God, Pirates and Ovaltineys

Available for over a year

Competition between commercial radio and the BBC goes way back before the ship-based pirates of the 1960s. Between 1920 and the Second World War, Radio Normandy and other Europe-based commercial stations had vast audiences for the likes of Roy Plomley and Christopher Stone - as well as sponsored shows like 'The League of Ovaltineys'. Sean Street tunes back over time to investigate commercial radio, the BBC and the intense cultural and technical battles between them. With deep archive featuring pre-war commercials and programme excerpts. Producer: Julian May First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2008.