Home Truths
Encyclopedia
Home Truths was a weekly BBC Radio 4
programme which began on 11 April 1998 and was usually hosted by the DJ John Peel
until his death in October 2004. In the Saturday 9-10am slot, it gradually became one of Radio 4's most successful programmes.
The show was essentially a talk show where the host would interview ordinary people with an extraordinary story to tell. There was also considerable correspondence with its listeners. Home Truths was based on a previous show called Offspring (which aired from 1995 to 1997), also hosted by Peel. Home Truths took essentially the same format as its predecessor, but widened the remit from talking about the relationship between parents and children to discussion of all aspects of life.
In the confessional format, John Peel was a gifted interviewer who succeeded in drawing humorous, quirky and sad stories out of listeners without sensationalising or resorting to mawkishness.
After Peel's death, the programme was presented by a series of guest presenters including Paul Heiney
, writer David Stafford
, comedian Linda Smith
and musician Tom Robinson
. However the programme was axed after the BBC decided that the formula did not work as well without Peel's presence.
The last edition of Home Truths was presented by David Stafford and was broadcast on 24 June 2006.
The series theme tune was Dick Dale
's Let's Go Trippin'
.
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
programme which began on 11 April 1998 and was usually hosted by the DJ John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
until his death in October 2004. In the Saturday 9-10am slot, it gradually became one of Radio 4's most successful programmes.
The show was essentially a talk show where the host would interview ordinary people with an extraordinary story to tell. There was also considerable correspondence with its listeners. Home Truths was based on a previous show called Offspring (which aired from 1995 to 1997), also hosted by Peel. Home Truths took essentially the same format as its predecessor, but widened the remit from talking about the relationship between parents and children to discussion of all aspects of life.
In the confessional format, John Peel was a gifted interviewer who succeeded in drawing humorous, quirky and sad stories out of listeners without sensationalising or resorting to mawkishness.
After Peel's death, the programme was presented by a series of guest presenters including Paul Heiney
Paul Heiney
Paul Heiney has been a radio broadcaster or television reporter in the United Kingdom for over thirty years.-Early life:...
, writer David Stafford
David Stafford
David Stafford is a writer, broadcaster and occasional musician born 1949 in Birmingham, England.Stafford began his career in fringe and community theatre in the 1970s...
, comedian Linda Smith
Linda Smith (comedian)
Linda Helen Smith was a British stand-up comic and comedy writer. She appeared regularly on Radio 4 panel games, and was voted "Wittiest Living Person" by listeners in 2002...
and musician Tom Robinson
Tom Robinson
Tom Robinson is an English singer-songwriter, bassist and radio presenter, better known for the hits "Glad to Be Gay", "2-4-6-8 Motorway", and "Don't Take No for an Answer", with his Tom Robinson Band...
. However the programme was axed after the BBC decided that the formula did not work as well without Peel's presence.
The last edition of Home Truths was presented by David Stafford and was broadcast on 24 June 2006.
The series theme tune was Dick Dale
Dick Dale
Dick Dale is an American surf rock guitarist, known as The King of the Surf Guitar. He experimented with reverberation and made use of custom made Fender amplifiers, including the first-ever 100-watt guitar amplifier.-Early life:Dale was born in South Boston, Massachusetts and lived in nearby...
's Let's Go Trippin'
Let's Go Trippin'
"Let's Go Trippin" is an instrumental by Dick Dale and the Del-Tones. It is often regarded as the first surf rock instrumental. First played in public on May 31, 1958 at the Rendezvous ballroom in Balboa, Ca...
.