The British Broadcasting Century podcast

This is @PaulKerensa calling (not official BBC) A 3pt project: 🎙️PODCAST: BBC origin story, in 70+ parts podfollow.com/bbcentury 🎙️TOUR: 1922-23 Beeb, restaged paulkerensa.com/tour 🎙️NOVEL: Auntie & Uncles, out 2023 paulkerensa.com/book Help us out? patreon.com/paulkerensa

Time to bail from here, alas. It's not you, it's him. But you know that. Can we pick things up elsewhere? I'm on: - FB (page) - b sky (as paulkerensa + bbcentury) - Insta - Linkedin - Substack - Mailchimp ...Will that suffice? Do say if not. Hate to lose ya, cos of him.

Oh and Patreon. How could I forget Patreon?! You should DEFINITELY join me on that. (£5/mth, thanks for the support) patreon.com/paulkerensa

I've loved it here. But alas, time to bail. It's not you, it's him. But you know that. Can we pick things up elsewhere? -B Sky: bbcentury -FB: British Broadcasting Century group + page (group's better) -Substack, Insta, Mailchimp: as paulkerensa Will that suffice? Say if not 😢

'Some Big Noises at 2LO' Early BBC staffers Lewis, Burrows, Eckersley, Palmer, Reith, Rice and Carpendale - illustrated by E.S. Hynes in The Bystander, Oct 1924

The first episode of Rentaghost was broadcast on this day in 1976.

New Episode! "Twelfth Night: ‘Foolery, sir, does walk about the orb like the sun; it shines everywhere’" Episode 199: The line I have used for the title of today’s episode is spoken by Feste the foo… Player links & show notes: thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com/e/141380210538…

If you haven't already, catch my radio drama about the first radio drama on the link below... ...and the accompanying podcast about it is at: pod.fo/e/36cb3f Thanks if you have!

'Broadcast marks historic radio site's 100th year: The message alerted the world that "British official wireless news messages" would be transmitted from 1 Jan 1926 "by the new high power wireless telegraph station recently erected at Hilmorton near Rugby' bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

100 years ago today, one of the only surviving recordings of the BBC in the 1920s - via America… 2 Jan 1926, Jean Lensen’s band were live from Ciro’s Club, Leicester Square, recorded by a US radio station: youtu.be/K-MoA5qczHs?si… (pic via Andrew Barker, rec via Jonathan Holmes)

The Archers cast recreate first episode for 75th anniversary bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

Thanks for being here in 2025. Stay tuned for more on ye olde BBC tale in 2026. We'll cover Broadcasting the Barricades, Savoy bands, the General Strike, the first OB drama + more. Here's an old pod to play us out, on the first BBC NYE, 1922-3: bbcentury.podbean.com/e/out-with-the… HNY!

Delighted as he approaches 95yrs old, Roy Clarke who has penned 500 half hours of comedy inc Last of the Summer Wine, Keeping Up Appearances & Open All Hours has been awarded a Knighthood. Here at tribute I organised @PinewoodStudios. Roy is just the nicest guy I've interviewed

The BBC tells the story of Britain in a way Netflix simply cannot. In the year to come, please remember that theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

103 years ago today, 30 December 1922: John Reith arrives for his first day at the BBC. In 1942's Picture Post, quoted in Briggs' The Birth of Broadcasting, Reith recalled his chat with the lift attendant: (PS: I write this from Broadcasting House where it feels similarly empty)

Our most downloaded podcast eps in 2025: 5. Books on Broadcasting & Listen In Exhibition 4. Sykes Report + Early Recs Association 3. Sept 1923: Rob Roy 2. The Century: Story So Far, 1895-1923 1. Godfrey Isaacs: The Man Behind the BBC Idea Find 'em all at podfollow.com/BBCentury

@piphilthims @back_the_BBC Definitely - I'd like to make the decision to watch or not watch knowing upfront if AI was involved.

@BBCentury @back_the_BBC There's a back catalogue & books to read BAI that will take many lifetimes to enjoy. A small mercy it credited it but perhaps it should start with it

First time I've seen a BBC docu-drama programme acknowledge it used AI to do the visual effects - I suspect this will become inevitably widespread across the whole TV industry #Titantic #TitanticSinksTonight

📻 Substack: My post about Phyllis Twigg’s timeline: open.substack.com/pub/paulkerens… === And thanks for the lovely comments about it! Now to pitch the TV adaptation... and continue work on her biography. (If you’re feeling extra generous, there’s feedback@bbc.co.uk etc) 4/4

📻 Patreon vid: My writer’s commentary about the drama (behind £5/mth paywall - do join): patreon.com/posts/vid-writ… 3/4

If you’re looking for some listening/reading/viewing, here are my Twiggmas treats all in one place - all based on our Radio 4 retelling (on Christmas Eve 2025) of the first radio drama (on Christmas Eve 1922): 📻 Radio: The drama itself... bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00… 1/4