What does John Reith sound like?

from Yellow Brit Road · host Yellow Brit Road CFRC

John Reith, the famously uptight director of the BBC in the 1930's, took it upon himself to be the upholder of Britain's morality as director of the nation's airwaves. As we heard in the Lancashire episode from earlier, Lancastrian actor, comedian and musician George Formby often fell afoul of the BBC's standards under Reith with his cheeky and playful lyrics.  In time, the often unreasonable principles to which mostly harmless creative content was held, has come to be referred to as Reithianism. So, what does the defender of British decency sound like?  In this outtake from the show, talking about Reith's reaction to Formby's hit The Window Cleaner, I took a stab in the dark at what the redeemer of rectitude might sound like, ultimately failing miserably. As a quick Google search went on to show, this is really what John Reith sounded like. An attempt was made! Follow the Yellow Brit Road live on air every Sunday from 8 to 9 PM on cfrc.ca! Get in touch with the show through email or Twitter, whether you have feedback, criticism, song requests. or are a musician wanting to get your music on air, email [email protected] or tweet the show @YellowBritCFRC.

What this episode covers

John Reith, the famously uptight director of the BBC in the 1930's, took it upon himself to be the upholder of Britain's morality as director of the nation's airwaves. As we heard in the Lancashire episode from earlier, Lancastrian actor, comedian and musician George Formby often fell afoul of the BBC's standards under Reith with his cheeky and playful lyrics. In time, the often unreasonable principles to which mostly harmless creative content was held, has come to be referred to as Reithianism. So, what does the defender of British decency sound like? In this outtake from the show, talking about Reith's reaction to Formby's hit The Window Cleaner, I took a stab in the dark at what the redeemer of rectitude might sound like, ultimately failing miserably. As a quick Google search went on to show, this is really what John Reith sounded like. An attempt was made! Follow the Yellow Brit Road live on air every Sunday from 8 to 9 PM on cfrc.ca! Get in touch with the show through email or Twitter, whether you have feedback, criticism, song requests. or are a musician wanting to get your music on air, email [email protected] or tweet the show @YellowBritCFRC.