'Dear Mr. Adam, I am writing on behalf of the Central Watch and Social Problems Committee of the Mothers Union to ask whether you have a programme in mind on themoralissue of venereal disease.' 'Sir, Where are the B.B.Cs censors? We do not care for the language that was inflicted on us Tuesday night in The Battle of Britain. Dont retort, You need not listen if you dont want to. We did not know it was coming.' 'Dear Mr. Frost, Let me start by saying how much I enjoy your programme&that I was among those many who felt almost that they had lost a blowsy old friend when dear&vulgar, but nonetheless thought-provoking and funny TW3 went off the air.' For anyone who regularly feels tempted to put pen to paper,Im Sure I Speak For Many Othersis an alternative history of the BBC, from its triumphant broadcast of the coronation in 1953, to that Tynan moment, the controversialThat Was The Week That Was, and the groundbreakingGrange Hill.
Stretching across over forty years of programming, these never before seen letters represent the joy, the fury and the wit of the nation.
Colin Shindler is a bestselling author, film screenwriter and TV producer. His bookManchester United Ruined My Lifewas shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year prize.