| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
mark occomore
Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 9955
Location: UK
|
 Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 9:02 am Post subject: The Austerity Games of 1948 - Radio 2 |
 |
|
Join Radio 2 on Tuesday from 9pm to look back the last time London hosted the Olympics.
| Quote: | Barry Davies presents the story of the last time the Olympic Games came to London, the Austerity Games of 1948.
The veteran BBC sports commentator hears of a games held just three years after the end of the Second World War, amidst food rationing and economic crisis.
On a shoestring budget, and with no government money, the organising committee staged a successful and cost-efficient Olympics. The 4,000 competitors were housed in army barracks and in people's houses, rather than any Olympic Village. They used existing venues, with Wembley Stadium at the heart of the games. And the BBC became the first broadcaster to pay a fee to televise the sport, paying £1,000 for the rights to film the games.
The programme hears from competitors such as boxer Ron Cooper, who celebrated the end of his games by treating himself to a supper of haddock and eggs instead of going to the closing ceremony; and David Bond, who admits that very few people even knew that he'd achieved his gold medal in the yachting in Torbay. We also hear what else was occupying the public in post-war Britain. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
becky sharp
Joined: 01 Dec 2008
Posts: 6814
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 1:33 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks Mark ....that sounds an interesting listen.
There was an excellent drama on BBC last week telling the true story of Bert Bushnell and Dickie Burnell and their gold medal win in the double skulls in the Austerity Olympics in 1948
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00q4vrs |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
oldraver
Joined: 18 Dec 2006
Posts: 1175
Location: London
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 2:13 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Nice one Mark. I'll give that a listen.
I've yet to watch the Bert and Dickie, Becky, but looks great.
Doesn't Bert, Dickie and Becky sound like a Music Hall act..? 
...and that smiley looks like Bruce Forsyth without the syrup...
_________________
life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
FleetingEileenM
Joined: 30 Mar 2010
Posts: 5767
Location: Hampshire
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 4:26 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Becky, I watched Bert & Dickie and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Re the Austerity Olympics I saw a woman on TV who told the story about one of the 1948 athletes being interviewed, which went as follows:
Interviewer: "And how did you train for your race?"
Athlete: "Train? I just stubbed out my fag and ran"
 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
becky sharp
Joined: 01 Dec 2008
Posts: 6814
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 5:39 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| oldraver wrote: | Nice one Mark. I'll give that a listen.
I've yet to watch the Bert and Dickie, Becky, but looks great.
Doesn't Bert, Dickie and Becky sound like a Music Hall act..?
...and that smiley looks like Bruce Forsyth without the syrup... |
Yes,raver...it does have a certain ring to it | FleetingEileenM wrote: | Becky, I watched Bert & Dickie and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Re the Austerity Olympics I saw a woman on TV who told the story about one of the 1948 athletes being interviewed, which went as follows:
Interviewer: "And how did you train for your race?"
Athlete: "Train? I just stubbed out my fag and ran"
|
Brilliant! I laughed out loud when I read that,Eileen... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Helen May
Joined: 10 Dec 2006
Posts: 19334
Location: Cheshire
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 6:46 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| FleetingEileenM wrote: | Re the Austerity Olympics I saw a woman on TV who told the story about one of the 1948 athletes being interviewed, which went as follows:
Interviewer: "And how did you train for your race?"
Athlete: "Train? I just stubbed out my fag and ran"
|
............that's what they did back then though!
H
_________________
88 - 91 FM this is Radio 2 from the BBC!
I said it live on air in the studio with Jeremy Vine on 10/3/2005 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
becky sharp
Joined: 01 Dec 2008
Posts: 6814
|
| Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 9:43 pm Post subject: |
|
|
This was a very enjoyable listen, choc-a- bloc with lots of fascinating facts from the time.
One chap said when he saw competitors from other countries eating well compared to the British contingent he changed out of his British apparel and joined them at mealtimes... .
I loved hearing the commentators with their plummy accents "And they're orf"
It was five minutes into the programme before it actually started so I wasn't very surprised when it cut off before the end ..I was very annoyed though ....  I checked the following programme and am glad to say it continues and ends on that one. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
