early memories of radio

knuckleduster

On my local radio station this morning there was a feature on earliest memories of radio and I thought this would make an interesting chit chat item.

My earliest memory was in the late 1950's on wintry Sunday evenings. Although we had an upstairs bathroom, in the winter we would have a soak in the old tin bath in the kitchen with the gas stove alight to keep warm and mum would switch on the radio for the Sunday evening serial and leave me to it. At that time the Sunday serial always had your classic "bad guys" in and I would sit in that old tin bath thinking they would come in the back door and take me away. Frightening!

Also, I would often stay at my Aunt's and she always had an afternoon rest on the bed and I would have to have one too. She would switch on the radio to Woman's Hour but we never got the end of it as we always fell asleep.

What are your earliest memories?

Janet xx

lululu

We had a tin bath too, we had to fill it with water heated in a big black kettle heated on the living room fire.

My earliest memory of radio is struggling to carry old Mrs Cooper's acumulator down to a garage about two miles away to recharge or whatever they did with them. Of course in them days kids were safe to be out on their own.

frogmorton

I remember 'listen with mother' whilst sticking my Mum's green sheild stamps in the books for her

What great memories

Love

Toni xx

dreamdaisy

Ooooh, earliest memories include hearing 'I am mole and I live in a hole' whilst sitting in my high chair, pulled in close to our old white tin kitchen table in our sunny yellow kitchen. My dad also raised me on a diet of Round the Horne and The Goon Show.

Green Shield stamps Frog? I can taste 'em now! DD

tkachev

Early 70's listening to the alsation Arnold barking on Tony Blackburn show. Also remember listening to radio Luxembourg very late at night hoping to catch The Gene Genie by David Bowie and falling asleep only to wake up to the end of the song.


Elizabeth

gilly1957

Oh yes i can remember, listen with mother, and my mum used to listen to Mrs dales diary, don't know how old i was, probably about 3...

There used to be an exercise program on as well but cant recall what it was called....

Desert Island discs....the Archers

woman's hour, i remember.

When i was a bit older I used to love Saturday night theater.

I rarely listen to the radio now, think I'l have to start

knuckleduster

I think all the old comedy programmes are the best and they still make me laugh. I sometimes listen to The Archers on a Sunday morning and I've even caught my son (29) listening to it at times.

Janet x

stickywicket

Yup I was another Listen With Mother addict.

Uncle Mac? Record requests for kids. I always wanted The Teddy Bears’ Picnic and any Flanders and Swann (The Hippopotamus Song, I'm a Gnu etc). The last record was always classical music and was my introduction to Tchaikovsky.

There was only The Light Programme and The Home Service in those days (with a bit of scratchy Hilversum). If Dad was in, it was the Home Service and with Mum, during the day, it was The Light Programme.

Later I loved Round the Horn and The Navy Lark.

Airwave!

Aahhhhh the 50's! The 'accumulator man' used to come round on Friday evening, about 1/6d per week for an exchange battery. I used to get put in the big stone sink, we used to retreat to the kitchen and scullery for the winter and keep the small range going on coke from the gas works next door, unless dad had a bath and I got in that after everyone else, so much for being the youngest, a lukewarm soapy bath!

I can remember all the songs from the radio (probably all wrong!), we used to move the kitchen table and put a small settee in its place and sit four of us on there to listen to the radio, being the youngest and last to get the bath I used to get a blanket to keep me warm after, if I kept still and quiet I could stay up longer.

One day I climbed up on the dresser to turn the knob and knocked the goldfish bowl over, RIP 'Goldy'! I think I killed the radio as well......

Curiously, I still take the radio in the bathroom with me.

dreamdaisy

For those of us who like the old stuff a little better than the new I heartily recommend Radio 4Xtra. It's somewhere on a digital radio and also on telly (though I stil can't quite get to grips with listening to radio via something which usually has pictures). DD

stickywicket

I agree, DD. There is a tendency to stare intently at the screen.

Frogmorton - when we married we pooled all out Green Shiels stamps and bought.....a pan

Workers' Playtime.

Numptydumpty

My dad was a big fan of "The Goon Show", and I shared his sense of humour.
My mum loved "Sing Something Simple", I wasn't so keen on that one.
My favourite was "The Clitheroe Kid".

frogmorton

What fantastic memories - great thread well-done

My Mum let me buy a toy panda with our greensheild stamps (they did have a taste didn't they DD) - myself and my sister used to look for them on the floor in te*co Gosh SW, pans must have cost a lot of stamps :shock:

Airwave - mixed blessing then being the baby of the family

love

Toni xx

dreamdaisy

Te*co didn't exist in my early days, well, not in my town. (I'm harking back to the the early 60s, which I suspect is before you were born. ) I think my Ma got her stamps from the International Stores which then became Fine Fare (or was it vice versa?)

I was listening to R4Xtra tonight whilst cooking - cracking stuff! Take it From Here was on, which I missed the first time round. Leastways I think it was that: Dick Bentley, Prof. Jimmy Edwards and the Glums. Oooo Rowooon . . . . Yes, Ef? DD

knuckleduster

Does anybody else remember the S&H pink stamps which died shortly before the green shield stamps?

Round the Horn, Hancocks Half Hour, Navy Lark - bring them back I say.

Had my hair cut today - "just an inch off" I said, but I now look as if I've been to the sheep shearers .

Janet x

dreamdaisy

They are back, KD, on digital radio or on your digital telly. Seek out Radio 4Xtra et voila! DD

PS The pink stamps? I like to think yes but truth be told I'm not sure. I do remember that Green Shield was not the only savings method - I'll ask my mum later on today. She can't remember what she did five minutes ago but anything pre 1995 she's your gal!

tkachev

Sing something simple.....My Mum was always playing that or the'Tijuana brass band'. Used to drive me nuts....I preferred it when she chose to play the Beatles.


I had the job of sticking the green shield stamps in the book then we'd have to treck over to Hastings to spend them. It was considered a day out!


Elizabeth.

knuckleduster

Thanks for that DD, I'll press a few buttons and see what I can find.

Janet x

Airwave!

Yep, Herb Alpet and the Tijuana Brass have a lot to answer for.....wheres those maracas gone????