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Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh
Murdoch and Horne in front of a microphone in a recording studio, reading a script
Richard Murdoch,left, andKenneth HorneinMuch-Binding-in-the Marsh,1948
GenreRadio comedy
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Language(s)English
Home station
Starring
Written by
  • Richard Murdoch
  • Kenneth Horne
Produced byLeslie Bridgmont
Original release1944(1944)–
1954(1954)
Sponsored byMars(1950–1951)

Much-Binding-in-the-Marshwas a comedy show broadcast from 1944 to 1950 and 1951 to 1954 byBBC Radioand in 1950–51 byRadio Luxembourg.It was written by and starredRichard MurdochandKenneth Horneas officers in a fictionalRAF stationcoping withred tapeand the inconveniences and incongruities of life in theSecond World War.After the war the station became a country club and, for its last season, the show became the chronicle of a newspaper,The Weekly Bind.

Among the supporting cast wereSam Costaas the officers'batman,Maurice Denhamin a multitude of roles,Diana Morrison,Dora BryanandNicholas Parsons.Singers in the show's musical interludes includedGwen Catley,Maudie Edwards,Binnie HaleandDoris Hare.Among those appearing as guest stars werePhyllis Calvert,Richard Dimbleby,Glynis Johns,Alan LaddandJean Simmons.

The show followedIt's That Man Againas the most popular British radio comedy, and was succeeded byTake It from HereandThe Goon Show.After the show ended, its two stars returned to radio in later long-running series.

Background

[edit]

During theSecond World Warradio comedy was an important feature of British national life.[1]The fledgling television service started by theBBCin 1936 was suspended for the duration of the war and radio was the sole broadcasting medium, of which the BBC had amonopoly.[2]The most prominent comedy show,It's That Man Again(ITMA), ran from 1939, and was reaching audiences of 16 million listeners by 1941.[3]As well as broadcasting to the civilian population, the BBC had to provide entertainment forthe armed forces.From early 1940 the BBC'sGeneral Forces Programmebroadcast the showMerry-go-Round,[a]originally a musical show to which comedy interludes were introduced. From this the BBC developed comedy shows aimed at each of the three branches of the armed forces:Eric Barker'sHMS Waterloggedfor theRoyal Navy,Charlie Chester'sStand Easyfor theArmyand, for theRoyal Air Force(RAF),Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh,Ralph Reader and his Gang ShowandCafé de NAAFI.All the programmes were largely written and performed by serving members of the respective services.[5][6]The shows were broadcast in turn on a three-weekly cycle for each service, under the overallMerry-go-Roundbanner.[7][8]

In 1943Kenneth Horne—awing commanderat theAir Ministryin London—was writing and broadcasting onAck-Ack, Beer-Beer,a BBC radio show for the Air Force based on those who worked for theRAF Balloon Command.[9][10]He was also broadcasting on other shows, including the Overseas Recorded Broadcasting Service (ORBS), to be transmitted to British forces in the Middle East.[11]His work with ORBS brought him into contact with Flight LieutenantRichard Murdoch;with a great deal in common in their backgrounds and a similar sense of humour, the pair quickly formed a friendship.[12]Horne informed Murdoch of a squadron leader vacancy in his section at the Ministry, and Murdoch became his colleague.[13]Murdoch, a professional actor and entertainer for twelve years before the war, was well known to listeners from his pre-war role as co-star with the comedianArthur Askeyin the showBand Waggon.[14]

On 4 January 1944 Horne and Murdoch appeared on a BBC programme for the armed forces,ENSAHalf Hour,for a one-off show based on an idea from Horne based on life at the fictional "Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh", a fictionalRoyal Air Force stationin remote rural England.[15][16][11]Murdoch believed the idea could be developed into asitcomand the two men worked together to produce more material.[17][18]The producer ofMerry-go-Round,Leslie Bridgmont, liked what they sent him and booked them to appear in the programme on 31 March 1944.[19]

"Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh" drew on the name of a real RAF station atMoreton-in-Marsh,Gloucestershire, along with the word "binding", Air Force slang for grumbling or complaining.[20]Bridgmont pictured it as "a desolate, decrepit aerodrome with its one hangar, the solitary aeroplane, 'Cabbage White Mark II', that never got off the ground and the crude outdoor 'ablutions'".[21]

Broadcasts

[edit]

1944–1946: RAF station

[edit]

Horne's biographerNorman Hackforthwrites that after the first broadcast in January 1944, the show "wasn't exactly an overnight sensation" but Bridgmont liked it enough to commission further episodes, and the show's popularity grew.[22]By September 1945 the programme was being praised in the national popular press:

Perhaps it is that Dickie Murdoch and Kenneth Horne can not only write a good script, but one which fits their own personalities like a glove. Here, obviously, are a pair of first-class scripticians (oh, my word!). Other artists might take the hint.[23]

The show continued to be broadcast as part ofMerry-go-Rounduntil February 1946.[24]As the established star, Murdoch was given top billing in the new show. The 1947 billing reads "Richard Murdoch inMuch-Binding-in-the-Marsh,with Kenneth Horne, Sam Costa and Marilyn Williams "; by 1954 the billing was" Richard Murdoch, Kenneth Horne and Sam Costa inMuch-Binding".[25]

In the first shows the only regular characters were Horne's ponderous but genial Air Officer Commanding and Murdoch's junior officer, intelligent, humorous and able to manipulate his dim-witted superior.[26]They were joined for a few early programmes byJoyce Grenfell,and in October 1944Sam Costajoined the cast and became a permanent fixture as theORaircraftsman.[4]

In the early years Horne and Murdoch wrote in their office at the Air Ministry.[27]Later they would meet either at Murdoch's house nearTunbridge Wells,Horne's flat inKensingtonor theRoyal Automobile ClubinPall Mall.They would toss ideas about and make notes of them; one of them would then turn the notes into a script to be transcribed by Bridgmont's secretary.[b]Typically, on the day of broadcast, the show would be rehearsed from 1 pm to 2.30, with a full run-through at 5 pm. The show would be given before a studio audience, broadcast live in the evening,[29]and recorded for repeat transmission on home and forces networks later.[4][30]Murdoch later described writing scripts with Horne as "pure joy", as the pair enjoyed the same sense of humour.[31]

In the early shows, under theMerry-go-Roundbanner, the first half, with comic dialogue and narrative, was set in Murdoch's office at Much-Binding, after which the scene moved to the canteen for a concert—a spoof of typicalNAAFIentertainments. "Flight Officer Flannel" —played byBinnie Hale,Dorothy Carless orDoris Hare,according to availability—would sing, as would Costa. Murdoch would perform one of his nonsense lyrics to well-known classical tunes, Horne would play the saxophone, and the show would conclude with a lively piece from the orchestra. Later, the show followed the precedent ofITMAand other programmes by being divided into comedy sections interspersed with music.Much-Bindingsettled into a pattern of three comedy sections separated by two musical slots: the first for the orchestra alone and the second for orchestra with singer.[32][33]

The final edition ofMuch-Binding-in-the-Marchas part ofMerry-go-Roundwas on 1 February 1946; the characters had beendemobilised,and shook hands and went in separate directions outside the camp.[34]By the end of the war,Much-Binding,sharing theMerry-go-Roundslot with other shows, had appeared for just over twenty episodes, but was on its way to overtakingITMAas the most popular British radio comedy.[35]

1947–1950: Country Club

[edit]

The BBC was anxious to continue the show under its own name and with a new, civilian setting, although Murdoch was unavailable as he was about to start a national tour. They considered replacing him with eitherEric BarkerorRobb Wilton,and moving the location from an RAF station to the "Much Binding Enterprises Ltd" factory or acrammerfor backward schoolboys, but it was finally agreed that the two former Much-Binding officers, discovering their old station up for sale, should buy it and turn it into the Much-Binding Country Club.[36]The first series under the nameMuch-Binding-in-the-Marshran for thirty-eight weeks from January to September 1947, and included abank holidayspecial.[37]

After the signature tune (the "Much-Binding" tune, for orchestra only) and opening announcement, usually by Philip Slessor, "Much-Binding takes the air!", Horne would introduce "Your old friend, Richard Murdoch!", to deliver a monologue outlining the news—ranging from incongruous to bizarre—from Much-Binding over the past week. This would be followed by the first musical interlude, after which Horne would enter, greeted by Murdoch with "Good morning, sir. It is good to see you", and then, asBarry Johnston,Horne's biographer, puts it, "they would be off, gradually bringing in the other characters one by one".[38]In the seventh episode of the series,Maurice Denhamjoined the cast playing numerous roles; such was his vocal dexterity that Murdoch described him as "a vocal chameleon".[24]

The second series ran for thirty weeks, from November 1947 to June 1948.[24]The programme was broadcast on Wednesday evenings, but for several weeks the BBC moved the broadcast times, causing many complaints from listeners. Horne wrote to the BBC management to complain and ask for a consistent time; it was eventually set to be regularly broadcast at 7:00 pm.[7]Between January and June 1948 Murdoch wrote six instalments ofThe Chronicles of Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh,aspin-offseries, published monthly, inThe Strand Magazine.[39][40]The cast from series one returned and were joined by thesopranosJanet Davis andGwen Catley.Catley, an established opera performer, left after six programmes as she thought her voice was not suitable for the music.[41]

The third series ran for forty-three weeks, from September 1948 to July 1949.[42]For the recording on 28 December 1948,the queenand a party of twelve were in the audience; included in the party werePrincess Elizabeth(later Queen Elizabeth II) who was on her first public appearance since the birth of her first son—Prince, now King Charles,six months earlier—and her husband,Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.Several references to the royals were made during the programme and during the closing song Murdoch used his catchphrase "Good old Char-lee!"[43][40]By the end of the series, the quality of the material "began to falter noticeably", according to Johnston.[41]

The fourth series ran for twenty-seven weeks, from March to September 1950.[44]A former performer fromITMA,Diana Morrison,was added to the cast; her range of comic voices added to the variety of characters.[45]The number of listeners dropped sharply after the ninth episode of the series, falling from 74 per cent of the audience in March 1949 to 39 per cent in late June. The drop caused consternation at the BBC. T. W. Chalmers, the Controller of the BBC Light Entertainment Programme, considered the public had tired of the programme because Horne and Murdoch were too tied to the characters and were unable to devise any new storylines that fitted with the format. The BBC decided to cut short the series and did not pick up the option of a further thirteen programmes.[46]The place once held byITMAand thenMuch Bindingas Britain's most popular radio comedy was now occupied byTake It from Here.[38][47]

1950–1951: Commercial radio

[edit]
Picture of a Mars bar
Mars,the sponsors of the series while onRadio Luxembourg

Although the BBC promised a new series for the following year to Murdoch, Horne and Costa to ensure they did not look for work elsewhere,[48]they accepted an offer fromRadio Luxembourgfor £50,000 for one series.[49][50][c]The BBC were angered and concerned by the move of the series to Radio Luxembourg, but as none of the performers were under contract to the organisation at that point, they were not constrained by the restrictive clause in most BBC contracts that stopped its performers working for the BBC's competitors. As they could not prevent Horne and Murdoch from working for Radio Luxembourg, the BBC withdrew its offer of a series the following year and did not renew its contract with Horne to return as the chairman ofTwenty Questions.[52][47]

Much-Bindingran for one series of thirty-four shows on Radio Luxembourg between October 1950 and June 1951, recorded in studios offBaker Street,London, and broadcast at 3 pm on Sundays. The cast comprised Murdoch, Horne, Costa, Denham and Bryan.[53][54]The programmes were compered byBob Danvers-Walker,who announced the sponsor,Mars bars.[40]Confectionery was stillunder rationingin the early 1950s, but the cast were given free supplies of chocolate by the sponsors, to the delight of their young families.[53]Murdoch was not happy with the series and said "It wasn't really a great success—even my mother said it was rotten, and she was my greatest fan".[42]

1951–1954: BBC andThe Weekly Bind

[edit]

Returning to the BBC in September 1951, the show was titledOver to Youfor its first season; it ran for twenty-eight weeks between September 1951 and April 1952.[44]Murdoch and Horne had additional input to the scripts from Anthony Armstrong andTalbot Rothwell.[55]The Radio TimesdescribedOver to Youas "a successor" toMuch Binding;the programme was due to have "rather more plot in each programme than in the previous series and a new... equally catchy, topical jingle... to close every show".[56]

The final series of the show was titledMuch Bindingand was broadcast for thirty-five weeks from July 1953 to March 1954, every Friday at 9:30 pm.[44]The return of the programme saw Murdoch and Horne pictured on the cover ofThe Radio Timesand an interview with the cast inside.[57]The show's premise changed to Murdoch inheriting the newspaperSticklecrumpets Weekly,which was soon changed toThe Weekly Bind.[42]According to Horne, the paper's "circulation was only two when we took over—both elderly gentlemen who had somehow forgotten to cancel their subscriptions".[58]

Morrison had left at the end of the previous series and was replaced byDora Bryan,who joined the cast as Miss Gladys Plum, the newspaper's fashion expert. Costa played Prudence Gush, the radio critic, and Denham added more roles to his repertoire, including Mr Bubul the printer, Mulch the gardener and "the strip man—the chap who draws those thrilling adventures on the back page".[59]He was not available after episode 23, and his place was taken byNicholas Parsons.[42]

In one episode the paper ran out of the letter 'e' and Mr Bubul replaced all of them with the letter 'o', turning the paper intoThe Wookly Bind.The sports section included a report on the "crickot" that began "Aftor tho Tost match at Loods, tho Onglish toam was agrood by tho soloctors at a committoo mooting", andBetty Grablebecame "Botty Grablo".[60]In another episode Denham played all the parts of awhodunit(the butler, maid, Sir Anthony Dunkels, Lady Dunkels, their daughter and her boyfriend); he also provided the sound effects of a cocktail shaker, horse's hooves and a closing door, all completed within three minutes. Johnson described Denham's performance as "an incredible tour de force, switching from one voice to the other, until the play ended with all the characters being shot by a revolver".[61]

By the mid-1950s, tastes in comedy had changed and many of the wartime favourites—includingITMA,Stand EasyandWaterlogged Spa—were no longer on air, replaced by programmes featuring a new generation of performers and writers. According to Johnston, "the gentle humour ofMuch-Bindingnow seemed rather old-fashioned "and the programme was not renewed.[62]

Later

[edit]

Much-Binding-in-the-Marshwas a hit with Australian listeners, and in 1954 Murdoch was contracted by theAustralian Broadcasting Commissionfor four months to provide a weeklyvariety programmeMuch Murdoch.He tried to persuade Horne to accompany him, but Horne was by then the sales director ofTriplex Safety Glassand too busy to take a long break. Horne managed to travel to Australia to record eight shows of the series, which were retitledMuch Murdoch and Hornefor his appearances.[63]

Characters

[edit]

Horne, Murdoch and Costa generally played their usual characters, under their own real names. The other characters appearing in the scripts were mainly handled byMaurice Denhamand Diana Morrison, with assistance from some of the singers in small speaking roles. Both Dehham and Morrison were already familiar to radio listeners, having appeared inITMA,in which Denham's roles included the charlady, Lola Tickle;[64]Morrison's principalITMAcharacter was the redoubtable Miss Hotchkiss.[65]When Denham was unavailable during the 1954 series ofMuch BindingNicholas Parsonsstood in for him, but did not attempt Denham's multiplicity of roles.[66]

Horne

[edit]

In a history of British radio comedyBarry Tookcomments that Horne's "naïve, boring and foolish Senior Officer" was "the opposite of what he was in real life".[26]He was given to asking, "Did I tell you about the time I was inSidi Barrani?"before attempting to tell a boring anecdote, usually headed off by Murdoch.[67]

Murdoch

[edit]

The "quick-thinking, amusing and gentle CO" played by Murdoch was "a character very like himself", according to Took.[26]His catch-phrases included "Have you read any good books lately?", when trying to change an awkward subject[68]and, less explicably, "Good old Charlie-ee!"[69]

Costa

[edit]

Costa's character was a sort ofbatmanto the two officers;[70]his usual opening line was, "Good morning, sir! Was there something?".[71]Took describes the character as "the archetypal grumblingaircraftsman,brighter than his 'betters' and unhappy with his lot ".[26]Johnston takes a different view of Costa's character, calling him "the amiable chump who always got things wrong, driving his superiors mad".[34]

Supporting cast

[edit]

Denham

[edit]

Denham's principal character was the eager, obliging, upper-class Dudley Davenport, always keen to please ( "Dudley Davenport at your service" ). Dudley became celebrated for his characteristic gurgling laugh (spelled in the script "Keogh-keogh-keogh!" ), his enthusiastic expression of approval— "Oh, jolly D!" —which became well known and much used at the time, and his usual exit line, "Oh, I say, Iamafool!";[72]his mother, Lady Davenport, was played by the singer and actress Babs Valerie.[72]Denham also played some 60 more characters, including Mr Blake, thesexton,who spoke rustic nonsense in an impenetrable accent; Mr Bubul, the bumbling compositor ofThe Weekly Bind;Ivy Plackett, the exuberant proprietress of the village shop at Little Binding; Fred, another obliging person, whose genteel mangling of vowels turned "yes" into "yays"; and Nigel, an ill-mannered silkworm, given to burping after munching his mulberry leaves.[73]Denham's other roles included Luigi the Italian, Winston the dog, Gregory the sparrow, Group Captain Funnybone, Lieutenant-General Sir Harold Tansley-Parkinson and the receptionist at Much-Binding, Ivy Clingbine ( "Oh, what have I sayed!" ).[74]

Morrison

[edit]

Diana Morrison's characters included the negative Miss Catcheside (catchphrase "Naah"!); the landlady, Mrs Wimpole; the effusive Miss Gibbs (Gladys), whose amorous clutches Murdoch was anxious to avoid; and Annie Potter, a cheerful cockney with an extreme and contagiousglottal stopthat infected the pronunciation of those around her.[75]

Others

[edit]

Mr Greenslade, played by Parsons, was an excitable and loquaciousBristolian,who spoke faster and faster as he became more excited. He always finished with his catchphrase, "Oh, I never let the grass grow under my feet".[66]

Fifi de la Bon-Bon, known as Mademoiselle Fifi, was the indoor games instructor; Barbara Valerie played her with, in the words ofDenis Gifford,many a coquettish "Ooh la-la!".[76]The Hon Babs du Croix Fotheringham, known as Queenie for short, played by the singer Dorothy Carless, was one of theWAAFsstationed at Much-Binding. She had little dialogue but had her own catch-phrase, "Okay, ducks!"[77]Miss Louisa Goodbody, played by Vivienne Chatterton, was a seemingly frail old spinster who was nonetheless ready "to have a bash".[78]

There were four characters regularly mentioned but who never appeared: Horne's formidable wife Bessie, whose displeasure he strove to avoid ( "Not a word to Bessie about this!" ); Costa's wife, Emily, whose "twinges" were a regular problem; Edward Wilkinson, a mysterious and unexplained character to whom Murdoch and Horne frequently referred apropos of nothing: "By the way, have you seen anything of Edward Wilkinson lately?";[d]and Charlie Farnsbarns, a dogsbody often mentioned by Costa.[80][e]

Music

[edit]

The original idea for the show's signature tune, which became one of the best-known on BBC radio, was Horne's.[82]He suggested to Murdoch that it would be a good idea if they had a song that began:

\relative c'' { \key c \major \numericTimeSignature \time 4/4 \partial 4 \autoBeamOff g4 | c2-. c,8 d e8. f16 | g2 } \addlyrics { At Much- Bin- -- ding- in- the- Marsh } \layout { } \midi { \tempo 4 = 124 }

They worked out the shape of the rest of the tune and got their accompanist,Sidney Torch,to polish it and write it down in musical score. It consisted of an eight-line verse, of which a typical example is:

At Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh
Security has never been neglected.
At Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh,
We're careful that our station's not detected.
To camouflage the aeroplane, instead of using net,
The other day we painted it, and much to our regret,
We did it so successfully we haven't found it yet,
At Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh.[41]

Alternatively, during the time ofMcCarthyismin the US, the lyrics went:

At Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh
We're nearly always short of filthy lucre.
At Much-Binding-in-the-March
We play a lot of after-dinner snooker,
To get a brand new snooker set we've constantly been urged
And yesterday this very startling fact emerged:
We've only got the colours left, the reds have all been purged.
At Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh.[83]

Each week the closing music for the show consisted of four verses of the song, rising asemitonefrom one verse to the next.[f]Over the years Horne and Murdoch wrote more than 500 verses for it, including topical material in the lyrics.[82][85] Over its ten years, the programme featured several singers in the musical numbers in mid-show. Among them were Marilyn Williams,Maudie Edwards,Joan Winters, Dorothy Carless,[86]Binnie Hale,Vivienne ChattertonandGwen Catley.[87][88]

In the early programmes the music was played by the RAF Orchestra, billed as "all-star", and numbering many of Britain's best young instrumentalists among its personnel.[89]Torch conducted.[4]The conductors of the various orchestras includedStanley Black,[90]Billy Ternent,[91][92]Harry Rabinowitz,[93]Frank Cantell,[94][95]Paul Fenoulhet,[93]Robert Busby[96]andCharles Shadwell.[42]While on Radio Luxembourg, musical accompaniment for the first three programmes was provided by Woolf Phillips and the Skyrockets; the remainder of the series had music bythe SquadronaireswithRonnie Aldrichas conductor.[53][40]The orchestra was joined for the final series (1953–1954) by theBBC Men's Chorus,conducted byLeslie Woodgate.[40]

Guests

[edit]

In the ten years of its runMuch-Bindingfeatured occasional appearances by many guest stars, includingJean Simmons,Glynis Johns,Richard Dimbleby,Alan Ladd,[97]Joyce Grenfell,[98]Maudie Edwards[99]andPhyllis Calvert.[100]

Legacy

[edit]

When Horne and Murdoch left the BBC for Radio Luxembourg, the corporation were concerned that other popular variety performers could abandon the station in favour of commercial radio. They began searching for new performers and new styles to showcase, which led them to signthe Goons,whoseshowwas first broadcast in May 1951.[101]

Both the stars ofMuch Bindingwent on to later long-running BBC radio series: Horne toBeyond Our Ken(1958–1964) andRound the Horne(1965–1968) and Murdoch toThe Men from the Ministry(1962–1977).[102]Murdoch and Costa appeared on several episodes ofFroston Sundayin 1970, where they performed new topical lyrics to the theme tune. Murdoch also did the same in 1987 forWogan'sRadio Fun.[103]

In March 1998 theminor planet19453 was discovered and namedMurdochorneafter Murdoch and Horne.[104]

Output

[edit]
Programme Date Channel Notes Refs.
ENSA Half-Hour 4 January 1944 BBC Forces Programme [105]
Mediterranean Merry-Go-Round 31 March 1944 –27 October 1944 BBC General Forces Programme Broadcast on:

31 March 1944
12 May 1944
23 June 1944
4 August 1944
15 September 1944
27 October 1944


[106]
[107]
[108]
[109]
[110]
[111]
Christmas Night at Eight 25 December 1944 BBC Home Service [112]
Merry-Go-Round 19 January 1945 – 1 February 1946 BBC Home Service(to 9 September 1945)
andBBC Light Programme(from 23 September 1945) 		Broadcast on:

19 January 1945
2 March 1945
13 April 1945
25 May 1945
6 July 1945
21 July 1945
17 August 1945
11 September 1945
28 September 1945
19 October 1945
9 November 1945
21 December 1945
25 December 1945
11 January 1946
1 February 1946


[113]
[114]
[115]
[116]
[117]
[118]
[119]
[120]
[121]
[122]
[123]
[124]
[125]
[126]
[127]
Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh 2 January 1947 – 18 September 1947 BBC Light Programme 38 weeks, including a bank holiday special [37]
Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh 26 November 1947 – 16 June 1948 BBC Light Programme 30 weeks, including a bank holiday special [24]
Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh 21 September 1948 – 12 July 1949 BBC Light Programme 43 weeks, plus a Christmas day special [42]
Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh 15 March 1950 – 13 September 1950 BBC Light Programme 27 weeks [44]
Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh 30 October 1950 – 17 June 1951 Radio Luxembourg 34 weeks [53]
Over to You 30 September 1951 – 14 April 1952 BBC Light Programme 28 weeks [93]
Much Binding 21 July 1953 – 23 March 1954 BBC Light Programme 35 weeks [93]

Episodes from the archives have been re-broadcast on various BBC radio channels, some as recently as 2024.[4][128][129]

Notes and references

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^Initially the title varied from show to show, in variants such asMayfair Merry-go-Round,Merry-go-Lucky,Middle-East Merry-go-RoundandMediterranean Merry-go-Round.[4]
  2. ^Bridgmont described the manuscripts as "thirty pages of hieroglyphics" that only his secretary could decipher.[28]
  3. ^£50,000 in 1950 is approximately £2,163,950 in 2023, according to calculations based onConsumer Price Indexmeasure of inflation.[51]
  4. ^The real-life Edward Wilkinson was Horne's RAF driver, who became a good friend in post-war years.[79]
  5. ^The last name became well enough known to be used byPeter Nicholsin his 1977 playPrivates on Parade,set c. 1950.[81]
  6. ^In the early broadcasts, the celebrated four-verse song ( "a little thing that goes something like this" ) concluded the first half, rather than the whole show.[84]

References

[edit]
  1. ^Foster and Furst, p. 53
  2. ^Briggs (1985), p. 175
  3. ^Foster and Furst, p. 36
  4. ^abcde"Merry-go-Round".,BBC Genome. Retrieved 8 December 2021.Archived8 December 2021 at theWayback Machine
  5. ^Took, pp. 42, 45 and 48
  6. ^Johnston, p. 65
  7. ^abJohnston, p. 95
  8. ^Foster and Furst, p. 79
  9. ^Hackforth, p. 42
  10. ^Johnston, pp. 50, 55–56
  11. ^abHackforth, p. 49
  12. ^Johnston, pp. 58–59
  13. ^Hackforth, p. 50
  14. ^Took, pp. 18–21
  15. ^Johnston, p. 77
  16. ^Gifford, p. 166
  17. ^Johnston, p. 62
  18. ^Crisell, p. 89
  19. ^Hackforth, p. 56
  20. ^Johnston, p. 76
  21. ^Bridgmont, p. 58
  22. ^Hackforth, p. 55
  23. ^Buckham, Bernard (12 September 1945). "Wanted: New Brains for the Brains Trust".The Daily Mirror.p. 7.
  24. ^abcdFoster and Furst, p. 83
  25. ^Listings,Radio Times,3 January 1947Archived15 December 2021 at theWayback Machine,p. 23 and12 March 1954Archived15 December 2021 at theWayback Machine,p. 24
  26. ^abcdTook, p. 49
  27. ^Hackforth, pp. 51–52
  28. ^Bridgmont, p. 71
  29. ^"Richard Murdoch",The Sketch,6 July 1949, p. 10
  30. ^Bridgmont, p. 68
  31. ^Johnston, p. 78
  32. ^Bridgmont, pp. 58–59
  33. ^For exampleMuch-Binding,Series 4 Episode 10 (24 May 1950) at 8m 27s and 28m 08s
  34. ^abJohnston, p. 82
  35. ^Johnston, p. 100; and Briggs (1995), p. 499
  36. ^Johnston, pp. 100, 104 and 107
  37. ^abFoster and Furst, pp. 82–83
  38. ^abJohnston, p. 109
  39. ^Street, p. 183
  40. ^abcdeGifford, p. 183
  41. ^abcJohnston, p. 96
  42. ^abcdefFoster and Furst, p. 84
  43. ^Johnston, pp. 103–104
  44. ^abcdFoster and Furst, pp. 84–85
  45. ^Johnston, p. 115
  46. ^Johnston, pp. 115–116
  47. ^abBriggs (1995), p. 499
  48. ^Johnston, p. 116
  49. ^Nichols, p. 75
  50. ^"Much Binding on the March".The Argus.20 September 1950. p. 3.
  51. ^Clark, Gregory (2023)."The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)".MeasuringWorth. Archived fromthe originalon 1 April 2023.Retrieved22 February2023.
  52. ^Johnston, p. 117
  53. ^abcdJohnston, p. 120
  54. ^Nichols, p. 74
  55. ^"Over to You"Archived21 March 2022 at theWayback Machine,BBC Genome. Retrieved 20 March 2022
  56. ^Standing, Michael (28 September 1951). "Variety"Archived14 April 2024 at theWayback Machine
  57. ^Johnston, p. 133
  58. ^Simmons, Lionel (24 July 1933). "'Much-Binding' Acquires 'The Weekly Bind'Archived21 January 2022 at theWayback Machine".Radio Times.Vol 120 no 1550. p. 6.
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Sources

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