Radio 3 celebrates its 70th birthday today – an archivist explains how the Third Programme began

Celebrations have been ongoing for the 70th birthday of the much-loved BBC Radio 3, but today’s the day that the Third Programme very first hit the airwaves back in 1946.

To find out more about how it all started, we spoke to archivist Professor David Hendy, who told us about what the Third Programme’s first listeners could expect to hear, and who the station was aimed at.

Hendy said that the Third Programme was intended for “the intelligent section of the public, of all classes, who would appreciate the great things of music, drama and literature.” It was “not a service for the cultural elite, but elite culture for everyone.”

Radio 3 have been commemorating the 70 years since they began with the Sound Frontiers Festival at the Southbank Centre, where they have been broadcasting from a pop-up studio.

This evening (September 29) the station will broadcast a number of special programmes, including a special edition of In Tune featuring Carlos Acosta and live musical performances.

Following that will be The Present Experiment, a drama written especially for the anniversary that explores the station’s beginnings, and the Philharmonia performing Stravinsky live from the Royal Festival Hall.

Sound Frontiers runs until October 7. Find out more at southbankcentre.co.uk

Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout