''Family Favourites'' (remembered by its later name ''Two-Way Family Favourites'') was the successor to the wartime radio show ''Forces Favourites'', broadcast at Sunday lunchtimes on the

BBC Light Programme The BBC Light Programme was a national radio station which broadcast chiefly mainstream light entertainment and light music from 1945 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 1. It opened on 29 July 1945, taking over the ...

, later

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

from 1945 until 1980. From 1967 to 1972 it was also carried on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

. It was a request programme designed to link families at home in the UK with British Forces serving in

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

or elsewhere overseas. The programme was a big success with listeners. It had the memorable signature tune " With a Song in My Heart" (original played by

Andre Kostelanetz Andre Kostelanetz (russian: Абрам Наумович Костелянец; December 22, 1901 – January 13, 1980) was a Russian-born American popular orchestral music conductor and arranger who was one of the major exponents of popular orche ...

and his Orchestra) and was presented by a variety of well-known radio personalities, including

Cliff Michelmore Arthur Clifford Michelmore (11 December 1919 – 16 March 2016) was an English television presenter and producer. He is best known for the BBC television programme ''Tonight'', which he presented from 1957 to 1965. He also hosted the BBC's tel ...

Jean Metcalfe Jean Metcalfe (2 March 1923 – 28 January 2000) was an English radio personality, radio broadcaster. Early life Jean Metcalfe was the eldest child of Guy Vivian Metcalfe, a railway clerk with the Southern Railway (UK), Southern Railway at ...

, Bill Crozier (in Cologne only),

Michael Aspel Michael Terence Aspel (born 12 January 1933) is an English retired television newsreader and host of programmes such as '' Crackerjack'', ''Aspel & Company'', ''Give Us a Clue'', '' This is Your Life'', '' Strange but True?'' and ''Antiques Ro ...

Judith Chalmers Judith Rosemary Locke Chalmers (born 10 October 1935) is a British television presenter who is best known for presenting the travel programme '' Wish You Were Here...?'' from 1974 to 2003. Early life Chalmers was born in Gatley, Cheshire. Her ...

Sarah Kennedy Sarah Mary Kennedy MBE (born 8 July 1950) is a British retired TV and radio broadcaster. She presented her daily early morning radio show, ''The Dawn Patrol'', on BBC Radio 2 from 1993 to 2010. In the 2005 Queen's Birthday Honours, Kennedy w ...

, and the final UK presenter Jean Challis. Both Pete Murray and

Ed Stewart Edward Stewart Mainwaring (23 April 1941 – 9 January 2016), known as Ed "Stewpot" Stewart, was an English radio broadcaster and TV presenter. He was principally known for his work as a DJ on BBC Radio 1 (particularly the Saturday morning ''Ju ...

continued to use the title for segments only of their shows, often linking up with places such as Australia and New Zealand for another couple of years during the 1980s; during this time, the song "Hurry Home" by

Wavelength In physics, the wavelength is the spatial period of a periodic wave—the distance over which the wave's shape repeats. It is the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same phase on the wave, such as two adjacent crests, tro ...

became popular with the families of troops returning from the

Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...

.BBC Radio 2 documentary about the series, broadcast 30 August 1993 Aspel returned to host a one-off special edition of the show for

's 40th Birthday celebrations, on 30 September 2007. Cliff Michelmore and Jean Metcalfe later married in 4 March 1950.

Internationally

When the programme expanded, it encompassed far-flung corners of the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

with, amongst others, Bill Paull being the link man in Canada, June Armstrong-Wright in Hong Kong,

Ross Symonds Ross Symonds (born 1942) is an Australian former news presenter and reporter, television and radio personality and spokesman, best known for his association with the ABC and later the Seven Network in Sydney from the 1980s until the early 2000s. ...

in Australia,

Don Durbridge Don Durbridge (13 January 1939 – 9 June 2012) was a UK radio presenter who started his career on the BBC Light Programme, and subsequently worked on the British Forces Broadcasting Service, and on BBC Radio 2,. He also broadcast for many ye ...

in Gibraltar and

Marama Martin Marama Isabel Martin (née Koea; 3 April 1930 – 10 July 2017) was a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. She was the first person seen on colour television in New Zealand, and was the last person to appear on NZBC TV. Early life and ...

in New Zealand.

References

BBC Radio 2 programmes BBC Light Programme programmes British music radio programmes {{UK-radio-show-stub