The Radio Times Story

The Radio Times Story was a 2001 book about the history of the Radio Times magazine, its inception in 1923 until the departure of editor, Sue Robinson, in 2000. Written by Tony Currie, the book mainly focuses on the covers of the magazine, rather than the actual content and presentation of the listings pages, consisting of radio and TV programmes.

Links to Peel
Peel wrote the forewood to the book: "We probably had one of those embroidery covers for our Radio Times. Not one that matched the curtains though - that would on have been just a little bit vulgar, wouldn't it? And, in common with most decent folk, I don't suppose we ever actually kept the Radio Times in the embroidery cover, anyway. I'd like to pretend that I remember my brothers and I rushing wild-eyed with excitement, to read the latest issue when it was brought up from the village, but I don't, The Radio Times, way back in the days before we had television, was just sort of there in the sitting-room; dependable and necessary, but hardly exciting in the way that the Eagle or Film Fun were exciting or in a way that the comics the American servicemen gave us were exciting. These even smelled exciting. I don't remember that the Radio Times smelled at all. But it did tell you what was on Children's Hour, and I do remember reading the listings for the Third Programme and believing that when I grew up I would, through processes I couldn't even imagine, listen to and understand talks on 14th Century Flemish poetry. I even imagined settling back of an evening, with a wife and and a few attractive children, to listen to something lively about Ibsen. Or have I just imagined that I imagined that? In the event, none of these things happened. Radio changed, the Radio Times changed and I changed. But hardly a day passes without someone in the house shouting, “Anyone seen the Radio Times?” That hasn't changed."