FACTUAL
Down Your Way Revisited
Saturday 20 May 2006 20:00-21:00 (Radio 4 FM)
Down Your Way was one of Britain's longest-running radio series. It started in 1946 when BBC producer Leslie Perowne hit upon the idea of spinning out a popular music programme on the Home Service with short interviews with members of the public. The idea was an instant success, and Down Your Way became a staple of the radio schedules for decades. At the height of its success in the 1950s, when television had yet to make a significant impact, it was attracting 10 million listeners a week.
Cultural historian Professor Jeffrey Richards argues that Down Your Way portrayed a heritage Britain, intent on preserving the past, which provided listeners with a reassurance that despite all appearances to the contrary, nothing would ever really change in their green and pleasant land.
