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Ursula Vernon Eason (19 August 1910 – 25 December 1993) was a

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radio broadcaster, television producer and administrator, and a pioneer of television programmes for deaf children in the 1950s and '60s. Eason joined the BBC in 1933 as the ''

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 ...

'' organiser in Belfast, a position she held for 18 years, becoming one of the "radio aunties". She was transferred to BBC television in London in 1952, and subsequently appointed Assistant Head of Children's Programmes under

Freda Lingstrom Freda Violet Lingstrom OBE (23 July 1893 – 15 April 1989) was a BBC Television producer and executive, responsible for pioneering children's programmes in the early 1950s. She and her friend Maria Bird together created ''Andy Pandy'' and ''Flowe ...

. Hearing-impaired herself, Eason insisted that programmes for deaf children made use of signing. She also transformed a rather pedestrian series of five-minute children's programmes the BBC had acquired from France into what became a cult classic, ''

The Magic Roundabout ''The Magic Roundabout'' is an English-language children's television programme that ran from 1965 to 1977. It used the footage of the French stop motion animation show ''Le Manège enchanté'' but with completely different scripts and characte ...

''.

Early life

Ursula Eason was born on 19 August 1910 in

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

, London, the fifth of six children born to auctioneer and surveyor Edward Eason and his wife Aisling, also known as Nancy, née Bruton. She attended the Mount Nod School in Streatham, followed by

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

, from where she graduated with a degree in English. After completing a secretarial course she spent nine months working as a secretary to the assistant manager of ''The Times'' Book Club. Her long-standing interest in theatre and acting prompted Eason to apply for a position at the BBC in 1934, where she was interviewed by John Reith. A report of the interview describes Eason as "a practical, sensible, nice-looking 23-year-old."

BBC career

Eason accepted the BBC's offer of a position as ''

'' organiser in Belfast, where she remained for 18 years. She became a producer and head of the ''Children's Hour'' unit, taking part in programmes herself as Auntie Phoebe. During the Second World War, when many of the BBC's male staff were absent on military service, she was responsible for the entire output from BBC Northern Ireland. She was transferred to BBC television in London in 1952, and the following year was appointed a junior producer of children's programmes. In 1955 she became Assistant Head of Children's Programmes under

. Her two "outstanding contributions" in that role were to pioneer programmes for deaf children, and to transform a "charming" but rather pedestrian series of five-minute programmes acquired from France into what became a cult classic, ''

'', as popular with adults as it was with young children. Hearing-impaired herself, Eason's first programme for deaf children, the monthly ''For Deaf Children'', was developed in collaboration with Roy Cole of the

Royal National Institute for the Deaf The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), known as Action on Hearing Loss from 2011 to 2020, is a charitable organization working on behalf of the UK's 9 million people who are deaf or have hearing loss. History The Royal National I ...

(RNID) in 1953. Her significant breakthrough came in 1964 with ''

Vision On ''Vision On'' was a British children's television programme, shown on BBC1 from 1964 to 1976 and designed specifically for children with hearing impairment. Concept and production ''Vision On'' was conceived and developed by BBC producers Urs ...

'', which instead of ghettoising the deaf was designed to appeal to all children, with its emphasis on the visual arts such as mime, painting and drawing. Supported by the RNID and the National Deaf Children's Society, Eason insisted that the programme made use of signing, even though it was then unpopular with many teachers of the deaf.

Later life

Eason never married, and retired from the BBC in 1970. She subsequently travelled all over the UK championing the RNID. Affected by the onset of Alzheimer's in her mid-70s, she was initially cared for by her sister Phoebe and her niece Ann, until she eventually had to give up her home in

Kew Green Kew Green is a large open space in Kew in west London. Owned by the Crown Estate, it is leased to the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is roughly triangular in shape, and its open grassland, framed with broadleaf trees, extends to abo ...

and enter a nursing home. Eason died on 25 December 1993 and was cremated at

Mortlake Mortlake is a suburban district of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes. Historically it was part of Surrey and until 1965 was in the Municipal Borough of Barnes. For many centu ...

References

Notes Citations Bibliography * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eason, Ursula 1910 births 1993 deaths BBC people Deaf culture in the United Kingdom British radio producers Deaf people from England Educational broadcasting in the United Kingdom People from Streatham Women radio producers