And did the Beeb, in ancient times, broadcast to England's* mountains green?...

...Till Reith has built Jerusalem, transmitting to England's* green and pleasant** land.

*and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland's **and the less green and unpleasant bits too

===

In the third and final part of our General Strike special, 100 years on, we look at 10-12 May 1926, in a week that changed the BBC forever - as John Reith walked a tightrope of independence and impartiality.

Plus the legacy of the strike, how it changed the BBC, and of course we couldn't resist bringing you the iconic moment of Reith announcing the strike's end, by reading Jerusalem with accompanying orchestra and choir. While there was no recording at the time, Reith re-enacted it in 1932.

The newspapers, the bulletins, the occasional later reminiscence (Peter Eckersley, Stuart Hibberd...), this aims to be the most thorough - and yet I hope entertaining - retelling of the BBC and the General Strike. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I did putting it together.

With thanks to these excellent resources...

Radicalstroud.co.uk

Warwick Digital Collections at the University of Warwick

The Trades Union Congress

The BBC Written Archive Centre

1926 The General Strike edited by Jeffrey Skelley

Into the Wind by John Reith

Asa Briggs’ The Birth of Broadcasting

Ian McIntyre’s Expense of Glory

Peter Eckersley’s The Power Behind the Microphone

The BBC A People’s History by David Hendy

Our Newspaper Detective Andrew Barker - and the various newspaper articles

Trevor Howard and his article Immovable object, irresistible force: Reith, Churchill and BBC ‘impartiality’

Nine Days in May – radio drama by Robin Glendinning

Churchill vs Reith – radio drama by Mike Harris

Random Radio Jottings: https://andywalmsley.blogspot.com/2025/01/churchill-and-bbc.html

SHOWNOTES:

Next time, Episode 121: Ask Elvis, The Archers, The Cultures of Early Television conference, and An Evening of (Very) Old Radio - all live events you come to this summer. We'll chat to those behind these do-please-come-along happenings.

Then on Episode 122, we're back in our chronological retelling in Nov 1923, for the launch of the first relay station, Sheffield 6FL.

More on this broadcasting history project at paulkerensa.com/oldradio

#120 The General Strike at 100, part 3: Reith's Jerusalem

The British Broadcasting Century with Paul Kerensa

#120 The General Strike at 100, part 3: Reith's Jerusalem