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{{Short description|British radio soap opera}}
{{italic title}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2014}}
{{Infobox radio show
'''''Waggoners' Walk''''' was a soap opera which was broadcast from 28 April 1969 until 1980 on [[BBC Radio 2]]. It was transmitted in the form of 15-minute episodes on weekday afternoons and was repeated the following morning.
| name = Waggoners' Walk
| image = Waggoner's_Walk_street_sign.jpg
| alt = A drawing of a standard London street sign, showing the name Waggoners' Walk in black and the postal area NW in red.
| caption = ''Waggoners' Walk'' street sign illustration used by ''[[Radio Times]]'' in April 1969
| other_names = Waggoners' Walk NW
| format = [[Soap opera]]
| runtime = 15 minutes
| start_time = 16:30
| end_time = 16:45
| runtime_note =
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| home_station = [[BBC Radio 2]]
| creator = {{unbulleted list|[[Jill Hyem]]|Alan Downer}}
| writer = [[Peter Ling]], [[Barbara Clegg]], Terry James et al
| rec_location =
| first_aired = {{start date|1969|04|28|df=yes}}
| last_aired = {{end date|1980|05|30|df=yes}}
| num_series =
| num_episodes = 2,824<ref>{{cite book |last=Starkey |first=Guy |title=Radio in Context |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CgncCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA182 |quote=The 2,824 episodes of BBC Radio Two's ''Waggoners' Walk'' ran from 1969 to 1980... |publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]] |location=Basingstoke, UK |edition=second |year=2014 |page=182 |access-date=24 September 2017 |isbn=978-1-137-30225-0 |via=[[Google Books]] |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
| audio_format =
| opentheme =
| othertheme =
| endtheme =
}}


'''''Waggoners' Walk''''' was a daily radio soap opera, set in the fictional cul-de-sac of Waggoners' Walk and its environs in [[Hampstead]], north London. It was broadcast daily on [[BBC Radio 2]] from 1969 to 1980, in the form of 15-minute episodes on weekday afternoons with a repeat the following weekday morning. The programme came to a sudden end in May 1980 as part of a number of economies made by the BBC.
It was set in an estate in [[Hampstead]] with most storylines involving the various tenants of No 1 Waggoners' Walk, a large town house divided into several flats. Characters featured in the series included the Vaughan family (original owners of No 1), newspaper editor Mike Nash and his wife, Claire, and Lynn and Matt Prior, who ran a restaurant. The programme ceased broadcasting in 1980. When the BBC, as part of cost savings cancelled the series, the Corporation rejected a request from [[Capital Radio]] to take it over. Actors who performed in the series included the Australian actor [[Barry Creyton]] and [[Carole Boyd]]. The series was created by [[Jill Hyem]] and Alan Downer and written by (amongst others) [[Peter Ling]].<ref>http://www.bafta.org/heritage/in-memory-of/ling,171,BO.html</ref>

==History==
''Waggoners' Walk'' was introduced as a successor to the long-running ''[[Mrs Dale's Diary|The Dales]]'' (1948–1969) which had been cancelled due to the illness of the lead actress [[Jessie Matthews]].<ref>{{cite AV media |title=I'm Rather Worried about Jim |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b019f8br |medium=Radio broadcast |publisher=[[BBC Radio 4]] |date=16 January 2012}}</ref> The programme was created by writers [[Jill Hyem]] and Alan Downer; its origins lay in their ''[[Saturday Night Theatre]]'' production of ''The Ropewalk'', broadcast on [[BBC Radio 4]] in January 1969.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/radio4/fm/1969-01-04#at-20.30 |title=Saturday-Night Theatre: The Ropewalk |magazine=[[Radio Times]] |publisher=[[BBC Publications]] |edition=London & South East |volume=182 |issue=2356 |page=9 |date=2 January 1969 |access-date=29 January 2020 |quote=The Ropewalk is a stout Edwardian house long since converted into flats situated in a part of London where there is always a fair amount of 'comings and goings.' The play covers the lives of the inhabitants over one weekend – and, most particularly, one coming and one going.}}</ref> This play featured some of the same characters, actors and theme tune of ''Waggoners' Walk'' with the story centring on three women who share a flat in Hampstead.<ref>{{cite web |last=Deacon |first=Nigel |title=Jill Hyem Radio Plays |url=http://www.suttonelms.org.uk/JH.HTML |publisher=Diversity Website |access-date=31 January 2019}}</ref>

''Waggoners' Walk'' was designed to move away from the "cosy" world of ''The Dales'' and feature "fast-moving stories" and have "few taboo subjects".<ref>{{cite AV media |title=Waggoners' Walk – the swinging soap that time forgot |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05dm37p |medium=Radio broadcast |publisher=BBC Radio 4 |date=30 August 2017}}</ref> During its run, the storylines tackled issues such as illegitimacy, homosexuality, abortion, child custody and murder.<ref name="crook">{{cite web |last=Crook |first=Tim |title=British Radio Drama- A Cultural Case History |url=http://www.irdp.co.uk/britrad4.htm |publisher=Independent Radio Drama Productions |access-date=2 March 2019}}</ref> The first edition was broadcast on the afternoon of 28 April 1969<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/radio2/1969-04-28#at-16.15 |title=Waggoners' Walk NW: Moving Pictures |magazine=Radio Times |publisher=BBC Publications |edition=London & South East |volume=183 |issue=2372 |page=20 |date=24 April 1969 |access-date=29 January 2020}}</ref> with a repeat the following morning. Early editions were given a title, the first edition billed as "Moving Pictures" for instance, but this was dropped after just three weeks. Initially the programme had an audience of two million listeners<ref>{{cite book |title=BBC Handbook 1970 |publisher=BBC Publications |year=1970 |page=60 |isbn=978-0563092865}}</ref> but by 1974 was achieving four million.<ref name="crook" />

Most of the storylines involved the tenants of No. 1 Waggoners' Walk, a large townhouse divided into several flats. Other settings included the local pub ''The Waggoners'', the offices of the ''Hampstead Herald'', Minden Road and the nearby Belsize Park. Hyem and Downer continued to produce scripts for the programme throughout its run and were joined by other writers including [[Peter Ling]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Peter Ling |url=http://www.bafta.org/heritage/in-memory-of/ling,171,BO.html |date=11 May 2012 |access-date=6 January 2022}}</ref> [[Barbara Clegg]] and Terry James. The directors included [[Piers Plowright]], who later became the programme's executive producer,<ref>{{cite book |last=Street |first=Seán |author-link=Sean Street |editor-last=Woronoff |editor-first=Jon |editor-link=Jon Woronoff |title=The A to Z of British Radio |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wAEk9veAhpAC&pg=PA208 |quote=An attachment to BBC Radio Drama in 1973 led to a permanent post for Plowright the following year as executive producer for the Radio 2 serial, ''Waggoners' Walk''. |series=The A-Z Guide Series |publisher=[[Scarecrow Press]] |location=Plymouth, UK |date=4 August 2009 |page=208 |access-date=29 January 2020 |isbn=978-0-8108-6847-2}}</ref> [[David Spenser]], [[Glyn Dearman]], [[Anton Gill]], David Johnston and Kay Patrick.

In 1974, listeners were invited to submit their own plots in a "Write Your Own Storyline Competition",<ref>{{cite book |title=Soap Box |last=Kingsley |first=Hilary |publisher=[[Papermac]] |location=London |year=1988 |page=431 |isbn=0-333-46949-6}}</ref> with the winning story submitted by Albert Kenyon broadcast in November 1974.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/radio2/1974-11-26#at-16.15 |title=Waggoners' Walk NW |magazine=Radio Times |publisher=BBC Publications |edition=London |volume=205 |issue=2663 |page=52 |date=21 November 1974 |access-date=29 January 2020 |quote=Written by Barbara Clegg from a storyline by Albert Kenyon, winner of the Waggoners' Walk 'Write Your Own Storyline' competition.}}</ref>

A Sunday-afternoon omnibus edition was added to the schedule in January 1980, though heard only on Radio 2's medium wave transmitters.

As part of a series of cost-cutting initiatives by the BBC in 1980, ''Waggoners' Walk'' came to an abrupt end on 30 May 1980<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/radio2/1980-05-30#at-17.05 |title=Waggoners' Walk |magazine=Radio Times |publisher=BBC Publications |edition=England |volume=237 |issue=2950 |page=70 |date=22 May 1980 |access-date=29 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/radio2/1980-05-27#at-17.05 |title=Waggoners' Walk |magazine=Radio Times |publisher=BBC Publications |edition=England |volume=237 |issue=2950 |page=50 |date=22 May 1980 |access-date=29 January 2020 |quote=After 11 years the plot continues in this the last week of Waggoners' Walk. Listen to the final episode on Friday 30 May!}}</ref> with a [[cliffhanger]] ending in which George Underdown proposes marriage to Sophie Richmond and assures her that "you have all the time in the world" before the closing theme comes in.<ref>{{cite book |title= Waggoners' Walk: The Story Continues |last=James |first=Terry |publisher=[[Corgi Books]] |location=London |year=1982 |orig-year=First published 1980 |page=11 |isbn=0-552-11927-X}}</ref> The Corporation received more than 1,000 letters of protest<ref>{{cite book |title=BBC Annual Report and Handbook 1982 |publisher=BBC Publications |year=1981 |page=38 |isbn=0-563-20049-9}}</ref> about the ending of the programme. It rejected a request from [[Capital Radio]] to take it over.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}

==Cameo appearances==
A number of famous people made [[cameo appearance]]s on the programme:
* [[Jack de Manio]] in an edition in October 1969<ref>{{cite web|url = http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/2ab7211739614d1ba1edf4405272d37d|title = BBC Genome Project|access-date = 2 March 2019|work = Waggoners' Walk NW, 30 October 1969}}</ref>
* [[Pete Murray (DJ)|Pete Murray]] in the live 500th edition in April 1971<ref>{{cite web|url = http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/be927133c6014923bdba83884fa92b81|title = BBC Genome Project|access-date = 2 March 2019|work = Waggoners' Walk NW, 5 April 1971}}</ref>
* [[Wilfrid Brambell]] and [[Harry H. Corbett]] in an edition in January 1975<ref>{{cite web|url = http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/75a2ce7cb2fe45b0abccf17579538592|title = BBC Genome Project|access-date = 2 March 2019|work = Waggoners' Walk, 24 January 1975}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Galton |first1=Ray |last2=Simpson |first2=Alan |last3=Ross |first3=Robert |title=Steptoe and Son |year=2002 |publisher=BBC |isbn=0-563-48833-6 |page=213}}</ref>
* [[Esther Rantzen]] in two editions in June 1977 in which she opens a [[Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II|Silver Jubilee]] dance<ref>{{cite web|url = http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/e6a7d284b2f54e6fa4ffb9b8ad32d9e5|title = BBC Genome Project|access-date = 2 March 2019|work = Waggoners' Walk, 7 June 1977}}</ref>

==Principal characters==
This is a list of some of the main characters that appeared over the 11-year run. In some cases more than one actor played the part.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.oocities.org/uk_soaps/Waggoners_Walk/|title = Waggoners' Walk|publisher = UK Soaps Yahoo Group|access-date = 2 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?order=asc&q=waggoners+walk&svc=9371514#search|title = BBC Genome Project|access-date = 2 March 2019|work = Waggoners' Walk}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Waggoners' Walk |last1 = Clegg |first1 = Barbara |last2=Downer|first2=Alan|publisher=BBC |year=1975 |pages=9–11|isbn=0-563-12855-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title= Waggoners' Walk:The Story Continues|last = James |first = Terry |publisher=Corgi Books |year=1982 |isbn=0-552-11927-X}}</ref>
* Mike Nash, ran a PR firm and later became editor of the weekly newspaper ''The Hampstead Herald''. Mike and Claire owned No. 1 Waggoners' Walk from late 1969 to early 1980, when they moved to Bath. Played by [[Edward Cast]].
* Claire Nash, a former fashion model. Played by Ellen McIntosh.
* Peter Tyson worked as Personnel Officer at Abercrombies, a central London [[department store]]. After resigning his job he worked part-time at a boatyard. Played by [[Basil Moss]].
* Liz Tyson (née Warner), editor of the woman's page of the ''Hampstead Herald'', who takes over from Mike Nash as the newspaper's editor in 1980. Played by [[Ann Morrish]].
* Arthur Tyson, a widower and father of Peter Tyson. A retired former solicitor and estate agent. Played by [[Lockwood West]] and also by [[Peter Pratt]] and [[Gerald Cross]].
* Karen, a young firebrand from Birmingham. The Tysons' au pair. Played by [[Fidelis Morgan]].
* Matt Prior, ran ''Home from Home'', a domestic agency and later a catering supplier, with Lynn Tyson. Following a private aircraft crash in late 1974, he began using a wheelchair. Married Lynn in 1975 and later they opened up a restaurant called ''Priors''. Played by [[Michael Spice]].
* Lynn Prior (née Dixon) initially shared a flat with her sister Tracey and Barbara Watling. Married Peter Tyson in late 1969 and had a son Jeremy in 1972. Following her divorce she married Matt Prior. Played by Judy Franklin.
* Mrs Tandy, part-time cleaner for the Nashes. Played by Grizelda Hervey.
* Rupert 'Rusty' Vaughan, the original owner of No. 1 Waggoners' Walk until he sold it in late 1969. Continued to occupy the studio flat until December 1972. Played by Nicholas Edmett and later by Derek Seaton
* Stan Hickey, who, with his wife Alice, had been a tenant of the basement flat for more than 20 years. Died in 1972. Played by [[Leslie Dwyer]] later by [[Edward Evans (actor)|Edward Evans]].
* Alice Hickey, married to Stan and then to Gordon Turner. Played by Hazel Coppen. After her death the character continued played by Hilda Kriseman, Anna Wing and finally Peggy Aitchison.
* Gordon Turner owned the local newsagents. Married Alice in 1973. Played by Will Leighton.
* Barbara Watling, moved from [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]] to flat-share with Lynn and Tracey. Her illegitimate daughter Emma Jane was born in 1973. She married Colin Bartley in 1974 and they both ran an antique shop. Played by Heather Stoney and later by Patricia Gallimore.
* Jack Munro, the Canadian nephew of Gordon Turner ran the ''Waggoners'' pub and later married Kay Marsh. Played by Rod Beacham and then by [[Malcolm Terris]].
* Kay Munro (née Marsh) worked as a barmaid at the ''Waggoners'' and married Jack Munro in 1972. Played by Frances Jeater and then by [[Jo Kendall]].
* Cliff Edwards, married to Shirley. The couple were unable to have children and considered adoption but, after a one-night stand with Debbie Franks in 1979, Cliff became the father to Sam in 1980. Played by [[Anthony Jackson (actor)|Anthony Jackson]] and also by [[Peter Messaline]] and Sion Probert.
* Shirley Edwards (née Cook). Played by [[Carole Boyd]].
* George Underdown, a former bank employee who married Kath Miller. After her death he befriends Sophie Richmond and, despite being 30 years her senior, proposes marriage. Played by Alan Dudley.
* Sophie Richmond, a waitress at ''Priors'' restaurant. In 1979 she is raped by a man she later identifies as a regular customer. Played by Glynis Brooks.
* Kath Miller, mother of Shirley Edwards, ran the newsagent's and married George Underdown but died of a heart attack in 1979. Played by [[Charlotte Mitchell]].
* Ben Woodhouse, the local [[General practitioner|GP]] who later marries Soo-Ming. Played mainly by David Valla and sometimes by Derek Seaton.
* Debbie Franks, a reporter on the ''Hampstead Herald''. Played by Tara Soppet.
* Mrs. Dixon, Lynn's mother. Played by [[Dorothy Edwards (actress)|Dorothy Edwards]].
Other actors appearing in the programme included [[Peter Tuddenham]], [[Michael Troughton]], [[Norma Ronald]], [[Barry Creyton]], [[Jeffrey Segal]], [[Harry Fowler]], [[Patrick Allen (actor)|Patrick Allen]], [[Hattie Jacques]] (appearing briefly in 1969 as sisters Harriet and Tilly Gibbon), [[Nigel Lambert]], [[Christian Rodska]], [[Robert Beatty]], [[Saeed Jaffrey]], [[Bruce Alexander (actor)|Bruce Alexander]], [[Gillian McCutcheon]], [[Pik-Sen Lim]], [[Harry Towb]] and [[Elaine Stritch]].

==Theme music==
The original theme tune, titled "Bees and Honey", was composed by [[Derek Hilton]] under the pseudonym of John Snow.<ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.theguardian.com/news/2005/aug/27/guardianobituaries|title = Derek Hilton - Obituary|last = Cox|first = Michael|date = 27 August 2005|access-date = 31 March 2021|work = The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.discogs.com/J-Snow-D-Farnon-Take-It-Easy/release/8959680|title = Discogs|access-date = 31 March 2021|work = Take It Easy}}</ref> Several arrangements of the theme were used throughout the programme's run. In 1971, an EP of songs featured in the programme, including one called ''Waggoners' Walk'', and credited to Trane, was issued by [[BBC Records]].<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.discogs.com/Trane-Waggoners-Walk/release/4066809|title = Discogs|access-date = 31 March 2021|work = Waggoner's Walk}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
<references/>

==Further reading==
* Clegg, Barbara & Downer, Alan (1975) ''Waggoners Walk''. London: BBC {{ISBN|0-563-12855-0}}
* James, Terry (1982) ''Waggoners' Walk: The Story Continues''. London: Corgi edition {{ISBN|0-552-11927-X}}

{{Soap operas in the United Kingdom}}
{{BBC Radio 2}}


[[Category:1969 radio programme debuts]]
[[Category:1980 radio programme endings]]
[[Category:BBC Radio 2 programmes]]
[[Category:BBC Radio 2 programmes]]
[[Category:British radio soap operas]]
[[Category:London in fiction]]

Revision as of 09:52, 26 February 2024

Waggoners' Walk
A drawing of a standard London street sign, showing the name Waggoners' Walk in black and the postal area NW in red.
Waggoners' Walk street sign illustration used by Radio Times in April 1969
Other namesWaggoners' Walk NW
GenreSoap opera
Running time15 minutes (4:30 pm – 4:45 pm)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Language(s)English
Home stationBBC Radio 2
Created by
Written byPeter Ling, Barbara Clegg, Terry James et al
Original release28 April 1969 (1969-04-28) –
30 May 1980 (1980-05-30)
No. of episodes2,824[1]

Waggoners' Walk was a daily radio soap opera, set in the fictional cul-de-sac of Waggoners' Walk and its environs in Hampstead, north London. It was broadcast daily on BBC Radio 2 from 1969 to 1980, in the form of 15-minute episodes on weekday afternoons with a repeat the following weekday morning. The programme came to a sudden end in May 1980 as part of a number of economies made by the BBC.

History

Waggoners' Walk was introduced as a successor to the long-running The Dales (1948–1969) which had been cancelled due to the illness of the lead actress Jessie Matthews.[2] The programme was created by writers Jill Hyem and Alan Downer; its origins lay in their Saturday Night Theatre production of The Ropewalk, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1969.[3] This play featured some of the same characters, actors and theme tune of Waggoners' Walk with the story centring on three women who share a flat in Hampstead.[4]

Waggoners' Walk was designed to move away from the "cosy" world of The Dales and feature "fast-moving stories" and have "few taboo subjects".[5] During its run, the storylines tackled issues such as illegitimacy, homosexuality, abortion, child custody and murder.[6] The first edition was broadcast on the afternoon of 28 April 1969[7] with a repeat the following morning. Early editions were given a title, the first edition billed as "Moving Pictures" for instance, but this was dropped after just three weeks. Initially the programme had an audience of two million listeners[8] but by 1974 was achieving four million.[6]

Most of the storylines involved the tenants of No. 1 Waggoners' Walk, a large townhouse divided into several flats. Other settings included the local pub The Waggoners, the offices of the Hampstead Herald, Minden Road and the nearby Belsize Park. Hyem and Downer continued to produce scripts for the programme throughout its run and were joined by other writers including Peter Ling,[9] Barbara Clegg and Terry James. The directors included Piers Plowright, who later became the programme's executive producer,[10] David Spenser, Glyn Dearman, Anton Gill, David Johnston and Kay Patrick.

In 1974, listeners were invited to submit their own plots in a "Write Your Own Storyline Competition",[11] with the winning story submitted by Albert Kenyon broadcast in November 1974.[12]

A Sunday-afternoon omnibus edition was added to the schedule in January 1980, though heard only on Radio 2's medium wave transmitters.

As part of a series of cost-cutting initiatives by the BBC in 1980, Waggoners' Walk came to an abrupt end on 30 May 1980[13][14] with a cliffhanger ending in which George Underdown proposes marriage to Sophie Richmond and assures her that "you have all the time in the world" before the closing theme comes in.[15] The Corporation received more than 1,000 letters of protest[16] about the ending of the programme. It rejected a request from Capital Radio to take it over.[citation needed]

Cameo appearances

A number of famous people made cameo appearances on the programme:

Principal characters

This is a list of some of the main characters that appeared over the 11-year run. In some cases more than one actor played the part.[22][23][24][25]

  • Mike Nash, ran a PR firm and later became editor of the weekly newspaper The Hampstead Herald. Mike and Claire owned No. 1 Waggoners' Walk from late 1969 to early 1980, when they moved to Bath. Played by Edward Cast.
  • Claire Nash, a former fashion model. Played by Ellen McIntosh.
  • Peter Tyson worked as Personnel Officer at Abercrombies, a central London department store. After resigning his job he worked part-time at a boatyard. Played by Basil Moss.
  • Liz Tyson (née Warner), editor of the woman's page of the Hampstead Herald, who takes over from Mike Nash as the newspaper's editor in 1980. Played by Ann Morrish.
  • Arthur Tyson, a widower and father of Peter Tyson. A retired former solicitor and estate agent. Played by Lockwood West and also by Peter Pratt and Gerald Cross.
  • Karen, a young firebrand from Birmingham. The Tysons' au pair. Played by Fidelis Morgan.
  • Matt Prior, ran Home from Home, a domestic agency and later a catering supplier, with Lynn Tyson. Following a private aircraft crash in late 1974, he began using a wheelchair. Married Lynn in 1975 and later they opened up a restaurant called Priors. Played by Michael Spice.
  • Lynn Prior (née Dixon) initially shared a flat with her sister Tracey and Barbara Watling. Married Peter Tyson in late 1969 and had a son Jeremy in 1972. Following her divorce she married Matt Prior. Played by Judy Franklin.
  • Mrs Tandy, part-time cleaner for the Nashes. Played by Grizelda Hervey.
  • Rupert 'Rusty' Vaughan, the original owner of No. 1 Waggoners' Walk until he sold it in late 1969. Continued to occupy the studio flat until December 1972. Played by Nicholas Edmett and later by Derek Seaton
  • Stan Hickey, who, with his wife Alice, had been a tenant of the basement flat for more than 20 years. Died in 1972. Played by Leslie Dwyer later by Edward Evans.
  • Alice Hickey, married to Stan and then to Gordon Turner. Played by Hazel Coppen. After her death the character continued played by Hilda Kriseman, Anna Wing and finally Peggy Aitchison.
  • Gordon Turner owned the local newsagents. Married Alice in 1973. Played by Will Leighton.
  • Barbara Watling, moved from Hull to flat-share with Lynn and Tracey. Her illegitimate daughter Emma Jane was born in 1973. She married Colin Bartley in 1974 and they both ran an antique shop. Played by Heather Stoney and later by Patricia Gallimore.
  • Jack Munro, the Canadian nephew of Gordon Turner ran the Waggoners pub and later married Kay Marsh. Played by Rod Beacham and then by Malcolm Terris.
  • Kay Munro (née Marsh) worked as a barmaid at the Waggoners and married Jack Munro in 1972. Played by Frances Jeater and then by Jo Kendall.
  • Cliff Edwards, married to Shirley. The couple were unable to have children and considered adoption but, after a one-night stand with Debbie Franks in 1979, Cliff became the father to Sam in 1980. Played by Anthony Jackson and also by Peter Messaline and Sion Probert.
  • Shirley Edwards (née Cook). Played by Carole Boyd.
  • George Underdown, a former bank employee who married Kath Miller. After her death he befriends Sophie Richmond and, despite being 30 years her senior, proposes marriage. Played by Alan Dudley.
  • Sophie Richmond, a waitress at Priors restaurant. In 1979 she is raped by a man she later identifies as a regular customer. Played by Glynis Brooks.
  • Kath Miller, mother of Shirley Edwards, ran the newsagent's and married George Underdown but died of a heart attack in 1979. Played by Charlotte Mitchell.
  • Ben Woodhouse, the local GP who later marries Soo-Ming. Played mainly by David Valla and sometimes by Derek Seaton.
  • Debbie Franks, a reporter on the Hampstead Herald. Played by Tara Soppet.
  • Mrs. Dixon, Lynn's mother. Played by Dorothy Edwards.

Other actors appearing in the programme included Peter Tuddenham, Michael Troughton, Norma Ronald, Barry Creyton, Jeffrey Segal, Harry Fowler, Patrick Allen, Hattie Jacques (appearing briefly in 1969 as sisters Harriet and Tilly Gibbon), Nigel Lambert, Christian Rodska, Robert Beatty, Saeed Jaffrey, Bruce Alexander, Gillian McCutcheon, Pik-Sen Lim, Harry Towb and Elaine Stritch.

Theme music

The original theme tune, titled "Bees and Honey", was composed by Derek Hilton under the pseudonym of John Snow.[26][27] Several arrangements of the theme were used throughout the programme's run. In 1971, an EP of songs featured in the programme, including one called Waggoners' Walk, and credited to Trane, was issued by BBC Records.[28]

References

  1. ^ Starkey, Guy (2014). Radio in Context (second ed.). Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 182. ISBN 978-1-137-30225-0. Retrieved 24 September 2017 – via Google Books. The 2,824 episodes of BBC Radio Two's Waggoners' Walk ran from 1969 to 1980...
  2. ^ I'm Rather Worried about Jim (Radio broadcast). BBC Radio 4. 16 January 2012.
  3. ^ "Saturday-Night Theatre: The Ropewalk". Radio Times. Vol. 182, no. 2356 (London & South East ed.). BBC Publications. 2 January 1969. p. 9. Retrieved 29 January 2020. The Ropewalk is a stout Edwardian house long since converted into flats situated in a part of London where there is always a fair amount of 'comings and goings.' The play covers the lives of the inhabitants over one weekend – and, most particularly, one coming and one going.
  4. ^ Deacon, Nigel. "Jill Hyem Radio Plays". Diversity Website. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  5. ^ Waggoners' Walk – the swinging soap that time forgot (Radio broadcast). BBC Radio 4. 30 August 2017.
  6. ^ a b Crook, Tim. "British Radio Drama- A Cultural Case History". Independent Radio Drama Productions. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  7. ^ "Waggoners' Walk NW: Moving Pictures". Radio Times. Vol. 183, no. 2372 (London & South East ed.). BBC Publications. 24 April 1969. p. 20. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  8. ^ BBC Handbook 1970. BBC Publications. 1970. p. 60. ISBN 978-0563092865.
  9. ^ "Peter Ling". 11 May 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  10. ^ Street, Seán (4 August 2009). Woronoff, Jon (ed.). The A to Z of British Radio. The A-Z Guide Series. Plymouth, UK: Scarecrow Press. p. 208. ISBN 978-0-8108-6847-2. Retrieved 29 January 2020. An attachment to BBC Radio Drama in 1973 led to a permanent post for Plowright the following year as executive producer for the Radio 2 serial, Waggoners' Walk.
  11. ^ Kingsley, Hilary (1988). Soap Box. London: Papermac. p. 431. ISBN 0-333-46949-6.
  12. ^ "Waggoners' Walk NW". Radio Times. Vol. 205, no. 2663 (London ed.). BBC Publications. 21 November 1974. p. 52. Retrieved 29 January 2020. Written by Barbara Clegg from a storyline by Albert Kenyon, winner of the Waggoners' Walk 'Write Your Own Storyline' competition.
  13. ^ "Waggoners' Walk". Radio Times. Vol. 237, no. 2950 (England ed.). BBC Publications. 22 May 1980. p. 70. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  14. ^ "Waggoners' Walk". Radio Times. Vol. 237, no. 2950 (England ed.). BBC Publications. 22 May 1980. p. 50. Retrieved 29 January 2020. After 11 years the plot continues in this the last week of Waggoners' Walk. Listen to the final episode on Friday 30 May!
  15. ^ James, Terry (1982) [First published 1980]. Waggoners' Walk: The Story Continues. London: Corgi Books. p. 11. ISBN 0-552-11927-X.
  16. ^ BBC Annual Report and Handbook 1982. BBC Publications. 1981. p. 38. ISBN 0-563-20049-9.
  17. ^ "BBC Genome Project". Waggoners' Walk NW, 30 October 1969. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  18. ^ "BBC Genome Project". Waggoners' Walk NW, 5 April 1971. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  19. ^ "BBC Genome Project". Waggoners' Walk, 24 January 1975. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  20. ^ Galton, Ray; Simpson, Alan; Ross, Robert (2002). Steptoe and Son. BBC. p. 213. ISBN 0-563-48833-6.
  21. ^ "BBC Genome Project". Waggoners' Walk, 7 June 1977. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  22. ^ "Waggoners' Walk". UK Soaps Yahoo Group. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  23. ^ "BBC Genome Project". Waggoners' Walk. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  24. ^ Clegg, Barbara; Downer, Alan (1975). Waggoners' Walk. BBC. pp. 9–11. ISBN 0-563-12855-0.
  25. ^ James, Terry (1982). Waggoners' Walk:The Story Continues. Corgi Books. ISBN 0-552-11927-X.
  26. ^ Cox, Michael (27 August 2005). "Derek Hilton - Obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  27. ^ "Discogs". Take It Easy. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  28. ^ "Discogs". Waggoner's Walk. Retrieved 31 March 2021.

Further reading

  • Clegg, Barbara & Downer, Alan (1975) Waggoners Walk. London: BBC ISBN 0-563-12855-0
  • James, Terry (1982) Waggoners' Walk: The Story Continues. London: Corgi edition ISBN 0-552-11927-X
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