Listen with Mother facts for kids
Listen with Mother was a very popular BBC radio show made especially for children. It ran for a long time, from January 16, 1950, until September 10, 1982. The show was first created by Freda Lingstrom. Many different people presented it over the years, including Daphne Oxenford, Julia Lang, Eileen Browne, and Dorothy Smith.
The Music of Listen with Mother
The show had special music that many people remember. Each episode began with a short piano tune. This tune matched the rhythm of the words "quarter to two." This was clever because the show always started at 1:45 PM. Many children learned to tell time by listening to this catchy tune!
At the end of each show, a beautiful piano piece was played. It was called the Berceuse from the Dolly Suite by Gabriel Fauré. This gentle music became very well known because of the programme. It was recorded by Eileen Browne and Roger Fiske. However, one of the presenters, Julia Lang, once said that she had to play the Berceuse live herself! After finishing the story, she would quietly rush to the piano in the studio and play it.
"Are You Sitting Comfortably?"
Every story on Listen with Mother began with a famous question. The presenter would ask, "Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin." Sometimes they would say, "...Then we'll begin." This phrase became very famous. It was first used by Julia Lang on the very first show in 1950. It became so well known that it is even in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. Many artists and musicians have used this famous line in their own work.
