An Evening of (Very) Old Radio: The First Firsts of British Broadcasting
A new 'stand-up history' show on British broadcasting's origin story, written and performed by Paul Kerensa
Where and When (and other shows like it):
Thu 3rd Oct - CALVERTON Club, Notts ('The BBC & Me: Then & Now' solo show)
Fri 4th Oct - DANBURY, Essex (An Evening of (Very) Old Radio - with Applause Rural Touring)
Thu 17th Oct - Christians in Media Conference, St Martin-in-the-Fields, LONDON (short bit on BBC/Religion history)
Fri 1st Nov - Maisemore nr GLOUCESTER (An Evening of (Very) Old Radio - with Arts in Rural Gloucestershire)
Sun 3rd Nov (afternoon) - SLINFOLD, Sussex (An Evening of (Very) Old Radio - with Applause Rural Touring)
Sat 30th Nov - Selling Village Hall, nr FAVERSHAM (An Evening of (Very) Old Radio - with Applause Rural Touring)
Early 2025 TBC - MAYFIELD, Sussex (An Evening of (Very) Old Radio, with Applause Rural Touring)
Fri 24th Jan 2025 - BATH Abbey (An Evening of (Very) Old Radio)
Sat 25th Jan - CHIPPENHAM ('The BBC & Me: Then & Now' solo show)
Sat 1st Feb - CHEDWORTH, Glos (An Evening of (Very) Old Radio - with Arts in Rural Gloucestershire)
Fri 7th Feb - STOKE ST MILBOROUGH, Shropshire (An Evening of (Very) Old Radio - with Arts Alive Shropshire)
Sat 8th Feb - The Edge, MUCH WENLOCK, Shropshire (An Evening of (Very) Old Radio - with Arts Alive Shropshire)
Fri 21st Feb - ALVELEY, Shropshire (An Evening of (Very) Old Radio - with Arts Alive Shropshire)
Wed 26th Feb, 2pm - GUILDFORD Institute (history of BBC talk)
Sat 1st March - NEWNHAM-ON-SEVERN (An Evening of (Very) Old Radio solo show)
Fri 28th March - Clifford's Mesne nr GLOUCESTER (An Evening of (Very) Old Radio - with Arts in Rural Gloucestershire)
PREVIOUSLY in 2023-24... These shows are now in the past:
Surbiton, Leicester, Banbury, Barnes, London, Bristol, Chandlers Ford, Blandford Forum, Bath, St Albans, Worthing, Ludlow, Isle of Wight, Bradford, Salford, Guildford, Romsey, Turnham Green, Watchet, Tunbridge Wells, Chelmsford, Kettering, Peckham, Raynes Park, Dorset, Totnes, Bedford, Watford, Frinton...
...Don't know why I listed them really. For the memories. They were fun. Let's do it again some time!
These follow the success of my 2022 tour 'The First Broadcast: The Battle for the Beeb in 1922', for the centenary of British broadcasting. This new show is a sequel of sorts - looking at the first firsts of broadcasting, retelling those tales of what went on air, how and why - lots of great anecdotes about it all... or in the case of a couple of the shows, I'll be recreating the first religious broadcast for an evening. Be informed, educated and above all entertained!
Fancy booking the show for your place?
If you'd like a show/talk/presentation for your venue, there are currently a few possibles:
1) An Evening of (Very) Old Radio: The First Firsts of British Broadcasting
A show of two halves. Part 1 is a truncated version of The First Broadcast show - ie. the build-up to the Beeb, the feud between Marconi employees Peter Eckersley and Arthur Burrows, culminating in the first BBC broadcast. After a break, part 2 is the first year of the BBC, inc. all the landmark moments: the first music, the first comedian, the first drama, the first children's programme, the first political debate (we'll have fun recreating that one). It's a talk, it's stand-up, it's a show. Inform, educate, entertain.
2) The BBC & Me: Then & Now
It's half like 'An Evening of (Very) Old Radio' - but a little less on the early days, and a little more on my experiences working in comedy and entertainment at today's BBC. Tales of Miranda, Not Going Out, Radio 2, Top Gear, CBBC, local radio presenting, schmoozing with Buble and Le Blanc, and more/less, as I remember it.
3) A Century and a Bit of God on the Air: The First Religious Broadcasts
For churches, you may prefer this show/talk/presentation that retells the tales of the first religious broadcasts - that's Calvary Episcopal Church, Pittsburgh in 1921, and in Britain a short church service transmitted from a factory into a Peckham church in July 1922. Much of this has been unresearched... till now!
...or I can easily do a mix of any and all of the above. It's all very flexible.
Book in a tour date?
If you have a venue or ready-made audience (even a small one), get in touch to book in any of the above shows. I can't wait to bring it to where you are.
These shows are based on the The British Broadcasting Century Podcast. Do subscribe and listen (scroll down for podcast player on this page) and/or find our Facebook group or Twitter page.
And try the podcast right here: