Overlooked radio pioneers championed on The British Broadcasting Century Podcast’s 100th episode

A podcast on the origin story of radio has been righting some wrongs in radio’s historical record, as it celebrates its hundredth episode.

The British Broadcasting Century Podcast retells the BBC’s origin story, and along the way has found forgotten pioneers behind some of today’s most-loved genres. Many of these overlooked names are female or regional broadcasters.

‘It seems that men from London wrote the history books,’ said podcast host Paul Kerensa, a comedy writer and broadcaster for today’s BBC, including co-writing BBC1’s Not Going Out and presenting Radio 2’s Pause for Thought and Radio 4 Extra’s Daily Service - the world’s longest-running religious programme. ‘It’s about time we set the (gramophone) record straight.'

New research for the podcast – not made by the BBC, but independently and solely by Kerensa – includes:

• Britain’s first disc jockey was Gertrude Donisthorpe in summer 1917, yet she has barely received any credit for this in over a century. She at first only transmitted to her husband, but soon found an audience of several hundred army recruits. The latest podcast episode includes a clip of her reflecting on being British radio’s first woman.
• Britain’s first radio drama has been credited as 1924’s A Comedy of Danger by Richard Hughes. But the podcast has shown that Phyllis Twigg’s The Truth about Father Christmas was broadcast in Christmas 1922, with full cast and sound effects. Kerensa has also discovered the plot of this long-lost story, as well as the fact that Twigg went on to become the world’s first TV chef, as well as writer of Britain’s first radio drama.
• Britain’s first religious broadcast has been claimed as Rev John Mayo, on the BBC for Christmas 1922. But the podcast’s new research has found a Peckham preacher whose radio sermon preceded the BBC by five months. Listeners offered to send him full collection plates. 
• The first BBC sports programme has been thought to be Edgar Wallace on horse-racing in June 1923. But The British Broadcasting Century has found evidence of a Welsh sports programme from two months earlier (it was probably rugby…).
• The BBC’s first song has been revealed by the podcast as a violin piece from the BBC’s Manchester station 2ZY: Kreisler’s Liebesleid.

Other forgotten firsts on the podcast include Britain’s first radio traffic report (over Epsom racecourse, April 1921), London’s first broadcast (a charity comedy show, August 1921) and the world’s first sports commentary (Marconi himself on an Irish sailing regatta in 1898 - via Morse code).

‘I adore these pioneers – especially the forgotten ones,’ said Kerensa. ‘Enough has been written about the big names like Marconi, Sarnoff and Reith. It’s time for overlooked women like Twigg and Donisthorpe to have their moment. Maybe name a BBC meeting room after them.’

Paul is also touring a live version of the podcast – An Evening of (Very) Old Radio – around Britain, including Camden Fringe in London this 5th-6th August. Paul also hosts a walking tour of early BBC sites around central London – search Paul Kerensa on Eventbrite for more details.