John Betjeman

Sir John Betjeman, CBE (28 August 1906 – 19 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack". He was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture. He began his career as a journalist and ended it as one of the most popular British Poets Laureate and a much-loved figure on British television. He even released several albums and singles on vinyl.

Links To Peel
According to the BBC Radio 4 documentary Betjeman's Banana Blush, Peel played tracks from Sir John Betjeman's Banana Blush poetry album in the 70's on his night time programmes, which may have influenced songwriters such as Morrissey, who referenced Betjeman's 1937 poem Slough on Everyday Is Like Sunday, which reached number 12 in the 1988 Festive Fifty.

Madness singer Suggs on the Betjeman's Banana Blush documentary also claimed to be influenced by the author when his producer played tracks from Betjeman's Banana Blush to him after hearing it on Peel's show.

Shows Played

 * 1970's
 * Several tracks from Banana Blush album were played