In Town Tonight
Encyclopedia
In Town Tonight was a BBC
radio
programme broadcast on Saturday evening from 1933 to 1960 (except for a period of 26 weeks in 1937 when The BBC presents the ABC was broadcast instead). It was an early example of the chat show, originally presented by Eric Maschwitz
.
Its theme music was the Knightsbridge March by Eric Coates
. Its introductory sequence had a voice crying "Stop" to interrupt the sound of busy central London
, before an announcer said "Once more we stop the mighty roar of London's traffic ..." At the end of the programme the voice would say "Carry on, London".
A series of outside broadcast spots were included in the 1940s: "Standing on the Corner", Michael Standing; then "Man on the Street", Stewart Macpherson and Harold Warrender
; "On the Job", John Ellison, later Brian Johnston
; Johnston continued in the segment, "Let's Go Somewhere" from 1948 to 1952. As part of this he stayed alone in the Chamber of horrors, rode a circus horse
, lay under a passing train, was hauled out of the sea by a helicopter and was attacked by a police dog
.
The 1000th episode included appearances by Errol Flynn
, Gary Cooper
, Jane Russell
, and Doris Day
: this was a few weeks before it ended. Towards the end of its run the programme was simultaneously broadcast on BBC Television
, presented by John Ellison. Antony Bilbow and Nan Winton
were the last presenters of the programme and carried on in its successor which began after a missing week. After its demise the programme was replaced by In Town Today, which was broadcast at lunchtime and ran until 1965.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
programme broadcast on Saturday evening from 1933 to 1960 (except for a period of 26 weeks in 1937 when The BBC presents the ABC was broadcast instead). It was an early example of the chat show, originally presented by Eric Maschwitz
Eric Maschwitz
Albert Eric Maschwitz OBE , known as Eric Maschwitz and sometimes credited as Holt Marvell, was an English entertainer, writer, broadcaster and broadcasting executive.-Life and work:...
.
Its theme music was the Knightsbridge March by Eric Coates
Eric Coates
Eric Coates was an English composer of light music and a viola player.-Life:Eric was born in Hucknall in Nottinghamshire to William Harrison Coates , a surgeon, and his wife, Mary Jane Gwynne, hailing from Usk in Monmouthshire...
. Its introductory sequence had a voice crying "Stop" to interrupt the sound of busy central London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, before an announcer said "Once more we stop the mighty roar of London's traffic ..." At the end of the programme the voice would say "Carry on, London".
A series of outside broadcast spots were included in the 1940s: "Standing on the Corner", Michael Standing; then "Man on the Street", Stewart Macpherson and Harold Warrender
Harold Warrender
Harold Warrender was a British film actor.His father was Sir George Warrender, 7th Baronet.-Selected filmography:* Leave It to Blanche * Lady in Danger * Mimi * Lazybones...
; "On the Job", John Ellison, later Brian Johnston
Brian Johnston
Brian Alexander Johnston CBE, MC was a cricket commentator and presenter for the BBC from 1946 until his death.-Early life and education:...
; Johnston continued in the segment, "Let's Go Somewhere" from 1948 to 1952. As part of this he stayed alone in the Chamber of horrors, rode a circus horse
Hippodrama
Hippodrama, or horse drama, is a genre of theatrical show blending circus horsemanship display with popular melodrama theatre. Evolving from earlier equestrian circus, pioneered by Philip Astley in the 1760s,, it relied on drama plays written specifically for the genre; trained horses were...
, lay under a passing train, was hauled out of the sea by a helicopter and was attacked by a police dog
Police dog
A police dog, often referred to as a "K-9 dog" in some areas , is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel in their work...
.
The 1000th episode included appearances by Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
, Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper
Frank James Cooper, known professionally as Gary Cooper, was an American film actor. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made...
, Jane Russell
Jane Russell
Jane Russell was an American film actress and was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s....
, and Doris Day
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
: this was a few weeks before it ended. Towards the end of its run the programme was simultaneously broadcast on BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
, presented by John Ellison. Antony Bilbow and Nan Winton
Nan Winton
Nan Winton is a British broadcaster, best known for being the first female national newsreader on BBC television.She was a BBC TV continuity announcer from 1958–61 and also an experienced journalist who had worked on Panorama and Town and Around...
were the last presenters of the programme and carried on in its successor which began after a missing week. After its demise the programme was replaced by In Town Today, which was broadcast at lunchtime and ran until 1965.