Editing Children's Hour

{{Short description|British BBC radio programme (1922–1964)}}
{{italic title}}
{{other uses|The Children's Hour (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
'''''Children's Hour''''', initially '''''The Children's Hour''''', was the [[BBC]]'s principal recreational service for children (as distinct from "Broadcasts to Schools") which began during the period when radio was the only medium of broadcasting.

''Children's Hour'' was broadcast from 1922 to 1964, originally from the BBC's [[Birmingham]] station [[5IT]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Crisell|first=Andrew|title=An Introductory History of British Broadcasting|access-date=2008-12-05|year=2002|publisher=Routledge|isbn=0-415-24792-6|page=20|chapter=The first programmes|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KwzYIYCE4jsC&pg=PA20|quote=Programmes for the young date from the very beginning of radio: ''Children's Hour'' originated in Birmingham in 1922}}</ref> soon joined by other regional stations, then in the [[BBC Regional Programme]], before transferring to its final home, the new [[BBC Home Service]], at the outbreak of the second World War. Parts of the programme were also rebroadcast by the [[BBC World Service]]. For the last three years of its life (from 17 April 1961 until 27 March 1964)<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/856d1ed3d23b4e5ba143135f1b8ab79f
|title=Children’s Hour (7th April 1961) 
|access-date=2024-03-10}} Last broadcast to use the title ''Children's Hour''.</ref> ''Children's Hour'' was no longer used, the programmes in its timeslot going out under the umbrella heading of ''For the Young''.

The programme takes its name from a verse by [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow|Longfellow]]: "Between the dark and the daylight, When the night is beginning to lower, Comes a pause in the day's occupations, That is known as the Children's Hour."

==Broadcast history==
In the United Kingdom, ''Children's Hour'' was broadcast from 5&nbsp;pm to 6&nbsp;pm every day of the week.<ref>Strictly speaking: 5&nbsp;pm to 5.55. The last five minutes were assigned to the Weather Forecast</ref>

It was founded by [[Cecil Arthur Lewis|Cecil Lewis]], or Uncle Caractacus, [[L. Stanton Jefferies]], [[Rex Palmer]] and [[Arthur Burrows (broadcaster)|Arthur Burrows]].<ref name= "frontof">{{cite AV media|date=16 February 1983|title=In Front of the Children|type=television special|publisher=[[BBC One]]}}</ref> From 1923 to 1934, the majority of listeners, few at all then, were part of “Radio Circles”, clubs that maintained the BBC’s connection to their audience. Birthday greetings were given out until 1933, excised due to overwhelming demand. In 1926 it was decided that the majority of presenters would drop the “Auntie” and “Uncle” from their titles.<ref name= "archives">{{cite web
|url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/download/GB%200898%20R11
|title=R11 Children’s Hour - BBC Written Archives
|access-date=2024-03-10}}</ref>

However, [[Derek McCulloch]] would retain his identity as “Uncle Mac”.<ref name= "frontof" /> He was closely involved with the programme from 1929, and ran the department from 1933 until 1950, when he had to resign for health reasons. From 1928 to 1960, ''Children's Hour'' in Scotland was organised and presented by [[Kathleen Garscadden]], known as Auntie Kathleen, whose popularity brought crowds to the radio station in Glasgow.<ref>W. H. McDowell, ‘Garscadden, Kathleen Mary Evelyn (1897–1991)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2009 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/49649]</ref> By 1933 however, many of the local versions of ''Children's Hour'' were replaced by regional broadcasts of [[London]] production.<ref name= "archives" />

From 1928 to 1960<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/5283a514b44249b9a5933db0afc903ca
|title=The Children’s Hour (18th June 1928)
|access-date=2024-03-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/9d375b49eeb84e399bec7f6f93a9e2de
|title=Children’s Hour (31st December 1960)
|access-date=2024-03-10}}</ref> ''Request Week'' determined what were the most popular ''Children's Hour'' programmes. ''[[Toytown]]'' was #1 for 25 years,<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/05637d9259a941f88dcb1e65c1b73d10
|title=Children’s Hour (17th April 1956)
|access-date=2024-03-10}}</ref> with various popular choices trailing behind being ''[[David Seth-Smith|Zoo Man]]'', ''[[Jennings (novels)|Jennings at School]]'', ''[[Norman and Henry Bones, the Boy Detectives|Norman and Henry Bones]]'' (which ended ''Children's Hour'')<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/cb15f161c7c54b12ae487a47ec1b4666
|title=Norman and Henry Bones (16th March 1964)
|access-date=2024-03-10}}</ref> ''[[George Bramwell Evens|Out with Romany]]'', ''[[Worzel Gummidge]]'' and ''[[Winnie the Pooh]]''.

The programme's closure was decided in 1964 by [[Frank Gillard]] following an enormous decline in listenership—by the end of 1963, the number of listeners had fallen to 25,000. Gillard said that most of them were "middle-aged and elderly ladies who liked to be reminded of the golden days of their youth", and that young listeners had instead turned to watching television, listening to the [[BBC Light Programme]] or to [[pirate radio]]. There was considerable complaint about the closing of the service and questions were raised in Parliament.<ref name="Life on Air">{{Cite book|title=Life on Air: A History of Radio Four|url=https://archive.org/details/lifeonairhistory00hend|url-access=limited|first=David|last=Hendy|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780199248810|year=2007|pages=[https://archive.org/details/lifeonairhistory00hend/page/n52 38]–39}}</ref>

== Programmes ==

Among popular series on ''Children's Hour'' were:
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
*''[[Jennings (novels)|Jennings at School]]''
*''[[Just So Stories]]''
*''[[Toytown]]''
*''[[Mary Plain]]''
*''[[Norman and Henry Bones, the Boy Detectives|Norman and Henry Bones]]''
*''Nature Parliament''
*''[[George Bramwell Evens|Out with Romany]]''
*''[[Ralph Whitlock#Broadcaster|Cowleaze Farm]]''
*''[[Sherlock Holmes]]''
*''[[Worzel Gummidge]]''
*''[[Winnie the Pooh]]''
*''Counterspy''<!--Possibly https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/efceed7bc8fb492db5797b37b2e46441 -->
*''Tinker and Tapp, Inc.''
}}

== People ==

Among actors and presenters who were famous for their work on ''Children's Hour'' were:

*[[Peggy Bacon (radio producer)|Peggy Bacon]] as producer and presenter ("Aunty Peggy") from 1947
*[[Arthur Burrows (radio broadcaster)|Arthur Burrows]] ('Uncle Arthur' - also the first London wireless Uncle)
*[[Violet Carson]]
*[[David Davis (broadcaster)|David Davis]]
*[[Norman Ellison]], aka Nomad the Naturalist
*Rev [[George Bramwell Evens]], aka Romany
*[[Carleton Hobbs]]
*[[Rupert Gould]] ('The Stargazer')
*[[Derek McCulloch]] ('Uncle Mac')
*[[Kathleen Garsgadden]] ('Auntie Kathleen')
*[[Jon Pertwee]]
*[[Wilfred Pickles]]
*[[David Seth-Smith]], aka ''The Zoo Man''
*[[Olive Shapley]]
*[[Norman Shelley]]
*[[Stephen King-Hall]]
*[[William Glynne-Jones]]
*[[Gladys Young]]

[[L. Stanton Jefferies]] composed music for some early programmes.<ref>{{Cite news| issn = 0033-8060| issue = 323| pages = 60| title = The Children's Hour| work = The Radio Times |date=6 December 1929 |url = https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/a42ed564498b4177a961166b83e28cfd}}</ref>

==Notes and references==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:BBC Home Service programmes]]
[[Category:British children's radio programmes]]
[[Category:1922 radio programme debuts]]
[[Category:1964 radio programme endings]]
[[Category:BBC World Service programmes]]
[[Category:1920s British radio programmes]]
[[Category:1930s British radio programmes]]
[[Category:1940s British radio programmes]]
[[Category:1950s British radio programmes]]
[[Category:1960s British radio programmes]]