January, 1934. Radio listeners had a new treat waiting for them at the local newsagents: a bumper magazine jam packed full of articles about all things in radioland. Radio Pictorial included up and coming programmes, articles about the BBC, features on popular dance bands and radio stars.
For this issue, I found an article by Val Gielgud (brother of the actor John Gielgud) of particular interest. Fond of detective stories, Val wrote many radio plays in this genre with editor of the Radio Times, Eric Maschwitz.
As far as I am aware, no British radio dramas from the 1930s survive, but Sherlock Holmes radio plays dramas Val directed in the 1950s, with his brother John playing the detective survive.
In the above article, the reader learns that Val was a rather eccentric character with his monocle and pipe, and fond of serious radio plays. He was of the opinion that comedy worked better in a visual form (which would of course have been film and theatre in those days).
In July 1930 Val directed the first ever television drama, The Man with the Flower in His Mouth, by Luigi Pirandello.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Val_Gielgud
The BBC website has an interview with Val in their archives:
https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/100-voices/bbc-memories/val-gielgud/
Radio Pictorial also included some adverts of very attractive radio sets.
I really would’ve found it hard to have chosen between this beautiful Ekco Radio and the Falcon set shown below. The Falcon is especially Art Deco looking!
Then we have these classy Equilode speakers, which were the height of technology in 1934.
A very rare collection of British radio broadcasts, from 1932, which are charming to listen to. I have noticed on YouTube and Instagram that some clever technical fellas rescue old radio sets and adapt them with modern day wiring to turn them into speakers. Broadcasts such as these, would sound perfect through an old radio repurposed as a speaker. It would be doing what it was made to do…
Pdfs of the Val Gielgud article and radio ads can be downloaded below.
Pages of Radioland. 
I love the Falcon Art Deco radio! Thirteen guineas was a small fortune in 1934. The annual average salary in Britain that year was around £100. So the radio was equivalent to six week’s pay.
Best wishes, Pete.
It was a great looking radio. Stereo systems were that level of money in the 1990s. I remember not being able to afford one, which I suppose was the home music equivalent then. You could get a pocket radio for about £20 I think, or find one in a second hand shop.
Thank you for sharing more of these fascinating articles! I’m not familiar with Val Gielgud, so I enjoyed learning a little about him. đŸ™‚ He seems to have been a very versatile person in his field. That’s really interesting he directed the first TV drama!
Also, I love the Falcon radio, it’s beautiful! I’ve also heard of people who convert the antique radios for modern use with bluetooth, it’s great to see that being done. đŸ™‚ Although some companies make reproductions for the same purpose, I personally think having the original given new life is more authentic. The reproductions can’t exactly match the craftsmanship and design of the 1930s radios in my opinion.
Apologies for taking so long to reply to your comment. I’ve had a lot to do and many emails and I just didn’t notice it! I hadn’t heard of Val before either, but knew of his brother, John. Many people in media back then were versatile I think.
The Falcon is very fine indeed. I agree about the workmanship. I might buy an original 1930s radio myself one day for display, or, if I can find someone who is good at electrics, convert it into a working speaker. My Grandad (paternal) had a number of radios from that era in his house, when I was a child in the late 1970s/early 1980s. When Grandad died, I begged my Dad to give me one of them, but he refused, saying they didn’t work and got rid of them.
That’s quite alright, I understand! It sounds like your Grandad had a nice collection of radios! It’s too bad you weren’t able to choose one to collect, but I hope one day you find a 1930s radio. I agree, they make beautiful displays and even better when they’re converted.
My Dad was trained in repairing radios and TVs when he was a teenager in the 1970s. He remembered people would come in the shop with a radio from the ’30s or ’40s every now and then. I hope to find a 1930s radio myself one day.