In praise of talking wireless ….. with a shout out for a bit of music

Just occasionally the blog wanders away from all things history to take in other things.

And so today it is of the of talking wireless.

I grew up with the radio, long before the TV ... and yes my memories begin with nights around the wireless, which then consisted of the Home Service and the Light Service, with a rare dip into  the Third Programme .

So essential were they to how we lived our lives in the 1950s that we had the radio wired across the house, with a box with a dial in every room which allowed you to switch between the three channels.  

I have no idea if dad installed them or if they predated our arrival in 1951, nor do I know how the system actually worked, but worked it did.

All of which testifies to that simple fact that for over 70 years listening to the radio is the first port of call most days.

And what a cornucopia of programmes, are on offer from Radio 4 ….. talking programmes about everything you could ask for.

So today, amongst the collection I have singled out a bit of science, and story of a Rock Star.

Hannah Fry and Dara O’Brien in Beam Me Up, Scotty* explore that  “Whether you’re stuck in traffic, waiting at the airport whilst delay after delay is announced or just really missing someone far away, a lot of us have probably wished we could teleport. But is this superpower the stuff of science fiction? Or could it, one day, become a reality?

Listener Faith wants to know whether Star Trek’s Transporter could ever deconstruct and reconstruct humans in the real world, and it turns out quantum physics holds some tantalising potential for this seemingly impossible task. To search for answers Hannah and Dara dive down the quantum rabbit hole, exploring entanglement, superposition, and trying on some very special socks”.

And following on there is The Bruce Springsteen Story, Episode 5** which ponders on how his hit song Born In The USA can appeal to both the Left and Right in America.

Leaving just a real bit of history from Tony Blackburn on Radio 2 with Sounds of the 60s*** which of course more than anything pins me as child of that decade.

And why not?

PS other programmes are available from both radio stations which will entertain, inform and give me pleasure throughout the day.

Pictures; silly pictures from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*Beam Me Up, Scotty!. Curious Cases Series 24 Episode 6 of 13, BBC Radio 4, https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002lzkc

**The Land of Hope and Dreams Legend, The Bruce Springsteen Story Episode 5 of 5, BBC, Radio 4 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002lzkf

***We'll Sing in the Sunshine, Sounds of the 60s with Tony Blackburn, BBC Radio 2 https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002lnhn