On 14 November 1922, the BBC sent its first daily radio broadcast into British homes. At 6 pm, a news bulletin sourced from news agencies went out over the airwaves, followed by a weather forecast from the Met Office. Arthur Burrows, Director of Programmes, read the bulletin twice — once at normal speed and once slowly — so listeners could write down the details. It was a modest beginning, but it marked the start of something that would reshape everyday life in Britain.
The broadcasts came from 2LO, a transmitter acquired from Marconi by the newly formed British Broadcasting Company. The name came from the broadcasting license number issued to Marconi by the Post Office. In those early months, the BBC operated under tight restrictions. Both the government and newspapers worried that radio broadcasts could interfere with official communications. But as it became clear that radio could entertain and inform millions of people, the call sign “2LO calling” grew into a familiar and welcome phrase across the country.
The BBC was founded by six private wireless manufacturers, Marconi among them, who were primarily motivated by selling radios to the public. The staff in that first year numbered just four people. By the end of 1922, that figure had grown to nearly 200, and a range of programs was already airing. In 1923, the company relocated to Savoy Hill in London, giving it a more permanent home as its ambitions expanded.
When control of the BBC passed to the British government under the Post Master General — the minister responsible for postal and telecommunications matters — it became the British Broadcasting Corporation. This shift gave the BBC a public mandate rather than a commercial one. The organization had been publicly funded for five years when it began work on its most iconic building.
Broadcasting House rose up in central London and opened in 1932, the same year the BBC began experimental television broadcasts. The building quickly became the nerve center of British broadcasting — a place where news was written, music was performed live, and the nation tuned in.
Inside Broadcasting House, the studios were purpose-built for radio production. Studio 7A, known as the Empire Studio, was designed to carry broadcasts across Britain and to British listeners abroad. The Concert Hall hosted large-scale performances, and the BBC’s first Director General, Lord John Reith, was a regular presence in the building during those formative years.
The BBC’s yearbooks from this era offer a snapshot of how the organization understood and presented itself to the public. They tracked programming schedules, notable broadcasts, and the rapid growth of the listener base.
Early BBC presenters dressed formally for broadcasts, even though no one could see them. Christopher Stone, one of the BBC’s first disc jockeys, was known for appearing in front of the microphone in a dinner jacket, greeting his listeners with a polished “Good Evening.” The ritual of dressing for radio reflected how seriously broadcasters took their new responsibilities.
Radio also gave the monarchy a direct line to the British public. In 1934, King George V delivered the Royal Christmas Message on BBC Radio, a tradition that made the King’s voice a familiar presence in living rooms across the country. The broadcast reached millions and helped define how the Royal Family communicated with the nation for decades.
Two years later, a more turbulent royal moment played out on the airwaves. King Edward VIII addressed the nation by radio in 1936 after informing Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin that he intended to marry American divorcée Wallis Simpson. The broadcast that followed — his abdication speech — was heard by an estimated 200 million people worldwide.
During the Second World War, the BBC became essential to the British war effort. Programming kept morale steady and provided reliable news at a time when accurate information was critical. Even members of the Royal Family took part. Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret broadcast on the BBC’s Children’s Hour from Buckingham Palace, offering a message of reassurance to children who had been evacuated from their homes.
One of the most beloved wartime radio shows was ITMA — “It’s That Man Again.” The title came from a phrase tied to the increasing flood of news stories about Hitler in the years before the war, taken specifically from a headline written by Daily Express journalist Bert Gunn. Tommy Handley starred in the show, and the cast’s rehearsals became a well-documented part of wartime BBC life.
Handley died of a cerebral haemorrhage in January 1949, just two years after that rehearsal photograph was taken. His death prompted an outpouring of public grief rarely seen for a radio performer, a measure of how deeply ITMA had connected with British audiences through the war years and beyond.
Vera Lynn, whose wartime recordings became anthems for a generation, was still very much in the public eye as the 1940s closed. At the 1949 National Radio Awards at Grosvenor House in London, she appeared on stage to receive recognition for her work as one of Britain’s most beloved broadcasters.
Live sport was another area where BBC Radio proved its power. When Derby County captain Jack Nicholas stepped up to the microphone with the FA Cup in 1946 to speak about his team’s 4-1 extra-time victory, he did so holding medals that told a story of their own. Due to a gold shortage following the war, both teams at the final had initially received bronze medals. The gold versions were awarded later in the year once the metal became available again.
Outside broadcasting was a demanding and technical operation. At the 1948 London Olympic Games, BBC radio engineers worked to position and prepare their equipment for live coverage — a task that required precise planning in the days before portable technology made the process simple.
As the BBC prepared to broadcast the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, it held auditions for radio commentators. Manchester-born broadcaster Jessica Dunning took part in an outdoor audition, microphone in one hand and umbrella in the other. There was a view at the time that women broadcasters handled certain ceremonial aspects of the day more effectively than their male counterparts.
Entertainment programming on BBC Radio flourished in the postwar years. Comedy shows drew enormous audiences, and the performers who fronted them became household names. Tony Hancock was one of the biggest stars of the era. His show “Hancock’s Half Hour” launched on radio in 1954, and rehearsal sessions with co-star Moira Lister showed the relaxed, playful chemistry that made the show such a hit.
Music acts also found a home at BBC Radio. Arthur Askey, one of Britain’s most popular music hall comedians, performed at the EMI Studios on Abbey Road. The Beatles recorded sessions for the BBC radio programme “Easy Beat” in the early 1960s, years before their studio work at the same Abbey Road facility made them world famous.
International stars came to London specifically to broadcast on the BBC. American actress Tallulah Bankhead recorded a show at the London Palladium in 1951 for both BBC Radio and the American network NBC, reflecting the BBC’s growing reputation as a broadcaster worth crossing the Atlantic for.
Quiz and panel shows were a staple of BBC Radio entertainment. Eamonn Andrews took over as quiz-master of “Ignorance is Bliss” in 1950, hosting at the Paris Cinema in London alongside panellists Harold Behrens, Gladys Hay, and Michael Moore. The show was one of many that kept audiences entertained through a decade of postwar rebuilding.
Some BBC Radio acts defied easy categorization. Sydney and Lesley Piddington drew 20 million British listeners with their thought transference act in 1949 — a staggering audience for any performer. The couple performed what appeared to be feats of telepathy, and the public appetite for their broadcasts was enormous.
By the late 1950s, BBC Radio had become a deeply embedded part of British culture. The Great Radio Show at London’s Earl’s Court in 1959 drew crowds eager to see the latest in broadcasting technology and entertainment. Singer Carole Carr took a turn as disc jockey on a programme that connected British service personnel overseas with family and friends back home — a reminder that radio still served as a lifeline for people separated by distance.
