Beachcomber is a nom de plume that has been used by several journalists writing a long-running humorous column in the Daily Express. It was originated in 1917 by Major John Bernard Arbuthnot MVO as his signature on the column, titled 'By the Way'. The name Beachcomber was then passed to D. B. Wyndham Lewis in 1919 and, in turn, to J. B. Morton, who wrote the column till 1975. It was later revived by William Hartston, current author of the column.
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004.
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasting House, London. The station controller is Mohit Bakaya.
Today, colloquially known as the Today programme, is a long-running BBC early-morning news and current-affairs radio programme on Radio 4. Broadcast on Monday to Friday from 6:00 am to 9:00 am and on Saturday from 7:00 am to 9:00 am, it is produced by BBC News and is the highest-rated programme on Radio 4 and one of the BBC's most popular programmes across its radio networks. In-depth political interviews and reports are interspersed with regular news bulletins, as well as Thought for the Day. It has been voted the most influential news programme in Britain in setting the political agenda, with an average weekly listening audience around 7 million.
The News Quiz is a British topical panel game broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
Radio Times is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by John Reith, then general manager of the British Broadcasting Company, it was the world's first broadcast listings magazine.
William Roland Hartston is an English journalist who wrote the Beachcomber column in the Daily Express. He is also a chess player who played competitively from 1962 to 1987 and earned a highest Elo rating of 2485. He was awarded the title International Master in 1972, but is now best known as a chess author and presenter of the game on television.
Energis Communications Limited, briefly Telecom Electric, or more usually just Energis, was a 'technology driven communications company' based in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, but subsequently went into administration, and then became a subsidiary of Cable & Wireless, in turn acquired by Vodafone.
John Cameron Andrieu Bingham Michael Morton, better known by his preferred abbreviation J. B. Morton was an English humorous writer noted for authoring a column called "By the Way" under the pen name 'Beachcomber' in the Daily Express from 1924 to 1975.
The World of Beachcomber was a surreal television comedy show produced by the BBC inspired by the Beachcomber column in the Daily Express newspaper.
Educating Archie was a BBC Light Programme comedy show which was broadcast for nearly ten years between June 1950 and February 1960, mostly at lunchtime on Sundays. The programme featured ventriloquist Peter Brough and his doll Archie Andrews. The show was very popular, despite its unlikely central premise of a ventriloquist act on radio. Educating Archie averaged 15 million listeners, and a fan club boasted 250,000 members. It was so successful that in 1950, after only four months on the air, it won the Daily Mail's Variety Award.
All the Way from Memphis was a radio programme that aired from December 2004 to June 2006. There were 12 half-hour episodes and it was broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was compiled, written and presented by James Walton, with team captains Tracey MacLeod, and Andrew Collins. Readings are by Beth Chalmers.
And Now in Colour was a radio comedy programme that aired on BBC Radio 4 for two series and two half-hour Christmas specials between March 1990 and December 1991. It starred Tim Firth, Tim de Jongh, Michael Rutger and William Vandyck and has since been repeated on BBC Radio 4 Extra, most recently in 2021.
Armstrong and Miller was a short-lived radio programme that aired in March 1998. There were four 15-minute episodes and it was broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It starred Alexander Armstrong, Ben Miller, Samuel West and Tony Gardner.
Bearded Ladies is a radio programme that was originally aired on BBC Radio 4 between 2003 and 2007. There are currently 22 half-hour episodes; although the last 6, aired in 2007, do have a loose narrative structure holding the individual sketches together, it is essentially a sketch-driven comedy programme. It stars Oriane Messina, Fay Rusling, Charlotte MacDougall, and Susie Donkin.
Boothby Graffoe In No Particular Order was comedy radio programme that aired from March 2004 to August 2005. There were 12 half-hour episodes and it was broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It starred Boothby Graffoe, Stephen Frost, and Debra Stephenson.
Bussmann and Quantick Kingsize was a short-lived radio programme that aired from April to May 1998. There were five half-hour episodes and it was broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It starred Jane Bussmann, David Quantick, Peter Serafinowicz, Emma Clarke, and Steve Brody.
Clive Anderson's Chat Room is a radio programme that started in October 2004 and series seven was aired in Autumn 2009. Hosted by Clive Anderson, it is broadcast on BBC Radio 2 and produced by Above the Title Productions.
Collins and Maconie's Hit Parade was a radio programme that aired from May 1994 to June 1997. There were 74 hour-long episodes and it was broadcast on BBC Radio 1. It starred Andrew Collins and Stuart Maconie, with regular comedy input from fellow NME journalist David Quantick. Produced by BBC Radio 1 DJ Mark Goodier's production company Wise Buddah, it was essentially a revival of the defunct round table format, in which the week's new singles are assessed by two regular guest contributors, predominantly music journalists, such as Caitlin Moran, Adrian Deevoy and John Harris of Q magazine.
Comedy Album Heroes was a radio programme that aired from June 2001 to July 2003. There were eight half-hour episodes and it was broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It starred Greg Proops.
