Introduction Archives - Richard Dimbleby: Broadcaster

Foreword

Richard Dimbleby must have had millions more friends than he could ever have known, and this was because in millions of homes those who heard his voice and saw him on television must have felt he had become their friend. But however much his friendship came through on television it could not be compared with the warm-hearted friendship that came through to those of us who had the good fortune to know him personally. He was an interesting and entertaining friend, and a kind friend, and to an amateur appearing on television – which can be a very frightening process – he was kind, helpful, and considerate.

Richard Dimbleby it was who first in broadcasts brought to life the scene his voice described long before television existed. Richard Dimbleby it was who, long before colour television had come about, put colour into the black and white pictures of television: he managed to interpret the scenes in such a very human, understanding way. He brought dignity to every occasion, and he put national events into the homes of the nation, so that everybody felt they could take part in them; everybody felt as though they could be proud of what was going on; everybody in fact could feel proud of being British.

Introduction

In many fields Richard Dimbleby was our first as well as our foremost broadcaster. He was the first BBC news observer, the first man to take a microphone to a civil war, the first to report a Royal Tour by radio, the first BBC war correspondent, the first witness to reveal the horrors of Belsen concentration camp. He was one of the first from the West, and certainly the first war correspondent, to enter defeated Berlin.

He was the commentator for the first time television cameras were allowed at a Coronation, and at a State Opening of Parliament. He was the anchorman for our first weekly television current affairs programme.

He was there on each occasion when television pushed forward its physical frontiers: the first live relay across the Channel in 1950; through the Iron Curtain in 1961; over the Atlantic via Telstar in 1962; and round the world from Japan in 1964.

He held first place in persuading viewers to give, and give quickly, to relieve some natural disaster (his two appeals for the victims of earthquakes in Persia and Yugoslavia brought in over £800,000).

He was first in stamina in General Election Results programmes and perhaps his ‘finest hour’ was his description of the funeral of the man whose phrase that was.

But for us at the BBC he was above all a patient, gentle, courteous, confident, compassionate, loyal, and brave friend.

Richard was a great broadcaster; but great broadcasts are ephemeral. They are enjoyed and, sooner or later, forgotten. This book is offered to recall some of the thousands of broadcasts he made for the BBC and to show what it was like to work in broadcasting with him.

Four men stand beside a television camera — The Director-General of the BBC and the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Bernard Waley-Cohen, in the Panorama Studio

Editor’s Note

This book, like much in broadcasting, is the product of a team. Busy colleagues, some in the BBC and some now elsewhere, have gladly made time to search memories and record shared aspects of Richard Dimbleby’s versatile broadcasting career. Several of them are professional writers. All have refused payment, or directed that it should be made to the Richard Dimbleby Cancer Fund, King Street, Richmond, Surrey, to which all the proceeds of this book will be given.

I am indebted to the Editors of The Times, the Daily Mail, the Sunday Telegraph, the Spectator and New Christian for permission freely to reprint articles which appeared in their pages, to the Managing Directors of Associated Newspapers Ltd and Hodder & Stoughton Ltd for allowing me to reproduce writings by Richard Dimbleby originally published in the Sunday Dispatch and The Frontiers are Green, and to Avril Anderson, the author of the poem ‘Tribute’. They too have waived payment for their copyright.

Mrs Richard Dimbleby has kindly supplied many photographs. David Dimbleby has given wise guidance.

Jennifer Jeremy, Stephanie Johnson and Hugh Tosh have given splendid assistance in preparing illustrations and tracing broadcasts.

The manuscript of this book could not have been completed within seven weeks of Richard Dimbleby’s death without fast and accurate typing, which has been done by Gwen Willson.

To all of them and to my colleagues in BBC Publications I record my thanks.

February 1966

R.L.M.