Down Your Way

Down Your Way
Country United Kingdom
Language(s) English
Home station
Hosted by
Air dates 29 December 1946 (1946-12-29) to 13 December 1992 (1992-12-13)
Opening theme Horseguards, Whitehall

Down Your Way was a BBC radio series which ran from 29 December 1946 to 1992, originally on the Home Service, later on BBC Radio 4, usually being broadcast on Sunday afternoons. It visited towns around the United Kingdom, spoke to residents and played their choice of music.

It was initially hosted by Stewart MacPherson,[1] who presented the first twelve shows, but in 1947, after brief hosting spells by Lionel Gamlin and Wynford Vaughan-Thomas,[2] Richard Dimbleby took over its presentation until 1955, then Franklin Engelmann until his death in 1972 when Brian Johnston took over until 1987.[3] In 1975, despite then being the second most popular programme on radio, it was taken off the air as an 'economy measure'. It was subsequently reinstated, after a storm of popular protest.

From 1987 until its demise in 1992 it had a different celebrity host every week, who would visit a place of significance in their own lives – effectively turning it into 'Down My Way' and blending it into the then-emerging celebrity culture.

Its well-remembered signature tune was called "Horseguards, Whitehall", which you can listen to here (.wav file).

In the 1980s the show was satirised on the Kenny Everett Television Show as "Up Your Way", a saccharine television version presented by "Verity Treacle". In 1984, it was parodied by Radio Active as "Round Your Parts".

References

  1. ↑ Gifford, Denis (29 April 1995). "Obituary: Stewart MacPherson". London: The Independent. ISSN 0951-9467. Retrieved 13 December 2012. In December 1946 he was the first host of a new record request series, Down Your Way.
  2. ↑ Presenters are listed in Brian Johston's book Someone Who Was, London: Methuen, 1992, pp.27-28
  3. ↑ Part of the sequence of presenters is taken from the entry on the programme from Paul Donovan The Radio Companion, London: Harper Collins, 1991, p.84


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