Harry Pringle
-
Loose Lips Sink Broadcasters
In Britain during the 1940s, variety was popular on both radio and television, but as PETER BURGIS discovers, it was mandatory for producers and broadcasters to watch what they said...In 1975 I was fortunate to conduct a series of oral history interviews with pioneer Australian radio and television producer Harry Pringle (1903–1985).
Harry had worked extensively for both ABC and BBC radio in what was termed light entertainment. In 1937 he became one of the first English BBC television producers. In Australia he produced Out of The Bag in 1940–1941 for the ABC which was an outstanding variety show. He was closely involved in the careers of artists like Joy Nichols, Dick Bentley, and Kitty Bluett. I recall him telling tales of early television shows including overcoming the short stature of Beniamino Gigli by filming him standing on a staircase.
He also related how he found Peter Lorre a genuinely scary personality. Harry presented me with a small booklet which the BBC in London provided to new staff members to guide them on broadcast standards.
The booklet was titled “BBC Variety Programmes Policy Guide for Writers and Producers”. It was stamped “Private and Confidential” and was printed about late 1948. The booklet comprised guidelines to ensure BBC social and ethical standards were maintained and no listeners or viewer could ever be offended.
It gives a fascinating insight into broadcasting standards just after the end of World War II.
The advice included (1) Do not refer to Negroes as ‘Niggers’ (‘Nigger’ Minstrels is allowed), and (2) There is an absolute ban on suggestive references to Ladies’ underwear (e.g. Winter draws on) and (3) Inadmissible are jokes about A.D. or B.C. (e.g. ‘before Crosby’).
The standards help explain why many recordings by artists like Ronald Frankau and George Formby were banned for airplay (both in England and Australia).
In the course of interviewing Harry Pringle I learnt that his father was the Tasmanian bass Lempriere Pringle (1870–1914), one of Australia’s most famous stage singers and a pioneer recording artist.
I was able to present Harry with a tape copy of his father singing “I Fear No Foe”, recorded in London in 1910. He had not heard his dad’s voice since he was a child. Harry Pringles’ papers are preserved in the National Library of Australia in Canberra.
BBC Variety Programme Policy Guide (1.2MB)
Image credit: A photograph taken from the Daily Herald Archive showing BBC television rehearsals, June 1946. Science Museum Group. BBC television rehearsals. 1983-5236/31673 Science Museum Group Collection Online. Accessed 18 November 2024. https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8835339/bbc-television-rehearsals.