Arthur Richard Burrows FJI (15 February 1882 – 26 November 1947), known as "Uncle Arthur" to listeners, was one of the earliest employees of the

British Broadcasting Company The British Broadcasting Company Ltd. (BBC) was a short-lived British commercial broadcasting company formed on 18 October 1922 by British and American electrical companies doing business in the United Kingdom. Licensed by the British Genera ...

and was the first to hold the position of Director of Programmes. Burrows was previously a journalist who began his career on the ''Oxford Times'' newspaper, obtaining the post through the editor Claude Rippon. Burrows knew Rippon through the Oxford Camera Club; both were keen photographers. Burrows was also a keen wireless enthusiast. Prior to joining the BBC he was in charge of the original experimental transmissions from Marconi House, the first

2LO 2LO was the second radio station to regularly broadcast in the United Kingdom (the first was 2MT). It began broadcasting on 11 May 1922, for one hour a day from the seventh floor of Marconi House in London's Strand, opposite Somerset House. H ...

station. Arthur Burrows was a man of several British broadcasting 'firsts': * At 6pm on 14 November 1922, he read the BBC's first-ever, on-air news bulletin. * At 5pm on 24 December 1922, he played Father Christmas in the play 'The Truth About Father Christmas' – considered to be the first official broadcast of a radio drama. * He was one of the original BBC 'Uncles' ('Uncle Arthur'), the first London wireless Uncle on

Children's Hour ''Children's Hour'', initially ''The Children's Hour'', was the BBC's principal recreational service for children (as distinct from "Broadcasts to Schools") which began during the period when radio was the only medium of broadcasting. ''Childre ...

. At 2LO and the BBC, he was assisted by

L. Stanton Jefferies Leonard Stanton Jefferies LRAM (4 September 1896 – 22 October 1961) was a British musician, composer, and conductor. He was the first director of music at the British Broadcasting Company, and pioneered techniques for broadcasting live musi ...

- the latter's first Director of Music. After the BBC, Burrows went on to be head of the

International Wireless Bureau International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

in Geneva. He was a

Fellow of the Institute of Journalists The Chartered Institute of Journalists is a professional association for journalists and is the senior such body in the UK and the oldest in the world. History The ''Chartered Institute of Journalists'' was proposed during a meeting in Manchest ...

(FJI).

References

*BBC Programme Records 1922–1926. *BBC Year Book 1930. *The Story of Broadcasting, A.R. Burrows, 1924. 1882 births 1947 deaths British radio personalities BBC people Children's Hour presenters People from Oxford Fellows of the Institute of Journalists {{BBC-radio-stub