Waggoners' Walk Final Episode

The final episode of BBC Radio 2's daily serial that ran from 1969 to 1980.
This programme aired on Friday 30 May 1980 following the axing of the series as part of a number of cutbacks at the BBC.
The announcer is Tim Gudgin.
Following that you can hear part of BBC Radio 4's Six O'clock News about the ending of the series. The newsreader is Brian Perkins.
I've also added the opening and closing themes from the Omnibus edition broadcast on Sunday 1 June 1980. The announcer is Richard Clegg.

[@Snarebeat]

Remember this show vaguely when I was young I was 14 in 1980.Lovely to hear again.

[@timothysdog6130]

Alan Grice yes I vaguely remember. I am a similar age. Turned 15 in 1980

[@jalaneperry7643]

I remember listening to this in 1982 in England on radio 2 i used to listen to this after the David Hamilton tea break he talked about different recording artists And their lives

[@zeddeka]

Victoria Wood said that Waggoners' Walk was one of the inspirations for Acorn Antiques. She said the dialogue made the characters sound like they were "talking in capital letters"

[@ossyrefugee]

I was born in 66 and remember my Grandma listening to this. I don't remember this Proboscis Monkey storyline though.

[@craigdavidson2278]

I was born in '67 and I remember my mum calling for silence when this came on.....I'd make a dash to play with my airfix soldiers unhindered.

[@arthurvasey]

My mother was the same - absolute silence for her programmes - on radio and television - but, on the rare occasions when we could watch something of ours, mam, nanna and an auntie would talk all over it!

[@defender1006]

IIRC it took over from Mrs Dales Diary, but that too fell by the wayside, whilst on Radio 4 The Archers marched boldly on wards!

[@20decemberpaulmarkstakingi48]

Did I hear Much More Music on Radio 2 with Tom Browne as In the Presenter of the Top 40

[@RandomRadioJottings]

You did indeed. David Symonds was the regular presenter but that week Tom was covering

[@alangiles2763]

Forty years ago today 30/5/2020

[@chrisgutteridge-waggonersw8178]

My goodness where has the time gone - 40 years! I was a huge fan and listened every afternoon, and well remember this last episode. Still miss my daily dose of drama down the Walk. Thank you for marking the anniversary with your comment.

[@alangiles2763]

​@@chrisgutteridge-waggonersw8178 I used to love old Arthur Tyson, who was the first to "Keep Up Appearances" - 'Miss Richmond@ rather than Sophie, for example. Sadly the actor who played him, Gerald Cross, died just six months after the series ended, in January 1981. Sadly, so many others have since died. It certainly doesn't seem more than 40 years ago. By comparison The Archers always seemed to be in the 1950s.

[@chrisgutteridge-waggonersw8178]

@@alangiles2763 ah thank you: interesting and sad to learn that Gerald Cross died soon after. That explains why Arthur was played by Peter Tuddenham a couple of years later in the Afternoon Theatre play Miss Whiting's Visitors. Gerald was at least the third Arthur, preceded by Peter Pratt and Lockwood West, though there may have been others? Wags loved a recast or understudy, as none of the actors were on a permanent contract, and so were often unavailable to record if appearing in other plays.

[@alangiles2763]

@@chrisgutteridge-waggonersw8178 Yes Chris. I remember that towards the end of the run "Rob" was played by Mike Grady and another Mike, whose second name I can't remember and they didn't sound alike (the "other" Mike had a slight West Country accent). I think at the time Mike Grady was working on "Citizen Smith" on TV.

[@alangiles2763]

Michael Mundell (just heard the rest of the tape) played Rob as well as MG. He, too died in real life though Mike Grady is happily still with us.

[@grahamsmith7513]

Is the announcer Tim Gudgeon?

[@RandomRadioJottings]

Correct, that's Tim Gudgin at the start of the recording

[@grahamsmith7513]

@@RandomRadioJottings Thanks for confirming