"Band Waggon, perhaps the most popular programme of all ".......

"Band Waggon, perhaps the most popular programme of all ".... Sir Samuel Hoare in the House of Commons, October 11, 1939 An original 1939 London Palladium "Band Waggon" [Band Wagon] programme, running from August 14th 1939 for a limited season starring Arthur Askey, Richard Murdoch, Tommy Trinder together with a 1940 Blackpool Theatregoer flyer advertising Greatest Season Revue Blackpool's Own Band Waggon at the Opera House with Arthur and Richard on the cover; an Arthur Askey's Annual, written by Arthur Askey, Richards Murdoch and Hylton Cleaver, illus by Fred Bennett, 1939, Oxford University Press, hardback without dust jacket and miscellaneous black and white photographs of Askey and Murdoch performing the show at various locations. [1] Band Waggon - this BBC Comedy and Music Radio show aired from 1938-1940 with Arthur "Big Hearted" Askey as the BBC Resident Comedian living on the fictional top floor of the BBC. Along with his co-star Richard "Stinker" Murdoch listeners would tune in the follow the exploits of the characters as they stumbled through life. Further characters included Lewis the Goat, pigeons named Basil, Lucy, Ronald and Sarah together with Mrs Bagwash, their cleaner, and her daughter Nausea both of whom were never heard in the shows. First aired 5th January 1938, Band Waggon established the formula of a regular weekly 45 minute comedy programme, the first of it's kind in the UK. "Big Hearted Arthur That's Me", "Hello Playmates" and ""Ay Thang Yew " (I Thank You) were all catchphrases synonymous with Arthur Askey and were used throughout his career but very much came to the fore during Band Waggon, they became part of the fabric of the show and were highly anticipated by the studio audiences who greeted them with enthusiastic responses. Much was written about this popular, ground breaking show as captured in this exert from Tit-Bits 18 March 1939, in an open letter to John Watt BBC Director of Variety, written by R Ewart Williams on behalf of thirty million radio listeners: .... This is an S.O.S. An appeal to you on behalf of thirty million radio listeners who are feeling sore that "Band Waggon" finishes its run on Wednesday. ..... I think you'll agree that there has been nothing quite like "Band Waggon" in the history of the B.B.C. In the past fifteen months it has become a national institution. It has got to the stage where men say to our wives " Don't invite the Browns on Wednesday. I want to listen to Band Waggon". And cinema managers will tell you that Wednesday is not the busy day it used to be..... Owing to it's success Jack Hylton bought the rights for the Theatre production, the series also spawned a 1940 film, multiple records, a 1939 annual and further memorabilia. Although already a successful entertainer Band Waggon's success and popularity catapulted Arthur to the height of his fame and henceforward he enjoyed star status but particularly in the 1940s and 50s,