Geezers

Old time radio, tv shows and English Music Hall

Charles Parker: Radio Pioneer – BBC Sounds

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Charles Parker
Charles Parker

Sean Street delves into the archive of one of the most innovative and controversial BBC radio producers, reviewing Charles Parker’s work from the Radio Ballads to his sacking in 1972.

06 Apr 2019

Parker was born in Bournemouth on April 5th 1919 – the son of a redundant railway clerk who sold paraffin from a handcart – and died in 1980 on the same day as John Lennon. For a man who revolutionised radio production, who is still talked about and revered today, his death was hardly reported in the press.He is probably best known for his series of eight radio ballads made with Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger.

These programmes became a high point in radio production but they eventually became expensive luxuries that could no longer be afforded. He was “sacked” or “left” the BBC in 1972.

Bournemouth University’s Emeritus Professor of Radio, Sean Street, reviews the life of an icon in the radio industry who, according to fellow producer Michael Mason, was “a real creative genius… his razor blade was like a sculptor’s chisel, releasing the hidden poets in people”.Talking to family, friends and those who worked with Charles Parker, Sean explores his radio productions and ideas on preserving the oral tradition as he delves into a rich archive of material – creating a portrait of a master magician in radio.

Parker’s life was also a journey from poverty to Cambridge University, from a Conservative Christian to a Socialist, from a Submarine Commander to a Radio Producer. But throughout his career, two things remained constant – his dedication, often working for days without sleep, and most importantly his desire to tell the extraordinary stories of ordinary people in their own words.Producer: Andy CartwrightA Soundscape production for BBC Radio 4

LISTEN to AUDIO at: Archive on 4 – Charles Parker: Radio Pioneer – BBC Sounds

Anyone for a pig’s ear? London cockney rhyming slang this International Beer Day

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Let’s go down to the rub-a-dub for a cow’s half

Every year, on the first Friday of August, many adults come together to celebrate the refreshing drink that is beer.

And while the beloved beverage has refreshed people across the globe throughout history, some could argue that a pint of beer at a local pub is one of the most quintessentially British things one can do.

To celebrate, language learning app Babbel has put together a list of booze-related slang from across the UK.

In London, there are numerous Cockney rhyming slang phrases that are all about beer. Here is a look at some of those traditional phrases that you can use for this year’s International Beer Day.

 

London Cockney rhyming slang about beer

For something to be an acceptable rhyming slang, it needs to actually rhyme with the original word. That’s why “pig’s ear” and “King Lear” are two of the most popular words for beer.

When ordering half a pint of beer, you can use the phrase “cow’s half” and, once it gets you pissed, aka drunk, you can refer to the state you’re in as “Brahms and Liszt” or “elephant’s trunk”. Continue reading →

Who was Evelyn Dove?

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Evelyn Dove, the mixed-race singer, actress and all-round ground-breaker

Evelyn Dove was born in London in 1902 to Sierra Leonean barrister Francis Dove, and his white English wife Augusta.

Dove studied piano, singing and elocution at the Royal Academy of Music from 1917 until her graduation in 1919.

As a woman of colour, despite her extensive training, she found if difficult to break into the classical music scene.

She started off using the name ‘Norma Winchester’ when she joined the Southern Syncopated Orchestra (SSO), which was a band composed of British West Indian and West African and American musicians who were bringing black music into the mainstream on the UK club scene.

She was with the SSO on board the SS Rowan when their ship accidentally crashed into another. The result was a tragedy in which 35 people died, including eight or nine of her band members – it seems the exact number is lost to history.

Even through that adversity, Evelyn persisted.

Soon enough, she had her own show, called Evelyn Dove and Her Plantation Creoles – a name that admittedly hasn’t aged very well – and was touring internationally.

Her reputation as a singer continued to rise through the 20’s, but she found her greatest success throughout the 30’s and 40’s.

In 1939, she made history as the first black singer to ever feature on BBC Radio.

When she left the BBC in 1949, she went on to work around the world in India, Paris and Spain.

Sadly though, she ended up struggling to find jobs. In 1956, she was cast as Eartha Kitt’s mother in a drama called Mrs Patterson, and continued to take roles on television and the West End stage where she could.

She died of pneumonia in Horton Hospital, Surrey, at the age of 85.

However, even though she’s gone, her legacy as an artist and history-maker remains.

The Evening News of India once referred to her as, ‘an artist of international reputation, one of the leading personalities of Europe’s entertainment world.

‘She is described as the closest rival of the great Josephine Baker herself. Evelyn didn’t get just the big hand. She got an ovation’.

‘Colder than a witch’s tit’ and other British phrases set to die out

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A new poll has revealed a list of traditional British sayings which may become extinct despite the UK having one of the most rich and diverse languages in the world.

By Bill McLoughlin
A new poll has revealed a list of traditional British sayings which may become extinct despite the UK having one of the most rich and diverse languages in the world.

According to a study, there are 50 phrases that are in jeopardy of being lost from the English language.

Of those 2,000 people asked, 78 percent have never used the phrase “pearls before swine”.

A further 71 percent said they had never used “colder than a witch’s tit” or “nail your colours to the mast”.

In the poll, conducted by Perspectus Global, 70 percent do not wave goodbye with a “pip pip”.

A further 68 percent of Brits said they had never heard of or used the phrase “know your onions”.

Ellie Glason from Perspectus Global, said: “It’s interesting to see from our research, how language evolves and changes over the years.

“It would seem that, many of the phrases which were once commonplace in Britain, are seldom used nowadays.”

While a series of phrases may now become extinct, four out of five Brits believe the UK has the most descriptive language in the world.

The survey was based on a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults, aged between 18 and 50.

British sayings such as “colder than a witch’s tit” and “a dog’s dinner” at risk of dying out.

BRITAIN’S ENDANGERED SAYINGS

1.       Pearls before swine 78% (never use the phrase)

2.       Nail your colours to the mast 71%

3.       Colder than a witch’s tit 71%

4.       Pip pip 70%

5.       Know your onions 68%

6.       A nod is as good as a wink 66%

7.       A stitch in time saves nine 64%

8.       Ready for the knackers yard 62%

9.       I’ve dropped a clanger 60%

10.   A fly in the ointment 59%

11.   Keen as mustard 58%

12.   A flash in the pan 57%

13.   Tickety boo 57%

14.   A load of codswallop 56%

15.   A curtain twitcher 56%

16.   Knickers in a twist 56%

17.   Dead as a doornail 55%

18.   A dog’s dinner 55%

19.   It’s chock a block 55%

20.   Storm in a teacup 55%

21.   Could not organise a p*** up in a brewery 54%

22.   Not enough room to swing a cat 54%

23.   Flogging a dead horse 54%

24.   Toe the line 54%

25.   Popped her clogs 54%

26.   Drop them a line 53%

27.   Steal my thunder 53%

28.   A few sandwiches short of a picnic 53%

29.   A legend in one’s own lifetime 52%

30.   Be there or be square 52%

31.   Fell off the back of a lorry 52%

32.   A bodge job 52%

33.   Eat humble pie 52%

34.   Having a chinwag 52%

35.   Put a sock in it 52%

36.   Mad as a Hatter 51%

37.   Spend a penny 51%

38.   Cool as a cucumber 51%

39.   It’s gone pear shaped 51%

40.   It cost a bomb 51%

41.   Raining cats and dogs 51%

42.   See a man about a dog 51%

43.   It takes the biscuit 50%

44.   He’s a good egg 50%

45.   Snug as a bug in a rug 49%

46.   Chuffed to bits 49%

47.   Have a gander 49%

48.   Selling like hot cakes 49%

49.   Pardon my French 48%

50.   A Turn up for the books 45%

Source: ‘Colder than a witch’s tit’ and other British phrases set to die out