The House That Reith Built: 1922-1945
- Episode aired Oct 28, 1997
Photos
- Self - Radio Engineering, 1923-1963 (Interviewed 1982)
- (archive footage)
- (as Sir Harold Bishop)
- Self - Overseas Service
- (as Lord Bullock)
- Self - Mansion House, November 1942
- (archive footage)
- Self - Pre-War Listener
- (as Sir Frank Cooper)
- Self
- (archive sound)
- Self - Programme Assistant
- (as Dennis Main Wilson)
- Self - From a Glider at the Rhine
- (archive footage)
- Self - Commander 8th Amry
- (archive footage)
- (as Gen. Bernard Montgomery)
- Self - First Director General (Interviewed 1967)
- (archive footage)
Storyline
Did you know
- Quotes
Self - Narrator: Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasing Hitler was treated with deference by the BBC. It did little to air alternative views, even though there were voices in the country ready to protest. Churchill was almost alone amongst political leaders in advocating a firm stand against the Nazis, but Reith refused to allow him to air his views on the BBC, something Churchill never forgot. In February 1938, Labour MP Josiah Wedgewood wrote a talk on the dangers of fascism; it was turned down by the BBC. Director of talks Richard McConaghy wrote "we do not feel justified in allowing the great publicity of the microphone to be given to such sweeping charges. Even when Hitler occupied part of Czechoslovakia later that year, the BBC, following the government lead, took the appeasement line. Worse, it kept off the air those who were prepared to speak out. Conservative MP Howard Nicholson was refused permission to refer to the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia in his weekly broadcast. Nicholson was later told that his script had been personally vetoed by the Foreign Secretary. In a secret internal memo dated 5th October 1938, radio news editor John Copeman accused BBC management of a conspiracy of silence.