BFBS Radio Show Archive: BFBS

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2020/09/18

BFBS Blooper Tape from the 80s discovered. Enjoy this one and have a blast of a laugh

In September 2020 I was contacted by Joe Benggio who runs a radio station on the Rock of Gibraltar called Go Go Radio Gibraltar - click here - to find out more about the station. Joe had heard about my new radio show called "JP's Golden Years" and wanted to have this show to air on his station as well. Hoorah! which was great news for me. Now both of our shows are on his station. You find out schedule details on Go Go Radio Gibraltar.

The website of the JP's Golden Years is available here and you will hear some of the oldies jingles that Dave Windsor and other BFBS presenters have used over the years. A copy of the show is also available each week on the website www.radiointernational.tv

But now to the BFBS Blooper Tape of the 80s. Joe mentioned to me that he used to be a sound engineer with BFBS Gibraltar and when I told him that I grew up listening to BFBS from Cologne since the early 80s he sent be a link to his Mixcloud Channel's BFBS 80s Blooper Tape. Enjoy listening to this - I had a blast of a laugh and did not know that even Charles Foster could have some swear words, so did Tommy Vance and others. :)

The BFBS 80s Blooper Tape - click to listen. A copy to download will be made available here shortly.

2015/09/07

UPDATE: Alton Andrews now on NovumFM

Alton Andrews 2015

BFBS Cologne's Drive Time Show in the late 80s into 1990 was hosted by Alton Andrews until the last show from the BFBS Cologne Studios in Parkstrasse 61, Cologne Marienburg. The last Drive Time Show went out and I was there to witness the sad moments including the late PMcD who sadly passed away in the February 2015.

With the help of the great internet I found Alton Andrews again who hosted a show called "Rythm of the Night" on Diamond FM in the United Kingdom. I tuned into it the other day and I felt like listening again to BFBS Cologne's Drive Time Show with Alton Andrews. He still has the same speed and it is great to hear him on the radio again. Unfortunately, in the summer of 2015 Diamond FM closed down and Alton moved to NovumFm based in Germany, however, hosts the show from the United Kingdom.

Here is the link to the website of NovumFM where you can find the radio player to listen to. Enjoy Alton Andrews again on the radio.

#BFBS #BFBS_radio #AltonAndrews #BFBS-DJs

2015/02/03

And now: Some More Big Wood Tales found

Uncle Bill telling the stories

Following to the success of the Big Wood Stories which I received some more episodes from a fan who recorded them off BFBS Radio when they were initially broadcast. Uncle Bill stories that first aired on BFBS during the 60s and lived on on BFBS during the following years. A big thanks to Kevin Lach who kindly more stories for our BFBS Radio Archive. Enjoy this trip down Memory Lane! :)

Before with have some more audio stories Also I received a written story narrated by Keith Kelly from the United Kingdom:

Hi,

Great idea for a trip down memory lane!

I was in Iserlohn with the Royal Engineers during the 70s and there was an occasion when the Regiment had an open day, basically to show the wives and Kids what the blokes actually did at work.

There was a sort of mini fairground, rides on armoured vehicles etc etc AND a beer tent, run by the Corporals Mess. BFBS, before the event, showed great interest and promised to send someone along.

Uncle Bill arrived, quite early in the day, accompanied by the BFBS Outside Broadcast Unit, and they set up their gear next to the beer tent. Throughout the day various events were covered, live, on the radio. Bill seemed to be spending a lot of time in the beer tent, not forgetting the rather boozy lunch in the Sgts Mess!

The time arrived for Bill to do his stuff and a hush fell over the sports fields as we listened to him, broadcasting to the entire Free World LIVE! At the end Bill did what Bill always did and said “Goodnight Children, Everywhere”. Spontaneous applause erupted from the gathered throng outside the trailer and Bill, not realising he was still ON AIR said, in a very loud, slurred voice,

“That will shut the little fuckers up for another night”

How I, and many around me, didn’t suffer a heart attack at that very moment I will never know.

Very Funny!

Regards
Keith

And now it is time for some more stories as told by Uncle Bill:

038 - Mr Owl and the Bishop's ring
039 - Aunt Daisy's Potted Plant
040 - The old windmill
041 - The water cress adventure
042 - The secret of the castle library
043 - Badger's motorbike and sidecar
044 - Mr Ospray's magic
045 - A game of golf
046 - The bells of St. Francis
047 - Rumpus at Big Wood Primary School
048 - Greenfly
050 - The Highwaymen
051 - Bramble Pie
052 - The Ten Tennis Balls
053 - The North Bay Branch Line
054 - Operation Thatch Cover
056 - Mr. Owl and the Fire-Fighting Exercise
057 - The Luxury Cruise
058 - The Silver Jubilee Visit
059 - Owl's bi-plane Hetty-incomplete
060 - The Jam Runners - incomplete
061 - The trip to the sea
062 - The long weekend

2014/06/02

At long last: The Big Wood Tales have been found

Uncle Bill and his Tales

I received many requests for help to find these great Uncle Bill stories that first aired on BFBS during the 60s and lived on on BFBS during the following years. A big thanks to BFBS's own Richard Astbury who kindly helped us with the search and got hold of a copy for our BFBS Radio Archive. So the entire series is there for all the fans listed below. Enjoy this trip down Memory Lane! :)

Peter McDonagh (PMcD) from BFBS (He of BFBS Angora) - wrote on his Facebook page the following note after seeing that the Big Wood Tales are on the BFBS Radio Archive website here:

(2014-06-03)
Juergen Boernig, BFBS's archivist in Germany, in conjunction with Richard "Asters" Astbury, MBE, has located and placed in the public domain the tales written and performed in the 60s and 70s by Uncle Bill - William Charles Boyden-Mitchell, possessor of the only airtime voice which made Brian Sewell sound common. I was lucky enough to see at first hand the impact of these stories on HM Forces when I flew out for a Directorial BFBS visit to Hohne. This was the home of the 9th/12th Lancers and their Scimitar Tanks. Their Officers' Mess was an ex-Nazi mansion in the deepest woodland. One lunchtime, with Station Manager Steve Britton, we were driven in convoy on Scimitars to this Wolfschanze, and, standing on the steps of the Mess, I was told by the CO how his officers used to rush back from exercise to undergo a daily weekday ritual with Uncle Bill on BFBS.

As Bill started his Big Wood story for the day on the radio (they lasted about 11 minutes each), every officer would pull the cork from an individual 75cl bottle of duty-free scotch, and see how many inches of scotch he could glug while Uncle Bill's story ran. The prizewinner, who had drinks bought for him for the whole evening, was the officer who consumed the most scotch.

The outright winner was a renegade ex Rhodesian Forces Special Forces officer who managed a whole bottle. Sadly, he didn't last too long....

If the Soviets had known this was their opposition during the Cold War, they would have fucked off back to Russia many years before they actually did!

We salute Uncle Bill for his selfless contribution to the Cold War, and the Triumph of the West!
PMcD

Tales from Big Wood: 01 - Big Wood Cricket Match
Tales from Big Wood: 02 - Gold And Cream Teas
Tales from Big Wood: 03 - High Wind In Big Wood
Tales from Big Wood: 04 - Mr. Owl & The Sorry Tale Of Summer Madness
Tales from Big Wood: 05 - Mr. Owl Strikes Oil
Tales from Big Wood: 06 - Mr. Owl & The Spring Flower Show
Tales from Big Wood: 07 - The Big Wood Local Defense Regiment
Tales from Big Wood: 08 - A New Look For The Regiment
Tales from Big Wood: 09 - War In Big Wood
Tales from Big Wood: 10 - Mr. Hedgehog's Secret
Tales from Big Wood: 11 - Mr. Owl And A Strawberry Trifle
Tales from Big Wood: 12 - Trouble On The Industry Front
Tales from Big Wood: 13 - Mr. Owl And The Bees
Tales from Big Wood: 14 - Mr. Owl And The Big Wood Firework Display
Tales from Big Wood: 15 - Mr. Owl And The New Bus
Tales from Big Wood: 16 - Mr. Owl And The New Council Offices
Tales from Big Wood: 17 - Mr. Owl Catches Fire
Tales from Big Wood: 18 - Mr. Owl Does The Cooking
Tales from Big Wood: 19 - Mr. Owl Gets A Surprise
Tales from Big Wood: 20 - Mr. Owl Goes Caravaning
Tales from Big Wood: 21 - Mr. Owl Goes On A Picnic
Tales from Big Wood: 22 - Mr. Owl In The Fog
Tales from Big Wood: 23 - Mr. Owl Paints The House
Tales from Big Wood: 24 - Wild Man Of The Woods
Tales from Big Wood: 25 - Mr. Owl Takes A Bath
Tales from Big Wood: 26 - Mr. Owl Under The Weather
Tales from Big Wood: 27 - On The Night Of The Blizzard
Tales from Big Wood: 28 - Owl And The Fishing Contest
Tales from Big Wood: 29 - Owl Goes Camping
Tales from Big Wood: 30 - The Big Wood Elections
Tales from Big Wood: 31 - A Visitor From Mars
Tales from Big Wood: 32 - The Black Leather Document Case
Tales from Big Wood: 33 - The Egg & Spoon Marathon
Tales from Big Wood: 34 - Thunderstorm In Bog Wood
Tales from Big Wood: 35 - Unveiling The Cathedral Clock
Tales from Big Wood: 36 - Water Rat's Grand Flying Tour

2014/04/21

Richard Astbury in Interview with JP

Richard Astbury

Interview with Richard Astbury on 22 Mar 2014. Richard or Asters worked as radio presenter on BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Service) and was also involved in the Eurovision Song Contest. Hear his story in interview with Radio International's JP

On 21 and 22 March 2014 BFBS Cologne staff (presenters, sound engineers, record librarians, some hadcore fans, etc) held their 24th annual "Veteran Meeting" in a hotel in Cologne, Germany reflecting on the good old times when BFBS Radio in Germany had its headquarters in Cologne Marienburg. In the 90s the HQ moved to the barracks in BFBS Herford leaving behind an amazing nostaligic post war era for Forces Families but also for many German listeners.

One of the great voices and very experienced presenter Richard Astbury also known as Asters. presented many shows on the BFBS network including BFBS Radio 2 and BFBS Television. But he is very much known for his programme called "Pop around Europe" which ran for many years on the BFBS radio network stopping in 1985 with Asters' departure to Riviera 104. This show can be found on the BFBS Radio blog or via the website of www.radiointernational.tv or here and there is more here.

Radio International's JP had the big honour to interview his radio idol Richard Astbury at this convention in Cologne which you can now watch in this clip.

At this point a special thanks goes to Jens Messtorff for filming the interview which will also be broadcast on Eurovision Radio International (www.radiointernational.tv) in the near future.

Also visit Richard's webpage available here.

Richard was also involved in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Enjoy!
JP:)

2014/01/31

Windsor's Weekend Wavelength

Dave Windsor (with Fred Povey) in the BFBS Gold Mine in 2004

Dave Windsor was the BFBS Gold Man of the British Forces Broadcasting Service mainly broadcasting BFBS Gold and special shows from BFBS London. He started to work for the network back in 1988. Also he worked on the ship-to-shore ships in the 1960s. In the late 90s with the creation of BFBS Radio 2, Dave and BFBS Gold moved from BFBS Radio (1) to BFBS Radio 2 where it was broadcast until the end of 2013 following various presenters taking turns to host the show such as Patrick Eade and Mario. Dave stopped broadcasting in 2013 as a direct impact on the world credit crunch. What a pity! A real great radio man who put the microphone and the frequency on the hook.

In the mid 90s, BFBS broadcast a weekend oldie show hosted by Dave Windsor called "Windsor's Weekend Wavelength" which I have dug out from my collection to share with you. Keep returning to this page as it is a whole series that will be uploaded little by little. But now enjoy the first lot of Dave Windsor's Weekend Wavelength! Happy Listening - JP:)

Dave Windsor hosting BFBS Gold on BFBS Radio 2 (2004)