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More Have a Go, Box
Les Dancey March 2021 The article on Wilfred Pickles brought back memories of that night to me. Along with the other lads of the village, I listened to the show outside unable to get a ticket. The show was produced by Barney Colahan, another Yorkshire man, who was famous for later producing The Good Old Days musical hall theatre programme on the BBC. Barney personally used to hand out the prizes for the winning contestants to the shout of Give him/ her the money Barney! from the audience, which we could hear outside. |
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Report of the Event
Readers have brought my attention to a newspaper report of the show in the Bingham Hall recorded on 28 September 1949:[1]
Arrangements for the event were made locally by the Box Parish Council under the responsibility of RJ Dyer, parish clerk, at the request of the BBC. Mr Dyer submitted arrangements to the General Purposes of the parish council led by chairman James Browning. The council submitted 24 names of local people for the BBC to select six contestants to be interviewed by Wilfred Pickles and to try to fool him with questions on stage.
The first candidate was Darcy Beer from Colerne, who told the legend of the Colerne donkey and asked, Ever seen a dead donkey? He was followed by 14-year-old Shirley Watts from Boxfields, who wanted to be a hospital almoner; then 74-year-old Otto Butler, who foxed Wilfred Pickles with the question, To what depth would you dig a new garden? Mrs Constance Chambers, housewife, followed; then the rector of Ditteridge, Rev E Mighell Cox, the embodiment of the sporting parson of a century ago. The interviews were concluded by Mrs Merrett of Boxfields, a parish councillor, who gave some sound common sense and led the audience in singing old-time songs. The jackpot amounted to 37s.5d and was won easily.
The hall could only accommodate 250 people who were drawn by lot and was recorded for broadcasting later in 1949. Its essence was informality with mistakes and confusion often occurring, such as the moment when Violet Carson improvised the music for Come into the Garden Maud to get interviewees off the stage.
Readers have brought my attention to a newspaper report of the show in the Bingham Hall recorded on 28 September 1949:[1]
Arrangements for the event were made locally by the Box Parish Council under the responsibility of RJ Dyer, parish clerk, at the request of the BBC. Mr Dyer submitted arrangements to the General Purposes of the parish council led by chairman James Browning. The council submitted 24 names of local people for the BBC to select six contestants to be interviewed by Wilfred Pickles and to try to fool him with questions on stage.
The first candidate was Darcy Beer from Colerne, who told the legend of the Colerne donkey and asked, Ever seen a dead donkey? He was followed by 14-year-old Shirley Watts from Boxfields, who wanted to be a hospital almoner; then 74-year-old Otto Butler, who foxed Wilfred Pickles with the question, To what depth would you dig a new garden? Mrs Constance Chambers, housewife, followed; then the rector of Ditteridge, Rev E Mighell Cox, the embodiment of the sporting parson of a century ago. The interviews were concluded by Mrs Merrett of Boxfields, a parish councillor, who gave some sound common sense and led the audience in singing old-time songs. The jackpot amounted to 37s.5d and was won easily.
The hall could only accommodate 250 people who were drawn by lot and was recorded for broadcasting later in 1949. Its essence was informality with mistakes and confusion often occurring, such as the moment when Violet Carson improvised the music for Come into the Garden Maud to get interviewees off the stage.
Reference
[1] The Wiltshire Times, 1 October 1949
[1] The Wiltshire Times, 1 October 1949