| Other names | Variety Band-Box |
|---|---|
| Genre | Variety show |
| Running time | 45–60 minutes |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | |
| Hosted by |
|
| Original release | 27 February 1944[1] – 26 September 1952[2] |
| Audio format | Mono |
Variety Bandbox is a BBC Radio variety show transmitted initially in the General Forces Programme and then the Light Programme. Featuring a mixture of comic performances and music, the show helped to launch the careers of a number of leading British performers.
Presented by Philip Slessor, it became a feature of Sunday evenings for more than eight years between February 1944 and September 1952.[3] Hosting duties would later be taken over by Derek Roy.[4]
Amongst those who launched their careers on the show was Frankie Howerd, who first appeared on Variety Bandbox in 1947 following a provincial tour.[5] Howerd was to become a fixture of the show and honed his catch phrase-driven comedic style in these appearances.[3] Tony Hancock also featured on the show early in his career.[6] March 1950 saw the debut of a fortnightly series within the show called Blessem Hall which featured several characters voiced by a young Peter Sellers in one of his earliest performances, alongside Miriam Karlin.[3]
Arthur English, who debuted on the show in 1949, also gained prominence through his broadcasts and was for a time 'resident comedian' on the show, despite his tendency to upset the producers by also including visual gags in his act.[7] The show also provided Bill Kerr with his first break in the UK[8] whilst Max Wall was a regular performer on the show.[3] Although not as performers on Variety Bandbox, Eric Sykes and Bob Monkhouse both began as a scriptwriter on the show.[9] As well as comedy Variety Bandbox also featured big band music with the likes of Ted Heath, Geraldo, Ambrose, Woolf Phillips, and Joe Loss all leading their orchestras.[10]