT First published on Wednesday 12 April 2006 10.25 EDT Share on Messenger Close Sue Lawley leaves Desert Island Discs on a high, with radio ratings at a six-year peak.

However, her 18-year tenure at one of Radio 4's flagship shows has not been all plain sailing. Having decided that quizzing the great and the good on the soundtrack to their lives has come to dominate her professional life, Lawley is bailing out after 750 interviews and will present her last show in August. She took over the programme in 1987 from Michael Parkinson, who picked up from Desert Island Discs creator Roy Plomley, who presented the show from its inception in 1942 until his death in 1985. But Lawley's arrival heralded a period of controversy. Her appointment did not go down well in some quarters, famously upsetting Plomley's widow Diana, who criticised the former BBC news presenter's habit of quizzing castaways about their sex lives. And Mrs Plomley was not the only Desert Island devotee to be upset by the direction the show was heading with Lawley at the helm. Labour's former deputy leader, Roy Hattersley, once a guest on the show, believed Lawley had lowered the tone, accusing her of frivolity, a peek-a-boo interviewing style and asking "chase me round the studio" questions.

"In Roy Plomley's time, one-film wonders like Hugh Grant and second-division dress designers would have been wrecked on the sandy shore of a BBC studio. Only last week one such couturier - Jasper Conran - was enlightening us all with an array of jejune views about life, sexuality and the importance of Jasper Conran," wrote Hattersley in the Daily Mail. "There was a time when the world's great stars were pleased to take part. Orson Welles flew the Atlantic to choose eight records, Marlene Dietrich discussed how she would adjust to life under the coconut palms, and James Stewart loped into the studio and drawled his musical preferences," he sniffed. One of Lawley's most controversial interviews came when, in 1996, she asked the then shadow chancellor Gordon Brown why he had never married. Her line of questioning shocked some listeners but did not faze Mr Brown. More recently Lawley made a clumsy faux-pas when she asked double-Olympian Dame Kelly Holmes about her future career plans. She asked if Dame Kelly planned to "get married and have children" and was met with silence. The athlete eventually replied that she would carry on "being my own person".

Lawley was also accused of fawning behaviour towards John Major, prime minister at the time, and almost reduced Alan Bleasdale to tears. But she also managed to pry choice revelations from her guests. Ted Heath confessed he had felt "a certain loneliness and sense of waste'" about his political life under Mrs Thatcher. When she asked Archbishop Desmond Tutu what advice he would give his old friend Nelson Mandela, he replied: "Hang loose, man." Now 64 years old, Desert Island Discs is a very different beast since the days of Plomley, when male guests were taken to lunch at the Garrick. Each guest is invited to select eight records they would take with them to a desert island where there is already a Bible - or another religious work of their choice - and the complete works of Shakespeare. But the book and a luxury item, which must be inanimate and have no practical use, are more recent additions. The luxury item was added in the 1950s, the book a decade later. American comedian Vic Oliver was the first guest when the inaugural show was recorded at a bomb-damaged Maida Vale studios, London on January 27 1942 and transmitted two days later.

However, despite the nay-saying early in Lawley's tenure, radio audiences appear to appreciate her. The most recent Rajar audience figures put the show at a six-year high, with 1.78 million listeners a week tuning in for the last quarter of 2005. Lawley, who is 59, began her media career as a graduate trainee at Thomson Newspapers and by 1967 had joined BBC Plymouth, first as a subeditor, before becoming a reporter and presenter. In the 70s she became a household name as a presenter on Nationwide. In 1983 she stepped up to anchor the Nine O'Clock News and a year later the Six O'Clock News. Lawley is currently presenting the five Reith Lectures on Radio 4, but according to the BBC does not have any further projects lined up for the corporation after that. She said today she wanted to "concentrate on other aspects of broadcasting and maybe a bit of business too" after recording her final Desert Island Discs in August.

· To contact the MediaGuardian newsdesk email editor@mediatheguardian.com or phone 020 7239 9857 · If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication". Music Programmes Music Programmes Listen to the Band :This was (and still is) a brass and military band programme which commenced during the second world war and has continued, on and off, to the present day. Early programmes were sometimes comprised of records but studio performances soon became standard, with brass bands alternating with military bands in a half hour of mainly light music. In recent years brass bands have been used almost exclusively, due to military bands being required to charge a fee which is compatible with professional Musician Union rates. During the seventies the programme was replaced for a while by 'Strike Up the Band' - the only difference being a slightly lighter and more commercial repertoire. After sixty years, the signature tune of 'Listen to the Band' , Lionel Monkton's 'Soldiers in the Park' was inexplicably dropped by the BBC a few years ago.

The programme has been a permanent feature of Friday night on Radio 2 for many years now and is now one of the few remaining programmes on the station to feature instrumental music. (Information kindly provided by Brian Reynolds ). Concert Hour : The hour was between noon and 1pm, on weekdays on the Home Service from March 1946 to December 1964, when music was commonplace on the Home Service - as opposed to the much rarer event which it is today. Grand Hotel : Relays of Light classical music started in 1925 from The Grand Hotel in Eastbourne and were, to quote the Radio Times of the era, 'Music of the Palm Court Orchestra'. The Lounge Hall of the Grand was used - it did not actually have a Palm Court. The 'Grand Hotel' programme itself ran on Sundays from 1943 to 1973 and was generally broadcast live, usually from the Concert Hall at Broadcasting House but occasionally on location. It was hosted by violinist Albert Sandler until early in 1948 when he was taken ill and left the programme being replaced by Tom Jenkins (Sandler died the following August).

Both had previously been musical directors of the Grand Hotel Eastbourne (Sandler 1924-28 and Jenkins 1938-40). However other hotels were also used, notably the Royal Bath, Bournemouth and these programmes were not called 'Grand Hotel'. It lapsed for a couple of years before returning for its final series in 1951 when it was pre-recorded and introduced by Tom Jenkins with the Palm Court Orchestra and guest baritone Alfred Swain. Max Jaffa took over in 1956, succeeding Jean Pougnet, and stayed to the end. Featured artists at this time were Jack Byfield, Max Jaffa and a different singer each week. Vanessa Lee was a favourite of the programme, but many other operatic sopranos were also invited to appear. Reginald Leopold directed the Palm Court orchestra for 17 years, until 1973. The programme was revived for a while in the eighties using Max Jaffa and subsequently the show went round the regions using different musical combinations.

It was revived in 1995 for a one-off celebration using a larger orchestra conducted by Roderick Dunk The programme's signature tune was Strauss's 'Roses from the South'. There was a similar programme, now forgotten, called 'Carnival Concert', which featured John Blore and his orchestra (with interval music by organist Charles Smart) playing 'music from the Winter Garden'. offers a 'Reginald Leopold and Grand Hotel' CD for ï¿½9.95 (ref .C110) Memories for You : requested tunes played in strict tempo by Victor Silvester's Ballroom Orchestra in a series heard on both Light and Home services. Your Hundred Best Tunes : Gentle, quiet and serene record programme presented by Alan Keith on Sunday evenings since 1959. (It was called 'The Hundred Best Tunes in the World' until February 1960). Alan Keith was the longest-serving disc jockey on British radio; his rich and mellifluous tones could be heard every Sunday evening for 44 years on Radio 2's Your Hundred Best Tunes, bringing a touch of solace and relaxation to the airwaves.

The programme was devised by Keith in 1959 and first broadcast in November that year. It was a simple formula; Keith would choose a selection of light classical music from the BBC gramophone library and introduce each extract in his matchless modulated style. He died, whilst still presenting the programme weekly, in March 2003. Richard Baker then took over the programme until it was axed in 2007, after 48 years, to make way for a new-look schedule. Melody on the Move : was a breakfast-time light music programme broadcast (initially) at 8.30a.m until 9.00a.m provided by a different BBC staff orchestra each day ( the BBC West of England Light Orchestra , for example). It ran without a break between September 1958 and December 1960, by which time it had been extended to 45 minutes (commencing 8.15 a.m) but the number of editions had been reduced to three per week.

It returned in January 1962 for a further 21 month run on Monday mornings, this time extended to 60 minutes and usually featuring the London Light Concert Orchestra or the London Theatre Orchestra, both of which were augmented versions of the BBC's London Studio Players , conductors being Michael Krein and Reginald Kilbey respectively. Sometimes a guest ensemble or soloist was also included. Its final incarnation was in the late sixties as a thirty minute programme every weekday at 11.30a.m. again featuring mostly BBC orchestras but this time presented by the avuncular Jimmy Hanley. Not surprisingly 'Melody on the Move' had, as its signature tune, the Clive Richardson composition of the same name. (Information kindly provided by Brian Reynolds ). Signature Tune Mid-Day Music Hall : was a variety show which started in 1953 and was broadcast live every Monday and Friday (alternating with Worker's Playtime on Tuesday and Thursday). It was originally compered by Michael Miles and then later, in the sixties, it was introduced by Bill Gates. Max Miller appeared in the programme regularly once a month towards the end of his career when he had more or less retired.

The signature tune was 'Over The Sticks'. Henry Hall's Guest Night : One of the major musical figures from the golden age of wireless, Henry Hall's 'chat show' saw Britain through the dark days of war, and bearing a famous signature tune in 'Here's to the Next Time', it ran for 972 editions until the late '50s. Hall's regular greeting, 'Hello everyone, this is Henry Hall speaking', became something of a national catchphrase. Signature tune Housewives Choice : A very popular record request programme broadcast on the Light Programme from 1946 to 1967. Specifically aimed at women at home, at an hour (09:10) when their menfolk were supposed to have left for work, it was nonetheless nearly always presented by men. - among them Godfrey Winn, Edmundo Ros, Gilbert Harding, Richard Murdoch, Sam Costa and Eamonn Andrews. The one who enjoyed the closest association with the show, however, was vocalist and bandleader George Elrick, whose bright and breezy style was heard, on and off, for two decades.

His hallmark was to hum along to the signature tune which came about by accident when he did it without realising he was still on air. He feared the sack but the producer liked it and so did the listeners so it became standard. The very first presenter was Robert MacDermott on 4th. March 1946. The signature tune was called In Party Mood by Jack Strachey and is available on CD here and here Sing Something Simple with the Cliff Adams Singers (right) : "Songs simply sung for song-lovers" was the subtitle for this half-hour of non-stop pop-songs. It became a warm, smooth, cosy and sentimental Sunday-evening institution. Beginning on the Light Programme in 1959, initially on Fridays but soon moving to Sunday nights where it stayed every week until the death in October 2001 of Cliff Adams. The Adams Singers were originally accompanied by accordionist Jack Emblow and his quartet. Pick of the Pops began in 1955 and was presented by Franklin Engelmann as 'a choice of current popular gramophone records'. He was succeeded by Alan Dell and then David Jacobs who hosted it at 10.40pm on Saturday nights.

In 1961 it was incorporated into 'Trad Tavern' with presenter Alan Freeman. Its theme tune was 'At the Sign of The Swinging Cymbal'. It Later it moved to Sunday teatime. Record Roundup : Jack Jackson's Saturday night programme. Record Roundabout : Jack Jackson also later presented this programme on Saturday lunchtimes with lightning cutting between, and mixing of, comedy extracts and music. Jack Jackson had a fictitious cat called Tiddles who used to meaow at appropriate moments when he liked a tune, hence the picture of Jack with a cat. Jack would often ask what Tiddles thought about a particular record, receiving a suitable squawk. Tip-Top Tunes : Bandleader Geraldo's 'Tip-Top Tunes' series that ran on both the BBC Light Programme and General Overseas Service featured mostly the regular Geraldo line up heavily augmented into a large concert orchestra personnel. The earlier programmes featured singers Carole Carr, Dick James, Sally Douglas and Archie Lewis and top big band soloists playing everything from small group swing to adventurous concert arrangements by the likes of Robert Farnon and Wally Stott (later Angela Morley).

The 'Tip-Top Tunes series ran mainly from 1946 to 1954 after which there were some revivals later on in the era as well as one off occasional specials later on. (Information kindly provided by Phil Farlow) Kings of the Keyboard : was a showcase for piano music, broadcast in the late fifties. The writer recalls getting out of school football on Friday afternoons to visit the Concert Hall, Broadcasting House to attend the recordings of this series, transmitted on Sundays. The idea of the programme, which had been entitled 'Concert Grand' several years previously, was to present contrasting styles of piano music performed by a number of well-known pianists. A typical programme from August 1959 featured Valerie Tryon (concert pianist), Reub Silver and Marion Day (two pianos), Bill McGuffie (latin-american music) and the Ian Stewart Quartet (rhythmic piano music). The fact that female pianists took part may explain why, when the series was revived in the early seventies, it reverted to its original title 'Concert Grand'. (Information kindly provided by Brian Reynolds ).

Continental Serenade : Ran from 1942-53 on Saturday afternoons on the Light Programme. Jacques Vallez and his Septet broadcast from 1956 and featured Jacques on cello and Musical Saw (he often played the saw on TV in the fifties). The programnme continued to be broadcast with the Septet until 1963. Marching and Waltzing : A light music programme which ran (albeit intermittently) for over 40 years. Starting during the war, initially as a record programme, it soon graduated to using studio music using a military or brass band to play the marches and a light orchestra to play the waltzes. For many years the resident orchestra was The Raeburn Orchestra conducted by Wynford Reynolds . When Reynolds became terminally ill in 1958, Bernard Monshin conducted his orchestra for a while. Other orchestras took over after the death of Wynford Reynolds in January 1959 with Anton and his orchestra eventually becoming resident orchestra.

The programme commenced and ended with the band playing the Sousa march 'King Cotton' and the orchestra playing a part of 'Vienna Blood' (Strauss), a novelty feature being that band and orchestra would combine for the last part of the waltz. However,this idea could only be used when both contributions were live ( the marches were sometimes pre-recorded) and ceased altogether when,in the sixties, it was decided to utilise BBC staff orchestras to play the waltzes. The Midland Light Orchestra did it for a while but were known to hate the programme because it meant a three-hour session (rehearsal plus the one - hour broadcast) playing in three-four time which they found monotonous! After their participation ceased, the orchestral part of the programme was provided by the BBC Northern Ireland Light Orchestra , apart from a series around 1980 when it was decided to use the London Studio Players (augmented with brass) for the waltzes, with a different guest conductor each week. The BBC,in its infinite wisdom decided to bill this in the 'Radio Times' as - 'The Orchestra conducted by......'.

The writer thought this was ridiculous and told the producer, Charles Clark-Maxwell that they should find a name for it! So they decided to call it 'The Langham Orchestra' - obviously oblivious to the fact that there had been a Langham Light Orchestra back in the Fifties! For the final series in 1984, the BBC introduced the idea of having the band and orchestra switch roles for two pieces in each programme. This resulted in the writer's waltz 'Souvenir de Montmartre' being played by the Band of the Royal Artillery (Woolwich) in one of the last programmes! Maybe that was the final straw! It is worth mentioning that,for a while in the seventies, a variant on 'Marching and Waltzing' was broadcast, initially featuring the BBC Northern Ireland Light Orchestra and guest brass and military bands entitled 'Brass and Strings and Other Things' - a cumbersome title later shortened to 'Brass and Strings', when the orchestral content was provided by a section of the BBC Radio Orchestra. These programmes differed only to the extent that the music did not have to be confined to marches and waltzes. (Information kindly provided by Brian Reynolds ).

Music Box : Ran from 1958 until 1967 and was one of several well-remembered shows occupying the 10 a.m. slot on the Light Programme, hitherto occupied predominently by theatre organ programmes. Initially, it featured one of several small ensembles, such as the Billy Mayerl Rhythm Ensemble, Cecil Norman and the Rhythm Players and Sidney Davey and his players . By 1959 it had its own resident group, The Charlie Katz Novelty Sextet, with a guest instrumentalist or singer (sometimes both). It also acquired a resident presenter, Tim Gudgin, whose humorous ( seemingly unscripted) interactions with the players added to the charm of the programme, as did the distinctive high pitched laugh of Charlie Katz - a fine violinist who, as a 'fixer' was one of the most powerful men in the music business. The series spawned two long-playing records entitled 'Every Tuesday 10.a.m. Music Box'. They began and ended with the programme's signature tune 'The Pied Piper' - played on the ocarina!

There was a special 'last ever show' in 1963 but public demand soon brought it back and it ran on until 1967, when the Light Programme became Radio 2, and several light music shows ended. (Information kindly provided by Brian Reynolds ). Introduction Make Way for Music : A slice of daytime entertainment from the Light Programme with singer Sheila Buxton accompanied by the Northern Dance Orchestra conducted by Alyn Ainsworth. The signature tune was called 'Melody Time', an unpublished work by Alyn Ainsworth. Bright and Early : was a cheerful programme of uninterrupted music, rather in the style of Music While You Work, which was broadcast six days a week in the Home Service at 6.30 a.m. for 25 minutes. Commencing just after the war,initially as a record programme, it started using studio sessions in May 1947 with a different ensemble every day - light orchestras, dance bands, cinema organists and brass bands had their allocated slots each week. Popular contributors included Troise and his Banjoliers , Frank Baron and his Sextet and Primo Scala and his Accordion Band .

The show continued until September 1958, the last year featuring predominantly BBC staff orchestras. It returned in January 1962, this time on the Light Programme for a full half hour but as a brass band slot on Thursday mornings. Although this delighted many, the BBC received a few complaints from people who preferred to be soothed out of their slumber - one correspondent to 'Radio Times' suggesting that every note was created 'in the devil's forge'! In the Autumn of 1963 the programme reverted to a six days a week format ,once again featuring mostly BBC orchestras. An exhiliarating start to the day, 'Bright and Early' finally bowed out on 1st January 1965. (Information kindly provided by Brian Reynolds ). Morning Music : During its 20 year reign on BBC radio, 'Morning Music' probably gave more air-time to light music than any other programme.

It started in November 1945, broadcast between 7.15 and 7.50 a.m every day except Sunday on the Home Service and was an important vehicle for the many light music combinations on the air, which included major recording artists such as Mantovani, Charles Williams and Sidney Torch. Dance bands such as those of Lew Stone and Felix King also contributed as did all of the BBC's Staff light orchestras. The programme had brief announcements and time checks every ten minutes. In 1949 the programme moved to a later slot - between 8.15 and 9.00a.m. again using a mixture of theatre orchestras such as Harold Collins , speciality orchestras formed essentially for radio such as those of Louis Voss and Anton , plus large recording orchestras under the direction of the likes of Ron Goodwin, Frank Chacksfield, Norrie Paramor etc. 1957 saw a major overhaul of BBC schedules and 'Morning Music' transferred to the Light Programme, running from 7.00 to 9.00 a.m. and consisted of unannounced studio-recorded instrumental music from three or four contrasting orchestras or ensembles every day.

The programme varied in length over the years and by January 1965 was running from 5.30 to 9.00 a.m and utilising over 35 musical combinations each week!. For clarity it should be pointed out that at certain times during the early sixties, similar styled programmes such as 'On Your Way', 'Melody On the Move', 'On with the Bands' and 'The Bands Play On' occupied the last section of this marathon and at certain times the day opened with the 30 minute programme 'Bright and Early' (mentioned elsewhere in these pages). But from January 1965 it was three and a half hours of 'Morning Music' - undoubtedly the longest daily programme on radio . In October 1965 the programme was re-named 'Breakfast Special' - added ingredients being a presenter and vocalists on record,thus reducing the need for so many studio orchestras. It continued until 1972 when it was replaced by the 'Terry Wogan Show' which used records to the exclusion of studio recorded music and must have come as a severe blow to the studio musicians for whom breakfast time radio had for so long represented a major part of their livelihood.

(Information kindly provided by Brian Reynolds ). Semprini Serenade : 'Old Ones, New Ones, Loved Ones, Neglected Ones....' A series, produced by Alastair Scott-Johnston, had previously featured pianist Arthur Young, but he was emigrating to Australia. An actor, Michael Brennan, during his army service, had heard a pianist in Italy, became his agent, and brought him to Britain. His name was Albert Semprini (left). He was accompanied by Harry Rabinowitz and the BBC Revue Orchestra. Some critics dismissed it as musical treacle but a loving and loyal audience lapped it up for more than 25 years during which he made more than 700 programmes. The Ted Heath Band Show : Ted Heath and his Band Introduction Peter Calls the Tune : Saturday evening show on the Light Programme with Peter Haigh playing records. Those were the Days : A programme of old time dance music which ran from 1943 until 1976. Harry Davidson and his Orchestra provided the music and the studio audience were invited to dance to the Boston Two-step, The Palais Glide, The Veleta and The Empress Tango, and countless other dances.

The various old-time dance societies were well represented in the studio audience, thus ensuring a high standard of performance - rather important, as the sound of people falling over each other, followed by expletives would not have been desirable on the air! Complete with a master of ceremonies, this delightful programme of light music really evoked the charm of an earlier age. Harry Davidson continued as M.D. until declining health forced his retirement in 1966. He died early in 1967 by which time the music was in the hands of Sidney Davey and his Orchestra. Sidney had held the position of pianist, chief arranger and deputy conductor of Harry Davidson's orchestra for many years and was the obvious successor. The programme ended with Sidney's retirement in 1976. There were other radio programmes featuring old -time dance music during this period, noteably 'Time for Old Time' with Sidney Bowman and his orchestra and 'Take Your Partners' featuring the Sydney Thompson Old-time orchestra and, from 1976, the Bryan Smith orchestra was a popular ingredient of 'Radio Two Ballroom'. (Information kindly provided by Brian Reynolds ).

The Jack Payne Record Show : Saturday lunchtime show on the Light Programme with Jack Payne introducing 'popular gramophone records from here, there and everywhere'. Melody Hour : was a light music programme, broadcast on Sunday afternoons from 1954 to 1961 and featured well-known orchestras contrasted with a guest vocalist as well as an instrumental ensemble, such as George Scott-Wood and his Music or Henry Krein and the Montmartre Players or maybe a two-piano partnership. The programme boasted some of the top names when it came to the orchestras used: High profile conductors such as Robert Farnon, Cyril Ornadel, Peter Yorke, Frank Chacksfield, Ron Goodwin, Sidney Torch, Geraldo, Jack Coles , Gilbert Vinter , Bernard Monshin , Max Jaffa, Michael Collins and Lou Whiteson were amongst those who contributed programmes over the years. The BBC Concert Orchestra also sometimes took part and, on one occasion in 1957 combined with the BBC Midland Light Orchestra for a special edition, broadcast live to Germany as well as simultaneously being seen on BBC television!

In 1960, the programme was extended to 90 minutes and additional guest artists were included in the line-up. Because of the extra time, the programme was retitlled 'Melody Time'. Although the Sunday series ended in 1961, a similar show entitled 'Midday Melody Hour' was broadcast at 11.30a.m during the sixties. (Information kindly provided by Brian Reynolds ). Desert Island Discs was originally introduced by Roy Plomley in 1942 and has had over 2000 castaways in its long run, including Royals, Prime Ministers, stars of stage and screen, legions of the great and the good - and invited each to chose eight records to spend the rest of their lives with. The signature tune is called 'By the Sleepy Lagoon' by Eric Coates. The first castaway in 1942 was Vic Oliver, comedian. Show Band Show : Long running music and comedy series 'spotlighting the world of popular music' and showcasing the new BBC Show Band directed by Cyril Stapleton.

The Stargazers; (Lto R) Cliff Adams, Dick James, Marie Benson, Freddie Dachtler and Ronnie Milne Rikki Fulton was the Scots compere in the first broadcast in October 1952 introducing Cliff Adams and The Stargazers, Julie Dawn and the Show Band Singers with Harold Smart at the organ. Features included 'Melody-Go-Round'. 'Hit Parade', 'Down South' with Freddy Randall and the Dixielanders, Happy Birthday', 'I Hear a Violin' with Louis Stephens, 'Melodies and Memories' with Bill McGuffie at the piano and 'South American Way' with the Show Band Strings in Tango Time. Show Band Show Intro By 1955 the comedy compere was Alfred Marks reading scripts by Dick Vosburgh and Brad Ashton. The new series beginning in August 1956 was written and introduced by Bob Monkhouse and Dennis Goodwin and introduced new singing star Dawn Lake. Saturday Club : Two hours on Saturday morning on the Light Programme which weaned a generation of youngsters on squeaky clean pop music. Brian Matthew was mine host from 10am. to noon. It ran from 1957-69.

A Golden Treasury of Music and Song : Home Service series at noon on Saturdays from 1956-65 Flat Spin : Jimmy Young's first programme as DJ in 1953. Organ Programmes Reginald Foort at the original BBC Theatre organ in the BBC Studio at Langham Place The most famous Theatre Organist of all time was Daventry born Reginald Foort who made his radio debut as a pianist on 15 January 1923, and as an organist on 12 May 1926 in a relay from the New Gallery cinema in London. This was the first of a long series of cinema organ recitals : he reached his thousandth on 9 July 1939. To mark the occasion, he returned to the BBC Theatre Organ, for which he had become the BBC's resident Organist from 20 October 1936. He resigned in 1939 to tour the country with his mighty Moller "Portable" organ which was transported in a series of large removal vans! Foort wrote his original signature tune, 'Regal Chimes', for the organ carillon at the Regal Cinema, Marble Arch.

Dudley Savage MBE for many years broadcast a hospital request programme from the Royal (ABC) cinema in Plymouth. He both introduced & played requests on the Royal organ. When it was axed, the resultant petition was said at the time to be the largest the BBC had ever encountered. Dudley Savage's signature tune - Smiling Through Melody For Late Evening : Ronald Brickell played the organ of the Regent / Gaumont Bournemouth with Mervyn Saunders (singer) & Harold C Gee (violin). Sandy MacPherson at the BBC Jubilee Hall Studio organ Sandy was originally the organist at The Empire Cinema, Leicester Square (1928). He became BBC staff organist from 1938 when he succeeded Reginald Foort. Throughout the War, and until his retirement some years after, he remained extremely popular. He made his 6000th. broadcast on 12 July 1952, still the soft-spoken Canadian 'Sandy' loved by millions who never knew his real names were Roderick Hallowell MacPherson.

His many popular series included Sandy's Half Hour, Twilight Hour, From My Postbag, At Your Request, and the long-running, atmospheric series Chapel in the Valley. Reginald Dixon 'I Do Like to be Beside the Seaside' was his apt signature tune as he was the resident organist of the Tower Ballroom, Blackpool for almost fifty years. He toured in the off season & whilst in the RAF in the war he appeared at the Gaumont Exeter for a Sunday concert before the organ was damaged by enemy action. Dixon also presented Housewives Choice on a number of occasions. See Also: Desert Island Discs What happened on this day in history. JANUARY 29th On this day in history in 1942, began the radio programme Desert Island Discs. Desert Island Discs is the longest running music programme in the history of radio. The programmeï¿½s format consists of a permanent interviewer and a weekly guest and the guest is invited to imagine himself the sole castaway on a desert island. The guest then chooses eight pieces of recorded music to provide some solace on the island while he waits for the dilatory rescue services to liberate him from his ennui.

The guest is also allowed to take with him a written work, other than the Bible and Shakespeare, which are presumed to be already on the island, and one luxury item, which must be inanimate and of no practical value. The theme music, Eric Coatesï¿½ By The Sleepy Lagoon, is played to the accompaniment of cackling seagulls. In the intervals between the playing of the guestï¿½s chosen pieces, the interviewer subtly interrogates the guest on various aspects of his life and career. The first castaway to appear was Vic Oliver. Other guests include Princess Margaret, Spike Milligan , Stephen Hawking, Judi Dench and Noel Coward. The last five Prime ministers have appeared as guests but only John Major when in office. The first interviewer was the designer of the programme, Roy Plomley, who presented it continuously from 1942 until his death in 1985. Michael Parkinson took his place until 1988, when he gave way to Sue Lawley who presented the programme to September 2006. When Ms Lawley intimated her intention to step down, there was no shortage of candidates to take over.

From the multitude of contenders, the BBC, in its wisdom, selected Ms Kirsty Young to host the programme, from 1st October 2006, when her first guest was Professor Quentin Blake. Desert Island Discs - encyclopedia article - Citizendium This editable Main Article is under development and not meant to be cited; by editing it you can help to improve it towards a future approved , citable version. These unapproved articles are subject to a disclaimer . [ edit intro ] Desert Island Discs is the world's longest-running radio entertainment programme, [1] broadcast on BBC Radio 4 . It first appeared on 29th January 1942, with programme creator Roy Plomley presenting and comedian Vic Oliver the guest. The guest nominates eight pieces of music - originally, gramophone records - that they would like to take with them as a castaway to a desert island, and through this selection the interview explores their life. The programme has had only four presenters since 1942, the latest being Kirsty Young . The theme tune, By the Sleepy Lagoon (by Eric Coates ), has remained from the programme's first broadcast.

Since the 1950s, guests have also been allowed to choose a book, and in the 1960s a "luxury" was also permitted. [2] To make the selection more interesting, the "luxury" should be inanimate and have no survival value (a satellite phone , for instance, is out). For books, the Bible (or alternative religious work) and the Complete Works of Shakespeare may not be selected - these are already installed on the island. [3] Several guests over the years have refused the Bible, including writer Tariq Ali , climber Joe Simpson , comedian David Walliams and showjumper Harvey Smith (though this was because he denied that he had ever read anything in his life). [4] The programme formed part of Radio 4's line-up on its first day of broadcasting in 1967. Plomley presented until his death in 1985, fronting 1,791 editions, and was succeeded for three years by Michael Parkinson .

Plomley's family retain the rights to the programme; the choices of neither Parkinson nor his successor from 1988, Sue Lawley , met with his widow's approval; Diana Plomley had wanted Sir John Mortimer , QC in the chair, and Lawley took over with a style that contrasted markedly with Plomley's gentle questioning. [5] Famous incidents included: an interview with Diana Mosley, widow of British Union of Fascists leader Oswald Mosley , which generated hundreds of complaints in 1989 after she talked admiringly of Adolf Hitler ; actor Oliver Reed demanding to take a blow-up doll; Norman Mailer nominating marijuana as his luxury item; and Lawley's discussion with Gordon Brown (now UK prime minister ) about his sexuality . [6] Footnotes BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs - The History of Desert Island Discs Read more about sharing. The History of Desert Island Discs Late one evening in 1941, freelance broadcaster Roy Plomley was at his home and already in his pyjamas, when an idea came to him. He sat down and wrote immediately to the BBC.

That letter reached the in-tray of the BBC’s Head of Popular Record Programmes, Leslie Perowne. The pitch was successful and a broadcasting institution was born. That first Desert Island Discs was recorded in the BBC’s bomb-damaged Maida Vale studio on 27th January 1942 and aired in the Forces Programme at 8pm two days later. It was introduced to the listening public as "a programme in which a well-known person is asked the question, if you were to be cast away alone on a desert island, which eight gramophone records would you choose to have with you, assuming of course, that you had a gramophone and an inexhaustible supply of needles". Plomley’s first castaway was the popular Viennese comedian, actor and musician, Vic Oliver. The first piece of music chosen by Vic Oliver, and therefore by any castaway, was Chopin’s Étude No.12 in C minor played by pianist Alfred Cortot. During these war years, every BBC Radio show was scripted and Plomley and his guests would 'read' their conversations.

On 7th May 1942 Roy Plomley made his first appearance as a castaway when the programme was presented by Leslie Perowne. The programme came off air in 1946 returning to the Home Service in 1951. On 16th September that year, the choice of luxury was introduced when garlic was chosen by the actress Sally Ann Howes. The choice of book made its first appearance on 9th October 1951 when actor and director Henry Kendall chose Who’s Who in the Theatre. According to Roy Plomley’s book, Desert Island Lists, in addition to the volume of Shakespeare, the castaways would be given a copy of the Bible, which was assumed to have been deposited there by The Gideon Society. In September 1967, Desert Island Discs transferred to the newly created Radio 4 service. Roy Plomley continued to present the programme until his death, from pleurisy, in May 1985. He was 71.

He was replaced by Michael Parkinson who dispensed with the ritual of the pre-recording lunch at Plomley’s club, the Garrick, and insisted that the music was played to the guests during the recording rather than edited in afterwards. Parkinson presented the last of his 96 programmes on 13th March 1988, when his guest was the athlete Brendan Foster. Sue Lawley became the first female presenter and over the following 18 years, Lawley, a former Nationwide presenter, interviewed 750 people from all aspects of public life including politics, entertainment, science and sport. Describing the role as “one of the best jobs in broadcasting”, Lawley left Desert Island Discs in August 2006 and was replaced by journalist and broadcaster, Kirsty Young. During her tenure in the chair the programme has become available to listen again online and is available as a download. Why Desert Island Discs is still in the groove - Telegraph Why Desert Island Discs is still in the groove Who are the classic radio show's most colourful castaways of the past 70 years?

Desert songs: Roy Plomley and showbusiness friends celebrate the show's 40th anniversary Photo: REX FEATURES By Sue MacGregor Comments It seems to have been around forever, Desert Island Discs; it’s probably the most celebrated radio programme in Britain, along with The Archers and Woman’s Hour. Most dedicated Radio 4 listeners with a bus pass have probably been aware of it since their childhood. The format is set in stone: one guest, eight musical choices, one book apart from the Bible and Shakespeare, and a luxury. It must be a practical luxury so a grand piano isn’t allowed, though you can have an upright. If you’re a music professional, it’s not considered quite comme il faut to choose more than one of your own recordings. Some ignore their own recorded work, others go for gold – the distinguished soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf chose seven of her own discs, apparently encouraged by her husband, a top record producer, while film director Otto Preminger chose his autobiography as his special book. There have been more than 2,800 guests.

The very first, in 1942, was the comedian Vic Oliver; Roy Plomley, who invented the format and whose family still has the control of the copyright, took part that year, too. The 70th birthday guest on January 29 is to be Sir David Attenborough, who has been a castaway before. In 1998, his selection was dreamily beautiful and mostly serious – Handel, Bach, Mozart, Schubert. Will he feel obliged to find a different list this time? Have his tastes changed? Possibly so, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s fun thinking up your own list of eight, just in case one day the rare and precious invitation comes your way. Without expecting it could really happen to me, I remember going through many permutations in my head – how could I leave out the Beach Boys and still keep Bach? But then how could I leave out Mozart? Or Ella Fitzgerald? In the end, when I participated for real in 2002, Mozart made it and so did Ella, but the Beach Boys didn’t. My Island inquisitor was Sue Lawley.

The programme’s format may be relatively rigid, but the personality and the interviewing technique of the presenter make a huge difference to how it all turns out. Roy Plomley personified a certain kind of BBC voice and manner which was very much of its time; he was courteous and gently persistent and, as far as I can remember, asked virtually the same questions of each guest. This has some merit, in that it’s up to the guest to challenge a hovering boredom factor by giving interesting answers. Related Articles BBC director general 'to step down after Olympics' 27 Jan 2012 I’m told that Plomley always took his male guests to a jolly lunch at the Garrick Club ahead of the studio session; women had to make do with the BBC canteen. The recording was conducted at a leisurely pace and could take several hours, which allowed the producer to slice out all the stuff that didn’t quite work on to the editing room floor. I can’t imagine this happening in today’s Broadcasting House, where studio space and editing time are both at a premium, and lunch bills from the Garrick don’t really wash with whoever’s monitoring expenses.

Michael Parkinson was Plomley’s genial successor but was most comfortable with sporting heroes, and didn’t often probe beyond the surface. The next encumbent was Sue Lawley, a fine and incisive interviewer, with a technique honed by years of experience on BBC current affairs television, who was quite a different prospect. If guests were slightly nervous, they were right to be – she didn’t shy away from exploring personal territory and had a tenacious way of making sure she got an answer. The programme changed from being a rather soft-focused celebration of a famous life to a platform for some genuinely newsworthy interviews. Diana Mosley, widow of the founder of the British Union of Fascists Sir Oswald Mosley, provoked fury when she said she did not believe the Nazis had murdered six million people. This was made worse when it turned out that the programme was due to be broadcast on a sensitive day in the Jewish calendar. For this, the BBC apologised.

On another occasion, Sue Lawley memorably challenged the then long-time bachelor Labour shadow chancellor Gordon Brown about his private life: “People want to know whether you’re gay or whether there is some flaw in your personality.” For the record, Mr Brown said in reply: “I’m not married because I’m not married. It just hasn’t happened yet”. It did soon after, of course. There is something about the Desert Island Discs interview format that usually disarms the guests, enough for them to take on what could be considered personally intrusive questions without obvious offence. The manner and reputation of the questioner are important, but then so is the medium itself. Radio, at its best, has a refreshingly intimate quality – it’s a perfect setting for a one-to-one conversation, and people generally respond to that. The programme’s present host, Kirsty Young, after a slightly shaky start, has mastered both the medium and the format, and her attractive, dark brown voice and her gently persistent line of questioning seem just right. What does their all-important choice of music reveal about the guest? Or the nation?

It probably won’t surprise you that as guests have got younger – Jamie Oliver, David Tennant and Nigella Lawson, to name but a few – that it’s now possible to hear an entire edition which features none of the old classical favourites but modern rock and pop. There’s no rule that says you actually have to take all of the discs on to the island with you, though I have it on good authority that if you insisted on choosing Frank Sinatra and My Way, the producer will try to persuade you to select something else. Taking the longer view, classical extracts – Austrian and German composers predominately – are still in the majority in the top one hundred choices. British guests on the programme have had, over the years, a particular preference, perhaps to remind them of home if stranded on an island, for British composers such as Elgar and Vaughan Williams, whose Lark Ascending is the listeners’ number one. Some choices are unexpected or unexpectedly humorous. In her only appearance on the programme, as Leader of the Opposition in 1978, Margaret Thatcher chose to follow Bob Newhart’s Introducing Tobacco to Civilisation with Irene Dunne singing Smoke Gets In Your Eyes. Perhaps she was having a go at Denis.

It’s not currently available on the BBC website, so I can’t check. As part of the 70th birthday celebrations, we are all asked to choose our own favourite eight discs – results will be broadcast on BBC national and local radio tomorrow after the 70th anniversary Desert Island Discs at 11.15am on Radio 4. Will national tastes have altered yet again? Will Ralph Vaughan Williams have been demoted? We will soon find out.

Question: In 1942, Vic Oliver was the first guest on which radio interview programme?
Answer: Desert Island Discs