Family Favourites

Family Favourites (remembered by its later name Two-Way Family Favourites) was the successor to the wartime radio show Forces Favourites, broadcast at Sunday lunchtimes on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2 and the British Forces Broadcasting Service until 1980. From 1967 to 1972 it was also carried on BBC Radio 1. It was a request programme designed to link families at home in the UK with British Forces serving in West Germany or elsewhere overseas. The programme was a big success with listeners.

It had the memorable signature tune "With a Song in My Heart" (original played by Andre Kostelanetz and his Orchestra) and was presented by a variety of well-known radio personalities, including Cliff Michelmore, Jean Metcalfe,^[1] Bill Crozier in Cologne, Michael Aspel, Judith Chalmers^[2] and Sarah Kennedy. The final UK presenter was Jean Challis, although both Pete Murray and Ed Stewart continued to use the title for segments of their shows, often linking up with places such as Australia and New Zealand, for another couple of years during the 1980s; during this time, the song "Hurry Home" by Wavelength became popular with the families of troops returning from the Falklands War.^[3] Aspel returned to host a one-off special edition of the show for BBC Radio 2's 40th Birthday celebrations, on 30 September 2007.

Internationally

When the programme expanded, it encompassed far-flung corners of the Commonwealth with, amongst others, Bill Paull being the link man in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, June Armstrong-Wright in Hong Kong, Ross Symonds in Australia, Don Durbridge in Gibraltar and Marama Martin in New Zealand.

References