Old Time Radio - 1940s


(4.9 stars; 14 reviews)

Experience the charm of 1940s British radio with this collection of BBC comedies. Featuring iconic shows like "Band Waggon," starring Arthur Askey and Richard Murdoch, and "ITMA" (It's That Man Again) with Tommy Handley, these programs showcase the humor and creativity of the era.

Many of these recordings are rare, as most of the BBC's output during this time was broadcast live and not preserved. Discover the unique characters and comedic styles that made these shows beloved, from the antics of the inept schoolmaster in "The Will Hay Programme" to the family dynamics in "Life with the Lyons." This collection offers a glimpse into a vibrant period of radio history.


This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.

Reviews

So many of these don't work!


Numbers 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15 and 16 are completely useless. They just won't play...which is frustrating because there's so little of British recorded material (which I'm most interested in) available to begin with. There's an almost infinite selection of American material freely available, but the stupid, tight-fisted BBC doesn't want to share anything. They forced the Imperial War Museum to remove all wartime recordings from its on line sound archive, and now none of it is available except in the very small selection of heavily edited snippets that we've all heard a thousand times. Thank goodness for this Old Time Radio site, which I think is a fantastic resource. Now, is there anyone who can fix these recordings so that they'll play, please?

Gems that escaped the BBC vandals.


(5 stars)

It's criminal that the BBC didn't record early broadcasts - hundreds of episodes of drama, mystery and comedy lost forever - cultural vandalism. Will Hay is a comic genius. 'Old crumpet' is on top form in the two surviving episodes (the other being The Laundry) of the Will Hay Programme. Crumpet, D'Arcy Minor and Becket are a scream - "Learn some pottery" and "I know a bank" - Priceless! Much funnier live and in front of an audience, that's why it's tragic that nothing else remains.

Classic British humour


(5 stars)

What fun to be able to hear these shows. The humour still stands up today. I would urge anyone who has had a stressful day to sit back and listen to any of these programmes.


(4.5 stars)

Love Will Hay and this is great to hear and a rare find

Files Are Okay, Online Player Is Screwy


Hello, Mr. Prosser. The files that you mentioned don't play in the online player, but they will work if you download them and play them in your computer's media player. I've downloaded #1 and #4, and they're working fine on my computer, in both the WinAmp and Windows Media Player programs. If you're on the hideous 'upgraded' site (with the bright white background), click 'MP3' under 'Download Options' at the upper right, and save the required mp3 files from the list that expands. If you're on the human-friendly classic Archive site (with the warm-tone background), scroll down and save the required files via the links in the column under the heading 'VBR MP3'. If you want to download all the files in a single 251Mb zip file, and you are on the classic site, just look for the link 'VBR ZIP' in the column on the left, under the heading 'Listen to audio'. This option may be on the upgraded site, but I couldn't find it. If you're on the upgraded site and you want to return to the classic site, click the circle at the top right that reads 'Exit' (just to the right of the 'Sign in' link), then click 'Exit to Classic Site' at the bottom of the white dialogue box that appears. Hope this helps, and if you enjoy Band Waggon, do a search on "Arthur Askey" to see some of his movies; they're all wonderful (and 'Bees In Paradise' is pure eye candy; yowza!)

These shows are out of copyright


I posted these radio shows here because they are out of copyright. Under English law, set out in the Copyright Act of 1911, there is no such thing as broadcast copyright, because radio broadcasting was not invented until the 1920s. Consequently, there is no copyright in a broadcast that aired before 1957, the date when the legal concept of broadcast copyright was first created (in the Copyright Act of 1956). A broadcast in the UK by the BBC prior to 1957 is accordingly not covered by copyright; no copyright in it exists, not for the BBC nor for anyone else.

Excellent!


(5 stars)

What an achievement to preserve classic comedy. I was only a child when Much Binding and ITMA were going to air, but they left an indelible impression on me, especially as they led to the Goons, Round the Horne (and Beyond Our Ken), Monty Python and Dad's Army especially. What a pity that current PC would never allow really taking the piss out of the status quo.

Radio Spirits Scam!


(5 stars)

If "Radio Spirits" trys to put up a Takedown notice for these files, please ignore it, they have no ownership of these shows. The BBC copyrights ALL their shows regardless of age.