Reith At 60 [The Archive Hour]

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First
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20080524

Laurie Taylor trawls the BBC archives in the first of two programmes exploring 60 years of the Reith Lectures, named in honour of the first director-general of the BBC, Lord Reith.

The programme starts with the inaugural lectures, recorded by the philosopher and Nobel laureate Bertrand Russell in 1948. It reveals the controversies that emerged in the early days of the Reith Lectures - from the suggestion that pre-marital sex might be healthy for relationships, to stoking the growing animosity with Russia during the Cold War.

Conveying a lost age of deference, the Archive Hour features rarely heard extracts from the BBC sound archives -including distinguished voices such as the 'father of the atomic bomb' Robert J Oppenheimer, and the first female lecturer, Dame Margery Perham.

In turn, written archives yield secrets about behind-the-scenes struggles in the BBC which frequently cast doubt on the long-term survival of the lectures, which have now been broadcast across eight decades.

Laurie Taylor speaks to former programme editors and historians who reveal how the series survived, despite conflict and controversy, and celebrates the wisdom of past Reith Lecturers many of whose ideas proved to be truly ahead of their time.

Presenter: Lauria Taylor

Producers: Sheila Cook & Richard Fenton-Smith.

Laurie Taylor trawls the BBC archives to explore 60 years of the Reith Lectures.

20080531

Laurie Taylor continues his trawl of the BBC archives, exploring 60 years of the Reith Lectures, named in honour of the first director-general of the BBC, Lord Reith.

This second Archive Hour charts the more recent history of this flagship series and reveals how it continued to irk the British tabloid press well into the 1990s.

But is a penchant for provocation a necessary trait of the modern public intellectual? And how could the high-brow Reith Lectures remain relevant in the age of globalised pop culture?

Recalling the unscripted flair of the French poet Jacques Darras, the audio illustrations of mythographer Marina Warner and the piano-playing of composer Daniel Barenboim, the programme reveals how more recent Reith Lecturers shed the formalities of the past.

Critics have pointed out the lack of diversity in the pool of previous lecturers, so as the series enters its eighth decade, Laurie Taylor asks who should be considered worthy of the Reith podium?

Laurie Taylor continues his history of 60 years of the Reith Lectures.

Episodes

Episode	First Broadcast	Comments
01	20080524	Laurie Taylor trawls the BBC archives in the first of two programmes exploring 60 years of the Reith Lectures, named in honour of the first director-general of the BBC, Lord Reith. The programme starts with the inaugural lectures, recorded by the philosopher and Nobel laureate Bertrand Russell in 1948. It reveals the controversies that emerged in the early days of the Reith Lectures - from the suggestion that pre-marital sex might be healthy for relationships, to stoking the growing animosity with Russia during the Cold War. Conveying a lost age of deference, the Archive Hour features rarely heard extracts from the BBC sound archives -including distinguished voices such as the 'father of the atomic bomb' Robert J Oppenheimer, and the first female lecturer, Dame Margery Perham. In turn, written archives yield secrets about behind-the-scenes struggles in the BBC which frequently cast doubt on the long-term survival of the lectures, which have now been broadcast across eight decades. Laurie Taylor speaks to former programme editors and historians who reveal how the series survived, despite conflict and controversy, and celebrates the wisdom of past Reith Lecturers many of whose ideas proved to be truly ahead of their time. Presenter: Lauria Taylor Producers: Sheila Cook & Richard Fenton-Smith. Laurie Taylor trawls the BBC archives to explore 60 years of the Reith Lectures.
02	20080531	Laurie Taylor continues his trawl of the BBC archives, exploring 60 years of the Reith Lectures, named in honour of the first director-general of the BBC, Lord Reith. This second Archive Hour charts the more recent history of this flagship series and reveals how it continued to irk the British tabloid press well into the 1990s. But is a penchant for provocation a necessary trait of the modern public intellectual? And how could the high-brow Reith Lectures remain relevant in the age of globalised pop culture? Recalling the unscripted flair of the French poet Jacques Darras, the audio illustrations of mythographer Marina Warner and the piano-playing of composer Daniel Barenboim, the programme reveals how more recent Reith Lecturers shed the formalities of the past. Critics have pointed out the lack of diversity in the pool of previous lecturers, so as the series enters its eighth decade, Laurie Taylor asks who should be considered worthy of the Reith podium? Laurie Taylor continues his history of 60 years of the Reith Lectures.