Radio
Hinge and Bracket toured theatres with their double act for some years before appearing on the radio. Their first series, The Enchanting World of Hinge and Bracket, ran on BBC Radio 4 for three seasons from 1977 to 1979. Produced by James Casey at BBC Radio in Manchester and scripted by Mike Craig, Laurie Kinsley and Ron McDonnell, these programmes were a mixture of period songs and situation comedy. Actress Daphne Heard was a series regular as The Dear Ladies' housekeeper, Maud, and each show featured an appearance by a guest artiste.
The Random Jottings of Hinge and Bracket, which ran for 68 episodes on BBC Radio 2 from 1982 to 1989, was scripted by Gerald Frow, and placed the stars in a variety of comedy situations, each episode being introduced from a supposed entry in Dame Hilda's diary. With the death of Daphne Heard in 1983, Maud's mantle was assumed by character actress Jean Heywood. Maud in her later incarnation was periodically joined by her uncouth and mischievous sister Gudrun, played with bloodcurdling relish by comedienne Liz Smith.
Their final radio series, At Home with Hinge and Bracket, had the format of informal musical evenings with a celebrity guest, and ran for a single season in 1990. Guests on these shows were Anthony Newley, Rosalind Plowright, Benjamin Luxon, June Whitfield, Evelyn Laye and Jack Brymer.
Certain of the radio episodes have been re-broadcast on BBC 7 in recent years - the radio station subsequently known as BBC Radio 7 and, latterly, Radio 4 Extra.
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Famous quotes containing the word radio:
“England has the most sordid literary scene I’ve ever seen. They all meet in the same pub. This guy’s writing a foreword for this person. They all have to give radio programs, they have to do all this just in order to scrape by. They’re all scratching each other’s backs.”
—William Burroughs (b. 1914)
“The radio ... goes on early in the morning and is listened to at all hours of the day, until nine, ten and often eleven o’clock in the evening. This is certainly a sign that the grown-ups have infinite patience, but it also means that the power of absorption of their brains is pretty limited, with exceptions, of course—I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. One or two news bulletins would be ample per day! But the old geese, well—I’ve said my piece!”
—Anne Frank (1929–1945)
“from above, thin squeaks of radio static,
The captured fume of space foams in our ears—”
—Hart Crane (1899–1932)