Dudley Beaven who gave the very first broadcast on 23rd. June 1940
Music While You Work
"Calling all Workers. 'Music While You Work' is played today by... "
Dudley Beaven
who gave the very first broadcast on 23rd. June 1940
This non-stop medley of popular tunes, played by a different band each day, began in the dark days at the end of June 1940 as a ploy to keep workers contented and therefore productive. The first broadcast was by Dudley Beaven at the BBC Theatre Organ and the afternoon broadcast was by a group which later veolved as Jimmy Leach and his Organolians who also did the very last broadcast 27 years later.
Altogether there were 13702 editions and the programme was broadcast live to factory workers with a different band or orchestra each morning and afternoon on the Light Programme. Unfortunately, none of the programmes have been archived by the BBC but there are still some recordings on tape archived by amateur enthusiasts.
A wartime
BBC list of "unsuitable" music for the programme reads
as follows:
"Banned completely: numbers with predominant rhythm,
insufficient melody or other unsuitable characteristics; numbers
that are too lethargic and unsuited to any speeding up of tempo;
all modern slow waltzes owing to their soporific
tendencies".
"Deep in the Heart of Texas" was also banned due to its clapping motif which caused the workers to beat hammers etc. on the workbench doing much damage.
This BBC
standing instruction to bandleaders was issued during wartime:
"From the point of view of the general listener, we are
asking for a bad piece of programme building. There must be as
little variation of tempo as possible, the ideal being to
maintain the same beat throughout the whole programme. Artistic
value must NOT be considered. The aim is to produce something
which is monotonous and repetitive. Subtlety of any kind is out
of place!"
During one live programme a pianist collapsed and fell of his stool. As this happened very close to the end of the programme, he was left there until the programme went off-air. It was subsequently found that he had unfortunately died of a heart attack.
From 1963 the programme was pre-recorded after which time it was generally considered that the vitality, that made it what it was, had left the programme.
The last programme went out on the final day of the Light Programme in 1967.
The stirring theme tune was called Calling All Workers by Eric Coates and is available on CD here.
If
you have any comments, questions or further information of
interest, please e-mail:
radiodays@whirligig-tv.co.uk
