HG Wells on the Future | BBC broadcasts from the father of science fiction
Communications 1922-1932 | HG Wells
How the motor car serves as a warning to us all.
CHANNEL | National Programme
FIRST BROADCAST | 19 November 1932
DURATION | 2 minutes 44 seconds
FIRSTBROADCAST
1932
Synopsis
In this short extract from a longer talk, HG Wells calls for the appointment of 'professors of forethought' to explore the implications of the development of new inventions and devices. Wells chooses as an example the rapid spread of the motor car, which, in his view, has had serious consequences for modern life that have taken society by surprise. He believes that now is the time to create a faculty of professors who can prepare the country for the changes that advances in technology will inevitably bring.
Did you know?
The picture above shows HG Wells on the set of the 1936 film dramatisation of his novel 'Things to Come'. In the background, a dummy hangs out from the reconstructed wreckage of a fatal motor-car accident.
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Documents
Letter to HG Wells from the BBC
An invitation to HG Wells to go on air for the first time.
Letter to HG Wells thanking him for his promise to broadcast
HG Wells agrees to speak about world peace.
HG Wells on his 'World peace' broadcast of 1929
Wells reassures the BBC that his broadcast will be objective.
Memo from Hilda Matheson to John Reith regarding HG Wells broadcast
Will HG Wells's broadcast require 'toning down'?
Letter from Hilda Matheson to Dame Rachel Crowdy
Preparations for a broadcast by HG Wells.
Memo concerning HG Wells's Russian Talk
Concerns that Wells has not submitted a manuscript go right to the top.
Record of Interview with HG Wells prior to Russian broadcast
Wells makes a commitment to objectivity.
Letter from HG Wells to the BBC
Wells responds to an invitation to speak about evolution.
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