Braden Back On The Beat

Made for 4 Extra. BBC Radio 4 Extra presents a retrospective to reintroduce the pioneering TV and radio superstar Bernard Braden to the airwaves after far too long an absence. This three-hour special has been compiled through scouring the BBC Sound Archive and liaising with Bernard Braden’s family and long-term friend Gillian Best.

Presented by good friend of Bernard’s, Richard Ingrams, one of the founders of Private Eye and creator of The Oldie. In 1949, Bernard Braden and his wife Barbara Kelly arrived in London from their native Canada. They were determined to make their mark on showbiz and they succeeded - spectacularly.

Following an audacious BBC audition, they became regulars on the then three radio networks and the newly established TV network. Braden also starred as Mitch opposite Vivien Leigh in the West End production of A Streetcar Named Desire, directed by Laurence Olivier.

For the first time since their original broadcast the retrospective includes Leave Your Name And Number [1950] and Bedtime With Braden [1951]. These shows attracted burgeoning writing talents such as Frank Muir & Denis Norden and Bob Monkhouse, as well as stars such as Pearl Carr and Ronald Fletcher.

Everything was building nicely until 1972 when he appeared on a TV commercial for margarine, and the show was promptly cancelled. The then programme researcher Esther Rantzen was propelled to front-of-camera and the show became That’s Life.

Producer/Mik Wilkojc for the BBC

Publicity contact: BBC Radio 4 Extra Publicity