A Further Slice Of Johnners

A Further Slice Of Johnners

Summary

When Brian Johnston was a schoolboy, his reports were full of phrases such as 'talks too much in school' and 'apt to be a buffoon'. Later millions of radio listeners would be delighted to discover that some things never changed! Johnners brought his unique wit and personal charm to an enormous range of BBC radio and television programmes for nearly 50 years, from In Town Tonight and Down Your Way to Test Match Special. After Brian died in 1994, Christopher Martin-Jenkins wrote: 'It is hard to believe that anyone in the history of broadcasting has induced such widespread affection'.

A Further Slice of Johnners covers Brian's early days, from his childhood in Hertfordshire and his schooldays at Eton and Oxford to his job in the family coffee business in the City and his service with the Grenadier Guards during the Second World War. There is also a selection of the most memorable characters and locations from his fifteen years on the Radio Four programme Down Your Way. Finally there is a collection of Brian's popular 'View From the Boundary' interviews on Test Match Special, including fascinating conversations with Eric Idle, John Major and Peter O'Toole.

About the author

Brian Johnston

Brian Johnston was born in 1912. He joined the BBC's Outside Broadcasts Department immediately after the war and worked first on live radio broadcasts from theatres and music-halls all over Great Britain. He was one of the first broadcasters to work for both television and radio and began his long association with cricket commentary in the summer of 1946. Between 1948 and 1952 he also presented the live feature 'Let's Go Somewhere' for the popular Saturday night programme In Town Tonight.

He became the BBC's first Cricket Correspondent in 1963 and held this post until his retirement in 1972, after which he continued as a regular member of the Test Match Special team. He took over presenting Down Your Way from Franklin Engelmann in 1972 and continued for fifteen years.

He published two autobiographies and fourteen other books, including Now Here's a Funny Thing, It's Been a Piece of Cake and Someone Who Was. He died in January 1994.
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