Singing Together (radio)
Singing Together was a BBC Radio schools series which ran from 25 September 1939 to 29 March 2001, with repeats until 25 June 2004. Its origins were in Community Singing which was considered necessary at the outbreak of the Second World War following the mass evacuation of children.
Market-led changes in British broadcasting, the decline in airtime given to schools radio and increasing pressures on school time brought about by the National Curriculum were to put pressure on the series and would eventually lead to its demise.
History
The programme was originally presented by Herbert Wiseman, Director of Music to the Edinburgh Corporation Education Committee. From the beginning, it featured an array of popular, mainly traditional, mostly British songs; more songs from elsewhere in the world would be added later.The programme was briefly presented by Ernest Bullock, by Cyril Winn "and a male voice quartet" and by the unrelated Ronald Biggs before its most famous presenter, William Appleby, arrived in summer term 1948. Appleby, who had been a teacher in Doncaster from 1939, remained as presenter for the next 22 years, during which time the BBC Home Service - where the programme had always been broadcast - became Radio 4 in 1967. In 1968 Douglas Coombes arrived as producer, a role he would maintain until he left the BBC twenty years later.
1970s and 1980s
Appleby left the series in 1970, the same year he retired as Music Organiser for Doncaster, and died three years later; there is now a Music Centre in that town named in his memory. He was initially replaced by John Huw Davies and then by Fergus O'Kelly, Cliff Morgan and Eugene Fraser. It was also presented alternately during the 1970s and early 1980s by Ian Humphris, John Camburn, John Amis, Johnny Morris, Blain Fairman and Stephen Varcoe. In the summer term of 1980, Douglas Coombes presented the show himself and he returned in the spring term of 1982. In the autumn term of 1981, the series moved from its traditional Monday morning slot to the same time, 11.00 am, on Wednesdays. In the autumn of 1983, Brian Kay presented the series and in autumn term 1984 it was fronted by Andrew Shore. In autumn 1985 - hosted again by Fergus O'Kelly - it moved to Fridays but was back on Wednesdays a year later although it was replaced in summer 1987 by Singing Along. For the 1988–89 school year repeated programmes were transmitted.In the autumn of 1989, a modernised version of the series made its debut, now produced by Janet Wheeler and presented by John Asquith and Verity Ann Meldrum; this featured a more contemporary slant in the songs and styles featured, male and female co-presenters to provide a broader range of voices and a "more informal" atmosphere to the programmes.