ROY PLOMLEY

'(Francis) Roy Plomley', OBE (January 20, 1914 - May 28, 1985) was an English radio broadcaster, producer, playwright and novelist.

He was educated at King's College School, Wimbledon. On leaving school he worked first briefly for an estate agent, then for a London advertising agency, then in publishing. His original aim was to be an actor, and he did secure very minor parts in a number of films, but he soon drifted into broadcasting, coming to public notice as an announcer, and later producer, for the International Broadcasting Company (IBC), starting on Radio Normandy in April 1936 and moving on at the end of that year to the IBC's Paris-based station, Poste Parisien. Between mid-1937 and late 1939 he was involved in writing and production, travelling back and forth between these two IBC stations in France and the company's offices and studios in London, while also presenting the variety programme ''Radio Normandy Calling'', recorded on location in theatres at UK seaside resorts and regularly beating the BBC in audience ratings. ^[1]
This part of his career came to an abrupt end when commercial broadcasting from the continent was brought to a halt by the Second World War. Plomley and his new wife stayed on in Paris, only narrowly escaping back to the UK via a circuitous route through the chaos and panic of the Fall of France, losing all their possessions in the process, as German occupying forces approached the French capital in June 1940. ^[2]

Then, in 1942, he devised the BBC Radio series ''Desert Island Discs''. It was to be a series of eight weekly programmes. Each show consisted of an interview with a celebrity, interpersed by the guest's choice of music. His contract was renewed for a further 15 shows. In the end he presented 1,791 editions of the programme stretching over 43 years. Its success was attributed to his skill as an interviewer and to his meticulous research. ^[3]
The series is still running in 2007. Plomley was succeeded as presenter by Michael Parkinson (1985-1988), then by Sue Lawley (1988-2006), and most recently by Kirsty Young. ''Desert Island Discs'' is believed to be the longest-running music radio programme in the world.
Plomley's broadcasting career was not restricted to ''Desert Island Discs''; he also compiled and presented several feature programmes and was the chairman of BBC Radio's game show ''Many a Slip'' from 1964 to 1979, and a participant in such panel games as ''Does the Team Think?'', also on BBC Radio. He also anchored ''Round Britain Quiz'' in 1961. For television he produced ''Dinner Date with Death'' in 1949, claimed to be the first UK film made for TV, and in the same year chaired ''We Beg to Differ'' on BBC Radio, transferring with it to BBC Television in 1951. ^[4]
Roy Plomley was awarded the OBE in 1975. He was Chairman of the Radio and Television Writers' Association, 1957-1959, and was voted BBC Radio Personality of the Year in 1979. He published 16 stage plays (one of which, ''Cold Turkey'', was put on in the West End), and one novel. ^[5] He has been posthumously inducted into the Radio Academy's Hall of Fame. ^[6]
Roy Plomley died in London at the age of 71.

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References

External links

References

1. Roy Plomley, ''Days Seemed Longer: Early Years of a Broadcaster'', London, 1980, pp.107-159. ISBN 0 413 39730 0
2. Plomley, ''op. cit.'', pp.183-199.
3. Richard Baker, "Plomley, (Francis) Roy (1914-1985)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004.
4. "Roy Plomley, Creator of 'Desert Island Discs'" (obituary), ''The Times'', London, 30 May 1985.
5. "Plomley, (Francis) Roy (d.1985)", ''Who Was Who'', A&C Black, London, January 2007.
6. "Radio stars launch Hall of Fame", BBC News website, 8 April 2003. [1]

External links

★ A rare recording of Roy Plomley in his prewar Radio Normandy days may be heard at the website ''Paul's Radio Museum'' [2].

★ Roy Plomley at the Radio Academy - includes some audio clips from ''Desert Island Discs'' and other BBC programmes [3].