Image: Any Questions? from Taunton, Somerset, in October 1948. Major Lewis Hastings, Lady Violet Bonham-Carter, Ralph Wightman and St. John Ervine.
The longest running live discussion programme in the UK, Any Questions?, began in the West Region on 12 October 1948, with a broadcast from the Guildhall in Winchester. The format was simple, featuring "questions of the moment... put by members of the audience and answered spontaneously".
It moved to the 成人快手 Service on 13 June 1950. The original chairman was Freddie Grisewood, who was viewed as a safe person to deal with the live audience. The radio audience's feedback was encouraged with the introduction of Any Answers in 1956.
For several years Any Questions? had to contend with the Fourteen Day Rule, which forbade discussion of any subject due to be debated in parliament for two weeks beforehand. In November 1956, during the Suez crisis, the panellists revealed the absurdity of the Rule in a broadcast where they repeatedly referred to it - although they were briefly taken off the air. This incident and the attention it received in the press, contributed to the government's decision to drop the rule the following year.
Although now free to discuss anything, Any Questions? has remained largely unchanged from its beginning and continues to attract full houses wherever it appears in the country. Grisewood retired when he reached 80, since which time there have been three question masters: David Jacobs, John Timpson and Jonathan Dimbleby, who was in the chair from 1987 to 2019.
October anniversaries
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Winston Churchill's first wartime broadcast
1 October 1939 -
Songs of Praise
1 October 1961 -
Live and Kicking
2 October 1993 -
Points of View
2 October 1961 -
The Trials of Life
3 October 1990 -
Pick of the Pops
4 October 1955 -
Monty Python's Flying Circus
5 October 1969 -
Poldark
5 October 1975 -
You and Yours
6 October 1970 -
Woman's Hour
7 October 1946 -
DIY SOS
7 October 1999 -
Later... with Jools Holland
8 October 1992 -
In Touch
8 October 1961 -
Make Yourself At 成人快手 - Programmes for Immigrants
10 October 1965 -
Grandstand
11 October 1958 -
Around the World in 80 Days
11 October 1989 -
On The Move
12 October 1975 -
First edition of Any Questions
12 October 1948 -
First edition of Omnibus
13 October 1967 -
Bombing of Broadcasting House
15 October 1940 -
Play For Today
15 October 1970 -
First televised Party Election Broadcast
15 October 1951 -
Birds of a Feather
16 October 1989 -
Blue Peter first broadcast
16 October 1958 -
The Magic Roundabout
18 October 1965 -
The formation of the 成人快手
18 October 1922 -
成人快手 Symphony Orchestra first broadcast
22 October 1930 -
Captain Pugwash
22 October 1957 -
Terry and June
24 October 1979 -
Launch of daytime television
27 October 1986 -
The Wednesday Play first broadcast
28 October 1964 -
First edition of Today
28 October 1957 -
Maida Vale opens
30 October 1934