Vintage Radio

British radio is full of programmes that have been going longer than most of the listeners have been alive. The first that comes to mind is Just A Minute, in which competitors have to speak for a minute about a given topic, without hesitation, repetition or deviating from the subject. It was first broadcast in 1967. The original host, Nicholas Parsons (below) is still in the chair, and one of the original panel members, Clement Freud (grandson of the great man) still takes part from time to time. I've rather gone off it these days.

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue never fails to please. The octogenarian presenter, Humphrey Lyttelton (below), is a jazz trumpeter, and every suggestive remark (of which. there are MANY) is made all the more sordid and funny by being uttered by this frail old man. It's been going since 1972. The most popular round is Mornington Crescent. Ostensibly the team members take it in turns to move around London choosing street names and/or tube stations till someone can triumphantly announce "Mornington Crescent!" It is a complete sham - there are no rules, and it's just an exercise in randomness being passed off as order.

Desert Island Discs was thought up by its original presenter, Roy Plomley, in 1942. He is pictured with Paul McCartney. People of interest (not necessarily stars) are invited to choose the 8 records they would rescue from a shipwreck and take to their desert island. They can also choose a luxury (which can have no practical value) and a book (religious works and Shakespeare are already on the island).

In 1984 I was lucky enough to be picked to be one of two ordinary people on a panel of five who were going to view all the new opera productions in London, and pick the best production and the best individual performance. One of the three experts was Roy Plomley. I got to know him quite well. He was an absolute darling. During the course of the year, the awards were renamed The Laurence Olivier Awards.

Tragically, the next year Roy Plomley died. His programme, however, lives on.

A year or two ago his widow, the Chinese actress Diana Wong, sold his record collection for £3000. A good price, you might think - but with 3000 records, that was just £1 per disc. I think it's sacrilege.