Kicking the Bar

Today the very nature of the BBC is being called into question, its future uncertain. But for legendary BBC broadcaster Huw Wheldon—a remarkable man who devoted his life to his country, his family and the public—its unwavering purpose was clear: to make the good popular and the popular good. With excerpts from Wheldon’s private letters and an archive of family memories and photos, Wynn Wheldon traces back through his father’s life, beginning with his Welsh and Protestant roots and his formative military service, through his time working with the Arts Council and the Festival of Britain, and culminating in his reign as one of the most influential media figures of the 20th century. From hosting the children’s programme All Your Own and filming Churchill on his 80th birthday to editing and presenting the world’s first arts magazine programme, Monitor, Huw Wheldon rose to become one of British television’s leading executives in the 60s and 70s, a tumultuous period often referred to as the ‘Golden Age of Television’. His legacy was a generation of broadcasters and storytellers driven by ‘the pursuit of excellence’, which came to influence every area of the nation’s creative life. Throughout, he maintained his role as a devoted husband, father and public servant. Kicking the Bar is not just a fascinating history of the man who helped shape Britain’s cultural landscape: it is also the tender reflection of a son on his relationship with his father.