“Have a Go”
Those of a certain age will remember Wilfred Pickles
and his wife Mabel, and the "Have a Go" programmes,
broadcast between 1946 and 1967 weekly from
towns and villages all over the UK. Described as "a spot
of homely fun", it was one of the most popular shows ever
broadcast; at its peak in the 1950s it attracted an audience
of 20 million (yes, 20). "Ordinary folk" were encouraged to
tell moving stories of their own and their family's lives, and
then answer very simple questions for money prizes, which
they always got - £2 at most.
The programme from Walsingham was broadcast on
Tuesday 12 January 1954. The pianist was Harry Hudson,
who not long before had taken over from the programme's
previous pianist, Violet Carson (later to become a star in
her own right as Ena Sharples of Coronation Street).
Below are two reports from local papers. Apparently not
everyone was caught up in the fun, as the letter on the
right reveals: below it is Fr Lingwood's swift reply.
Unfortunately we cannot reproduce the press photographs,
for copyright reasons, but there is one picture in Michael
Yelton's Alfred Hope Patten: his life and times in pictures
(2007), on page 31.
Walsingham is “on the air”
Mr Pickles’ “Have a Go” pays a visit
Freda Pogmore has only been to Little Walsingham twice in her life - but
had she not paid those visits Little Walsingham might never have gone on
the air. Perhaps she was listening at her Scarborough home on Tuesday
when Wilfred Pickles brought his “Have a Go” programme to the Odd
Fellows Hall. Freda’s name may have been forgotten now, but it was
headline news last April when she made an amazing recovery from a life-
long paralysis after visiting the Shrine at Walsingham. Since then she has
paid another visit to make the mile walk to the Slipper Chapel with some of
her school-fellows.
Mr Pickles mentioned her case in his Sunday newspaper column and there
and then determined to take his “spot of homely fun” to “Britain’s Holy
Land”. Originally the broadcast was planned for December, but the Odd
Fellows Hall had already been booked by the Youth for Christ movement,
and as there was no other hall in the village the BBC had to postpone their
plans for a month. But on Tuesday, after a fortnight’s work by the
engineers, laying lines to Fakenham Post Office, a weekend of interviews
by Mr Pickles and his producer, Mr Stephen Williams, and a 30-mile journey
from Norwich by an impressive grand piano, to replace the long-suffering
original at the hall, Little Walsingham was able to “Have a Go”.
And what a “go” it was! For an hour before the show the audience joined in
uproariously with pianist Harry Hudson, learning the “Have a Go” chorus
and “warming up” as thoroughly as any producer could wish. There was
entertainment by a guitarist, a singer and a conjuror to start the ball
rolling. Ten minutes before the show started the 40 candidates learned
which of their number were to take part. Previously they had had tea with
Mr Pickles at the Guildshop Restaurant, opposite the ancient Priory ruins,
while he had run through his final interviews. Up on the stage went seven
villagers of Walsingham and one old lady from Cley. The “locals” may have
wondered at her presence - until they heard her moving story. Then Mr
Williams made the opening announcement, Harry Hudson thundered out
the familiar “dumpetty dumpetty dum” on the piano, and 300 sturdy
Norfolk voices burst into the opening chorus. Little Walsingham was on the
air.
Appropriately enough, two priests opened the programme. The Rev A H
Patten told of his 33 years’ work in Walsingham to revive the pilgrimages
to the Anglican Shrine, and the Rev G Hulme, deputising for his twin
brother, Anthony, who was ill, spoke of the prayers that were offered by the
Catholic pilgrims who came there from all parts of the world. As they stood
together before the microphone, they bore out Mr Pickles’ opening remark
that in Walsingham the Anglican and Catholic churches worked side by side
in harmony. They did not go through the usual quiz, but after the
programme was over - “so that we did not sound patronising” as Mr Pickles
explained - they each received their “winnings” for their church funds.
Mrs Edna Lingwood - “Pip” to her friends - at whose house Freda Pogmore
stayed at the time of her recovery, told of her life as a district nurse and
later as a baker’s wife. Mr Eric Seaman, local correspondent of the
“Dereham and Fakenham Times” revealed his ambition to be a journalist -
and probably gave the producer an unnerving moment with his cry of “Well
I’m damned” after discovering that he had lost a bet over the first place
that “Have a Go” was presented! Miss Molly Bartholomew’s sincere story of
her dedication to the work of matron at a children’s home struck a more
serious note, and she gave this formula for happiness - “Be cheerful and
have a life of prayer; forget oneself in working for others; and count one’s
blessings with thankfulness”.
David Wood, a 17-year old carpenter, raised a cheer with his comments on
people with “goat trouble” - “they keep butting in on conversations”. Then
came the old lady from Cley, Mrs Lizzie Gibson, aged 81, and there could
have been few people among the millions of listeners who were not moved
at her simple story of how the flood waters approached her home last year
- how she prayed as the water covered her doorstep - and how the water
stopped rising. She did not want to live to be 100, she said; she was very
happy, she had saved two little children’s lives, and she was ready to go to
“The Other Side”. One of the eight was unlucky: time did not permit Neville
Woodbine to reach the microphone. But he was “given the money” too
after the show was over, and also an offer of a BBC audition in London.
Aged 27, he is a baritone singer.
Father D Lingwood thanking Mr and Mrs Pickles for their visit, as chairman
of the Parish Council, mentioned the work done in preparation for the show
by Mr Arthur Bond, and Mr Pickles enthusiastically supported him. Mr Bond
was the man originally contacted by the BBC to do the preliminary
spadework, as a district and parish councillor, and the riotous success of
the show testified to the thoroughness of his work.
top of page
Little Walsingham Has a Go with Wilfred Pickles
For 30 crowded minutes last night Little Walsingham was on the air. Three
hundred of the 500 villagers packed the Odd Fellows’ Hall to join Wilfred Pickles
in his programme “Have a Go”.
Over the weekend, from about 40 candidates, Mr Pickles and his producer, Mr
Stephen Williams, selected eight local people to tell their stories of life on
“Britain’s Holy Land”, as he described it at the opening of the programme. One of
them, Mr Neville Woodbine, was unlucky; time did not permit him to reach the
microphone. But the other seven told Mr Pickles - and millions of listeners - of
their work, of their families, their hobbies and “What question I would ask the
House of Commons”.
After referring to the good relations locally between the Anglican and Roman
Catholic Churches, Mr Pickles brought together to the microphone
representatives of both denominations, Father A H Patten and Father G Hulme.
They spoke of the pilgrimages to Walsingham and the prayers of the pilgrims who
came there from all parts of the world. They were not put through the usual quiz,
but after the programme Mr Pickles presented them each with their “winnings”
for the funds of their churches.
Mrs Edna Lingwood told of her life, first as a district nurse and later as a baker’s
wife, and Mr Eric Seaman, a local correspondent of the “Eastern Daily Press”,
revealed his ambition to be a journalist. Miss Molly Bartholomew told how she
had dedicated herself to the work as matron in a children’s home, and 17-year
old David Wood raised a cheer with his condemnation of people with “goat
trouble” - “they keep butting in on conversations”.
But the most moving story of the evening was told by 81-year old Mrs Lizzie
Gibson of Cley, who described how she saw the flood waters approaching her
home last year - how she prayed as the waters covered her doorstep - and how
the waters stopped rising.
After the broadcast Mrs Pickles was given a bouquet by Derek Edge, of Egmere,
who has spent most of his 13 years in a hospital and who was selected because
of the work Mr and Mrs Pickles have done for children’s hospitals. The Rev D A
Lingwood, chairman of the Parish Council, made a speech of thanks. Wilfred
Pickles cracked a final joke and Walsingham's “Go” had gone.
top of page
Letters to the Editor
Sir - Little Walsingham was “on
the air” last week - at least a
very narrow section of its
community was - but came back
to terra firma the following
morning with much discussion,
dissatisfaction and
disillusionment.
Apart from the geographical
inaccuracies in the “Have a Go”
programme may I remind your
readers that there is also a Great
(or should I say “greater”)
Walsingham, and the simplicity of
some of the questions in that
programme should not be
accepted as indicative of the
average mentality.
It is to be expected that the
influx of pilgrims will continue.
Conversely, the regular
pilgrimages out of Walsingham
(for those parishioners who wish
to attend a Church of England
service) will also continue. I
understand too that, following the
broadcast, the membership of the
Methodists has increased
substantially.
Yours faithfully
A COUNTRY BUMPKIN
Sir - One of the questions which
Wilfred Pickles sometimes asks the
people who “Have a Go” is “What is
it which you dislike most in other
people?” and if I had to answer the
question my reply would be “those
people who write to the papers
giving incorrect information and
have not the courage to sign their
names”.
In a letter last week by “Country
Bumpkin” it is stated that there are
regular pilgrimages out of
Walsingham for those parishioners
who wish to attend a Church of
England service. Perhaps “Country
Bumpkin” does not know that the
central service of the Church of
England, as enshrined in her Prayer
Book, is the Holy Communion, and
any parishioners living in the
Walsinghams have opportunities of
attending both on Sundays and
during the week. It may be true
that there are a few parishioners
who go out of the parish to worship
God, but the majority love and use
their parish church.
To prove my point I give the
numbers of those attending the
Holy Communion (commonly called
the Mass) on Sunday January 3rd,
189 people; January 10th, 184;
January 17th, 201; and the 24th,
212 respectively. And during the
week commencing January 4th, 167
people; 11th, 117; and 18th, 238
respectively. I challenge “Country
Bumpkin” to produce any similar
figures for a parish of like size.
I give these figures for January
because few visitors, if any, are
about, and also unless the majority
of the parishioners of Walsingham
really loved their church and the
services provided they would not
bother to turn out in the depth of
winter.
Yours truly
DERRICK A LINGWOOD
The College, Walsingham
The 'conjuror' referred to in
the first cutting was in fact a
magician - and no ordinary
magician either.
The late Gil Leaney was
Wilfred Pickles’s warm-up
act for a number of years
before he progressed and
became a
Vice-President of the
Magic Circle, and also
magic tricks and illusions
designer/manufacturer for
various magicians including
David Nixon, Tommy Cooper
and Paul Daniels.
And he woouldn’t have
known that his cousin,
Graham Howard, would one
day be the Shrine’s
Honorary Photographer!
