Richard Whiteley interviews Halifax-born actor and radio presenter Wilfred Pickles, the host of BBC radio's Have a Go from 1946 to 1967 and an occasional newsreader on the BBC Home Service during World War Two. Title: YORKSHIRE TELEVISION – Colour Production Colourful graphics based on various views of stylised male and female heads in profile introduce the programme. Title: CALENDAR PEOPLE The title is superimposed on a film clip showing a couple walking down Conway Street in...

Richard Whiteley interviews Halifax-born actor and radio presenter Wilfred Pickles, the host of BBC radio's Have a Go from 1946 to 1967 and an occasional newsreader on the BBC Home Service during World War Two. Title: YORKSHIRE TELEVISION – Colour Production Colourful graphics based on various views of stylised male and female heads in profile introduce the programme. Title: CALENDAR PEOPLE The title is superimposed on a film clip showing a couple walking down Conway Street in Halifax. The couple stop at one of the terraced houses and go through the gate, as commentary by presenter Richard Whiteley describes the scene. The man knocks on the door, an elderly lady answers and immediately recognises the couple and calls them by name Wilfred, and Mabel. In the studio Richard stands in front of the audience and introduces Mr and Mrs Wilfred Pickles. Richard joins them on the stage and asks Wilfred how long he had lived in Conway Street. Wilfred recalls he lived at that address until he was around seven and the family then moved only a few streets away. Title: Wilfred Pickles In response to Richard’s question, he lists the people he lived with, his elder brother and mother and father. Mrs Shaw the current occupant of the house and a member of the audience, replies to Richard’s question about her residency in the house which is 56 years. Wilfred touches on the subject of being poor, his father was a stonemason and if he couldn’t work because of bad weather, he might take any odd jobs going as there was no pay until the weather improved and he could work again. After attending elementary school at Parkinson Lane Council School, Richard Whiteley asks Wilfred if he’s self-educated, he replies that he is and following Richard’s thread of questioning he says he was encouraged to be so from his mother. Richard asks Wilfred’s wife Mabel how they met. Title: Mabel Pickles Born in Liverpool she says she met Wilfred when she moved to Ainsdale near Southport in Merseyside. Mabel was an amateur actor when they met. Richard goes on to talk about Wilfred’s career with BBC North in Manchester as an announcer, he then had the opportunity to read the news in London, during wartime in 1940. They wanted to use an announcer with an accent, so that the enemy would find it difficult to mimic. Richard asks Wilfred what his reception was like from the well-known announcers in London, who all had an impeccable delivery, to a Yorkshireman arriving on their doorstep. John Snagge one of the well-known announcers was head of that team and invited Wilfred to London. Although not particularly well supported by the BBC news team, the news announcements Wilfred made at the time were well received nationally. In the studio Wilfred’s voice is played back so that everyone can hear it. Still photographs accompany the bulletin showing BBC’s broadcasting house in London and another showing Wilfred reading a bulletin in a BBC studio. Wilfred talks about the broadcast where his natural Yorkshire is subdued, he then goes on to talk about the perceptions of different accents generally. Richard asks the couple about a personal loss they had at the beginning of the war when they lost their seven year old son to polio. The death was unexpected and sudden, Mabel recalls that time and mentions they had lost another child prior to this tragedy. Wilfred and Mabel then talk about their working life together during war time, when they were both working at the BBC. Richard announces a commercial break in the programme. Title: CALENDAR PEOPLE End of Part One The picture fades to black at this point followed by a view of a clapperboard which gives the title of the programme, a VTR number 8918, a part number in this case 2, take 1 and the subject of the programme ‘Wilfred + Mabel Pickles’ The programme returns with a view of the audience applauding. Title: CALENDAR PEOPLE Part Two Richard Whiteley continues his interview with his guests as he asks them about extraordinary success of their radio show ‘Have A Go’ which ran for 21 years from 1946 to 1967. Wilfred acknowledges the success of the programme and is very grateful to the BBC. Richard asks where the idea came from. Wilfred says it was from John Salter programme director at BBC Manchester. The programme involved going to different towns and finding a suitable hall to accommodate an audience, basically the BBC went to the people and included local people in the programme. Richard plays back an item from one of the shows, where Wilfred talks to a young girl called Margaret. A black and white photograph shows Wilfred Pickles who seems to be reading a book to some children as the audio clip continues. Richard says the recording was made in 1952 and Margaret is sitting in the audience, everyone applauds as Margaret Gibson waves to Wilfred. Richard asks Bernard Colehan known as ‘Barney’ from the ‘Have A Go’ team who sits in the audience, about the reverence Wilfred and Mabel attracted on their visits to different locations where they were greeted almost as royalty. Richard asks if the couple miss that sort of adulation and attention. They both say no, with Wilfred saying that they are grateful that it all happened, and they met some very nice people. Mabel says that they are still recognised from time to time. To close the programme Richard gets the couple to join in a re-creation of ‘Have a Go’ with the studio audience. Richard guides Wilfred and Mabel to a stage which has been set up for the performance. Wilfred introduces the ‘programme’ and invites Margaret from the audience, who he interviewed in 1952, onto the stage. To win some money Wilfred asks her a question. She has to name a medieval street in York, which she gets right, and Barney gives her 10 pence. She is then asked who manages Leeds United, she doesn’t know but Barney still gives her the money. The final question she must name two racecourses in Yorkshire, she names Wetherby and York and wins more money. Another contestant appears from the audience and gives his name as Eddy and his job as a coach driver and with a bit of help he wins on all three questions. A lady from the audience arrives on stage as the next contestant, she also answers the questions correctly. A jackpot prize is described by Mabel which includes meat and other food, all with a strong connection to Yorkshire. The jackpot question is open to all three contestants, the first one who answers correctly wins. Margaret answers the question correctly and wins the jackpot prize. The re-creation of ‘Have a Go’ ends with cast and audience singing the ‘Have a Go’ theme song. A board with the words printed on it helps the audience along. Richard Whiteley comes back on stage, thanks his guests and closes the programme. Title: CALENDAR PEOPLE Tonight Featured Credits: Wilfred and Mabel Pickles Talking to Richard Whiteley With Barney Colehan And Bert Gaunt Designers - David McDermott – Howard Dawson Director – Nick Gray Producer - John Meade Editor – John Wilford End Title: - YORKSHIRE TELEVISION Colour Production © Trident Television Ltd 1975