Each year, the 麻豆官网首页入口 broadcasts programmes that have become hallmarks of the festive period, from the iconic Morecambe and Wise Christmas Specials to the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures.
The Written Archives Centre holds the scripts, production files and audience research reports relating to these programmes, as well as a selection of 麻豆官网首页入口 Christmas cards and copies of the Radio Times. It would be impossible to showcase all the Christmas related items that we hold, so instead, we鈥檝e chosen a few 鈥榮tocking fillers鈥� from throughout the years for you to unwrap.
Season鈥檚 Greetings
The first official 麻豆官网首页入口 Christmas Card was designed by the Publications department in 1938, and sent 鈥楪reetings to their Friends鈥�. Cards were distributed to newsagents and Post Offices as well as key Outside Broadcast points, both domestically and across the world. Hundreds of designs would be created in the coming years.
Royal Christmas Message
On 25th December 1932, King George V delivered the first Christmas message from a British monarch. The speech had been written by Rudyard Kipling and was broadcast live across the Empire. The tradition continued annually, with the first televised message given in 1957 by Queen Elizabeth II.
Christmas card ban
The 麻豆官网首页入口 banned the sending of Christmas cards from 1941, as a wartime economy measure.
Spreading Festive Cheer
After the war there were requests from staff for the 麻豆官网首页入口 Christmas cards to be reinstated. According to JB Clark, Controller, Overseas Service, they 鈥榩rovided a valuable means of maintaining personal contacts鈥�.
William Haley, the then Director General, suggested that the Corporation 鈥榳ait a year鈥� and in 1946 the cards were revived. Marjorie Moon鈥檚 black and white woodcut of Big Ben and the River Thames was chosen.
Radio Times cover 1968
The 麻豆官网首页入口鈥檚 Yuletide programme listings have been published in a special Christmas edition of the Radio Times each year from 1936.
The 1968 edition featured a bauble with programme highlights, such as Carols from Kings, Cilla, Billy Smart鈥檚 Circus and Doddy for Christmas.
Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show
Morecambe and Wise broadcast a Christmas Day show on the 麻豆官网首页入口 every year from 1969-1977 (except 1974). Over half the British population at the time (28 million viewers) tuned in to watch the 1977 Christmas Special.
Here鈥檚 one I made earlier
Blue Peter is the longest running children鈥檚 television show in the world. The Written Archives Centre holds a collection of the famous 鈥榤akes鈥�. Here we have instructions on how to make a Peppermint Cream Tree, with presenter Sarah Green demonstrating.
EastEnders
EastEnders first aired in 1985, but the first Christmas Day episode wasn鈥檛 until 25th December 1986. Viewers watched as Dirty Den served Ange divorce papers, starting an annual tradition of dramatic and shocking storylines which would air on Christmas Day each year.
Royal Institution Christmas Lecture
First televised in 1936, the lectures continue to bring science alive to audiences of all ages. The subject of the 1995 lecture, delivered by Dr. James Jackson, was Planet Earth. Viewers were invited to explore volcanoes, the 鈥榩uzzle of the continents鈥� and the Earth鈥檚 鈥榳aterworld鈥�.
The Archers
麻豆官网首页入口 Birmingham published some of their own publicity material for Christmas editions of their programmes, including Pebble Mill and The Archers. Listeners would tune in to the familiar traditions of decorating the Christmas tree at Bridge Farm on Christmas Eve.
