Main content

Broadcasting to the Nation

Episode 22 of 30

Clare Balding discovers how the birth of broadcasting in the early 1920s brought sport to a brand new audience and forever changed what and when we played.

Clare Balding discovers how the birth of broadcasting changed British sport for ever. Radio played a crucial role in the popularisation of sport, suddenly you didn't need to be at the event to know exactly what happened or to be swept up in the excitement of the match. Jean Seaton, the 大象传媒's historian explains how the events that were chosen for outside broadcast began to provide a secular calendar for the year, with the schedule being dominated by the most commentator friendly sports; football and tennis were a fit, flying fishing and pigeon racing were not.

We hear some of the earliest and most celebrated sports broadcasters ; George ' by Jove' Allison, Raymond Baxter, Brian Johnson and John Arlott, who describes the man responsible for the first sports programming on the 大象传媒, Seymour Joly de Lotbiniere.

The series was made in partnership with The International Centre for Sport History and Culture at De Montfort University.

Readers: Stuart McLoughlin and Jo Munro
Technical presentation: John Benton
Producer: Lucy Lunt
Executive producer: Ian Bent.

Available now

15 minutes

Last on

Wed 11 Jul 2018 02:15
大象传媒 Radio 4 Extra

More episodes

Previous

War Games

Next

Driving Innovation

See all episodes from Sport and the British

Broadcasts

  • Tue 28 Feb 2012 13:45
    大象传媒 Radio 4
  • Mon 28 Jul 2014 14:15
    大象传媒 Radio 4 Extra
  • Tue 29 Jul 2014 00:15
    大象传媒 Radio 4 Extra
  • Tue 23 Aug 2016 14:15
    大象传媒 Radio 4 Extra
  • Wed 24 Aug 2016 02:15
    大象传媒 Radio 4 Extra
  • Tue 10 Jul 2018 14:15
    大象传媒 Radio 4 Extra
  • Wed 11 Jul 2018 02:15
    大象传媒 Radio 4 Extra

Podcast

  • Sport and the British

    Clare Balding charts how sport has shaped the British and how Britain has shaped sport