Matthew Sweet's Palace of Great War Varieties
A 'live documentary' in which historians and performers explore WWI popular culture - from music hall to movies, theatre to nightclubs and drugs. Recorded in front of an audience.
Matthew Sweet presents a special 'live documentary' exploring First World War popular culture - from music hall to movies, theatre to night clubs and drugs - recorded before an audience at the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú's Maida Vale Studios, in the style of a music hall evening.
On the Bill:
How did Britain's touring trick-cyclists cope with the loss of their male colleagues to the Western Front?
What could you see at the movies at Christmas?
How did boredom in the trenches become the theme of a hit stage play?
What activity, first banned during the war, linked aristocrats and actresses, movie stars and prostitutes?
And what did audiences make of all this?
Find out as Matthew leads an evening of interviews, discussions and 100-year-old jokes with historians Fern Riddell, Ian Christie, Helen Brooks and Marek Kohn.
With piano accompaniment and contributions from Neil Brand, and song and play extracts performed by Ian Conningham and Hannah Genesius of the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Radio Drama Company.
Producer: Phil Tinline.
Last on
More episodes
Previous
Broadcasts
- Sun 28 Dec 2014 18:45Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Radio 3
- Fri 4 Sep 2015 22:00Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Radio 3
What was really wrong with Beethoven?
Classical music in a strongman's Russia – has anything changed since Stalin's day?
What composer Gabriel Prokofiev and I found in Putin's Moscow...
Six Secret Smuggled Books
Six classic works of literature we wouldn't have read if they hadn't been smuggled...
Grid
Seven images inspired by the grid
World Music collector, Sir David Attenborough
The field recordings Attenborough of music performances around the world.