Broadcasting from Bangor during WWII was a very exciting time. Due to the heavy bombing of London and Bristol, the light entertainment department was relocated to North Wales. This included popular programmes such as ITMA and Ray's a Laugh broadcast live from the County Theatre.
The County Theatre also played host to the BBC Theatre Organ, and its well-known organist, Sandy MacPhearson. He lived in Llandudno, and used to travel to Bangor each day by bus, which is how I got the opportunity to get to know him well.
As well as the famous names of English light entertainment, choirs and artists from North Wales were busy making programmes in both English and Welsh, mainly for the armed forces.
I was a (very young!) member of Penmaenmawr's Cymric Gleeman male voice choir. We got the opportunity to take part in dozens of BBC programmes, including Strike a Home Note and Noson Lawen. We had to learn at least three new pieces a week and record them in the County Theatre each Sunday. Some of the chapel regulars were rather annoyed by this, as it robbed the congregation of most of its best voices!
I remember that it was the Cymric Gleeman choir and a group of boys from Bethesda that first performed the songs We'll Keep a Welcome in the Hillside and Nos Da, by Mai Jones. She, of course, was the producer of many programmes for the BBC in Bangor. Mai was a storm of a lady, and used to control us with the whip of her tongue as she strived to get a perfect performance out of us."
Click here for more early memories of the BBC in Bangor
Meirion Lloyd Owen from Betws y Coed recalls: "I remember performing as a boy singer in programmes such as A Village Passes and Wil Six etc in the late 40s and early 50s, from the Penrhyn Hall, Bangor."
Graham Vine's memories of growing up among the stars in wartime Bangor...
your comments
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Graham Vine, Woking
Re the photograph at the head of your Broadcasting index. On the right is the great comedian, Tommy Handley, and on the left his principal ITMA support character actor, Jack Train, who created the parts of Colonel Chinstrap, the retired officer, and Funf, the incompetent German spy. I cannot imagine why the studio clock says 3.45 unless this was a studio script run-through, as the show always went out before a live audience in a prime-time evening slot every week. Another of Tommy's support acts was played by Fred Yule, an enormously fat actor who always played the part of Sophie Tuckshop, a little girl who was always eating far too much and feeling sick. His daughter, coincidentally, was a fellow pupil at St Gerard's Convent School. Although so many BBC shows were performed before a live audience at the County Theatre, right throughout the 39-45 War the illusion was kept up that they were actually being broadcast from the Paris Cinema in Lower Regent Street, London. Whether this was done to maintain British morale by pretending the stars hadn't evacuated to a place of comparative safety to avoid the London blitz or simply to deceive the Germans, I have often wondered. One Christmas season the ITMA team put on a pantomime with the title "Tom and the Beanstalk" which I attended with my parents. Dad had treated Mum and me to seats right at the front of the circle at the County Theatre. After the show had been going on for quite a while and I had been as tickled by it as much as everyone else, the audience was surprised when Tommy Handley stopped, advanced to the footlights and asked us all if we were enjoying the show - to which there were shouts of approval. "Well", said Tommy, "there's someone up there who hasn't laughed at all". He then pointed and, to my horror, I found he was pointing at me! Even worse, everyone else was staring at me as well. All my own fault as, at that age, I had a demeanour like a poker player and had sat with a poker-face all along. Tommy obviously knew how to work a live audience and was rather put out that he thought he wasn't getting through to me. This was certainly not true as he was one of my heroes and I thought him to be very funny. Every week I read my copy of a children's comic called "Radio Fun" and the Tommy Handley page was always my first read. I had never before felt so embarrassed as I was then and my face went a very deep red until Tommy resumed playing his part and everyone else stopped staring at me.
Wed Jun 10 15:26:20 2009
John Leeming from Walthamstow
In reply to David Morris, the original BBC Theatre Organ in St George's Hall was destroyed in 1941. The BBC then acquired Reginald Foort's touring organ, and that was the instrument installed in Bangor. After the war it was re-installed in Hoxton, London, and served as the BBC Theatre Organ until about 1963, when it was sold and shipped to Holland. It has since moved a few more times, but is currently in Pasadena Civic Auditorium, California. The BBC later acquired its third theatre organ, installed in Manchester, which lasted from about 1971 to 1990. For more theatre organ information, search for the Cinema Organs UK website.
Fri Jan 2 09:21:29 2009
Chris Duff in Ontario, Canada
A little bit off-topic, but my father Patrick Desmond went to the County Theatre, Bangor, in 1938 after directing plays for two seasons 1937-38 at Colwyn Bay. His friends Ayton Whitaker and his wife were running repertory at Bangor and he took with him Brian Brooke, Alan Bromly and my mother Ruita Dagmar. They all left Bangor in early 1939, I believe, for Crewe.Ayton Whitaker and Alan Bromly went on to have successful careers with the BBC and both were instrumental in producing the early Dr Who programmes.I would love to hear from Ellen Underwood in Sarasota and anyone else who may have knowledge of the County Theatre just prior to the War.
Wed Nov 26 09:24:08 2008
John Poole from Glan Conwy
I remember as a young teenager going to see a performance of Garrison Theatre at the Grand Theatre, Llandudno during the war years. Jack Warner (Mind my bike) was one of the principle artists, making his entrance by cycling through the theatre on his bike, also on the program was Elsie & Doris Waters. I did notice almost the whole audience were made up by the armed forces.
Thu Jun 19 09:33:14 2008
Mr Hilary Young, Bakewell
My parents, Kenway & Young, were among those entertainers based in Bangor. Their regular programme in the early 1940s would have been Howdy Folks, with a cast that included Eric Barker. I have only very slight memories - being about six at the time.I think that what you call the Light Entertainment Department was actually known as the Variety Department - reflecting how the BBC in the 1930s looked towards Variety (Music Hall) for its source of light entertainment. Certainly programmes were accompanied by the BBCVariety Orchestra.It had been in 1938/9 in anticipation of the War that the Government realised how important the BBC would be if conflict broke out. They had planned to move the Variety Department to Bristol, which city became a sort of entertainment capital - I remember being told that you bumped into stars on the street as they hastened from one church hall studio to another. Subsequently the heavy bombing of Bristol resulted in part of thedepartment being moved to Bangor. I assume that was in early 1941. Iguess that some of the programmes would have been recorded in Bangor on Sundays - with many of the entertainers who took part working on the Halls during the week.Is there any archive of that era held locally?
Thu Apr 17 13:21:41 2008
Ellen Underwood from Sarasota FL.
I was in Rep.in the County Theatre Bangor after the BBC left. Leo McKern of Rumpole of the Bailey (TV) fame was with the Co. 1945/46/47? Anne Cullen was an actress who went to London to work for the BBC in London. Ronald Grierson was the Director of the Rep. I live in Florida. Looking for any information, pictures or comments on people or theatre. TA!
Tue Nov 13 10:00:02 2007
Ifan Jones from Caernarfon
My great grandmother, Mrs. Ann Roberts of Talybont, was killed by a German bomb which was dropped on Maesgeirchen whilst the BBC were recording a programme at Bangor (Penrhyn Hall or the County Theatre) on 24 October 1941. She was caring for her daughter, Mrs Catherine Williams (Katie), who had just given birth to a baby daughter: Elizabeth.
Mon Sep 3 10:28:17 2007
Colin Charnley. from Preston Lancs
Is it true that the original BBC Theatre organ was destroyed by enemy action at its location in St Georges hall Portland Place? If so, what organ was in the Grand at Llandudno?
Fri Feb 9 09:07:25 2007
Robert Hartle
The BBC comandeered the Grand Theatre at Llandudno early in the war (I worked there as a projectionist and got the sack!) and the BBC Theatre Organ was installed there for use by Sandy Macpherson. He broadcasted to the troops overseas and called on members of the local area to include a message which they read out on air, my wife spoke to her brother in Egypt during one of his broadcasts. Happidrome and The Kentucky Minstrells were also broadcast from the Grand.
Sat Dec 3 20:27:59 2005
David Morris, Saltash, Cornwall .
Just had to get this to you folks.
Our late father Harry Morris was a Studio Manager in Bangor on the ITMA team plus the otheR important shows during those turbulent times. I still have photos of Dad in the Control Room on the "desk".
Dad and Mum (who spoke excellent Welsh)lived in Garth Road. Bangor. Dad after the war went on to be Senior Studio Manager at BH .London post war.
He was responsible for the sound effects on the Goon Show as well back in the fifties.
Wed Nov 2 11:39:40 2005
Peter Williams from Delaware
Who can forget Tommy Handly and his cast of characters including Sam Fair fechen (which Tommy never could pronounce properly).
Mon Feb 14 22:48:00 2005
Eleri Rowlands from Neath
How lovely to read this piece. My mother, Katie Pugh was a secretary based at Bangor at this time. My father, Nimrod Pugh, who was a studio manager with the BBC was abroad with the army. My mother sat next to Sandy MacPhearson while he played Solemn Melody for Nimrod.
Fri Dec 19 17:19:43 2003
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