Lance Sieveking facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lance Sieveking
Born	19 March 1896
Died	6 January 1972  (aged 75)
Spouse(s)	April Constance Corona Quilter, Natalie Bevan

Lance Sieveking (born March 19, 1896 – died January 6, 1972) was an English writer. He was also a very important pioneer for BBC radio and television. He helped create many new things for broadcasting. Lance Sieveking had two sons: Gale Sieveking, who became an archaeologist, and Paul Sieveking, a writer.

Who Was Lance Sieveking?

Lance Sieveking's full name was Lancelot De Giberne Sieveking. He was born on March 19, 1896, in Harrow, England. His father, Edward Gustavus Sieveking, was a timber merchant. His mother, Isabel Giberne Sieveking, was an author and a Suffragette. Suffragettes were women who fought for the right to vote.

Lance was a very creative child. He started writing stories when he was only six years old. By the age of 13, he began writing a novel. This novel was later published when he was 26. Before World War I began, he actively supported the Suffragette movement.

A Time of War

Lance Sieveking served in World War I, just like his brother, Valentine Edgar Sieveking. Lance first joined the Artists Rifles. Later, he joined the Royal Naval Air Service, which was part of the Royal Navy. He won the Distinguished Flying Cross for his bravery.

In 1917, his plane was shot down over the Rhine River. He was then held as a prisoner-of-war by the Germans. After the war, he returned to England. He attended St Catharine's College, Cambridge, where he became close friends with another student, Eric Maschwitz. They both worked as editors for a student publication called The new Cambridge between 1920 and 1921.

Pioneering at the BBC

Lance Sieveking became well-known for his work at the BBC. He started as an assistant to the Director of Education. He then went on to do many new things for radio. He introduced the first live sports commentaries. He also adapted many classic stories into radio dramas. Some people even say that he was the reason the first television play was made. He worked as a drama script editor for ten years, from 1940 to 1950. He retired from the BBC in 1956.

Radio Innovations

Sieveking wrote a book called The Stuff of Radio in 1934. He also created a radio play based on C. S. Lewis' book The Magician's Nephew. C. S. Lewis himself approved of Sieveking's radio version.

In 1927, Lance Sieveking designed a special eight-squared drawing. This drawing helped BBC radio's football commentators describe the game. Listeners at home could also get a copy of this chart in the Radio Times magazine. His experimental radio work from 1928, called The Kaleidoscope, was partly brought back to life in 2022. Young theater makers recreated it, and it was broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

Another early BBC radio drama producer, Val Gielgud, described Sieveking as very talented and imaginative. Sieveking loved to experiment with new ideas for radio. He would ask actors to play scenes in a "deep-green mood" or talk about playing the "dramatic-control panel, as one plays an organ." He was always looking for new ways to use sound and drama.

First TV Play

In 1930, television was a very new medium. Sieveking saw it as a perfect place to try out his new ideas. Working with Val Gielgud, he adapted a short play by Luigi Pirandello. It was called L'uomo dal fiore in bocca (The Man with the Flower in His Mouth). This play aired on July 14, 1930. It was the very first British television play.

Most of Sieveking's early work does not exist anymore, except for some scripts. However, in 1967, "The Man with the Flower in His Mouth" was remade. Lance Sieveking himself produced it again, using the original artwork and music.

His Legacy

Lance Sieveking's personal papers are kept at the Lilly Library in Indiana University. These papers include his letters, radio plays, and manuscripts for stories and novels. They also have his diaries, drawings, and many photographs. Some photos are from World War I, showing airplanes, North Africa, and his time as a prisoner-of-war. These papers help us learn more about his life and his important contributions to broadcasting.