Sir John Betjeman (1906–1984) was a twentieth-century English poet, writer and broadcaster. Born to a middle-class family in Edwardian Hampstead, he attended Oxford University, although left without graduating. He turned down a position in the family furniture business, and instead took a series of jobs before becoming the assistant editor of The Architectural Review in 1931, which reflected a deeply held affection for buildings and their history. That same year he published his first book, Mount Zion, a collection of poems.

In 1932 Betjeman began a career in broadcasting, with a radio programme about the proposed destruction of Waterloo Bridge; he continued with regular radio work for the rest of his life, appearing in a wide range of genres, from panel and game shows, interviews, news interviews, documentaries and poetry readings. He published his first non-verse book in 1933, Ghastly Good Taste, which was subtitled "a Depressing Story of the Rise and Fall of English Architecture"; it reflected his concern of the destruction of Victorian and Edwardian architecture to make way for "grimmer contemporary developments, shopping arcades, and bogus Tudor bars". In 1937—shortly after the BBC began regular screen broadcasts—he appeared in his first television programme, How to Make a Guidebook, and went on to appear in a wide range of programmes until his death. His television appearances increased from the 1950s, and his output was prolific.

In 1960 Betjeman was appointed a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE), which was followed in 1968 with his election as a Companion of Literature. In 1969 he was knighted and, in 1972, he succeeded Cecil Day-Lewis as Britain's Poet Laureate. In the later years of his life, Betjeman suffered from Parkinson's disease, and he died in May 1984. His obituarist in The Times thought him "a true original", and considered that he was "whimsical, imprudent, shrewd, humorous, disarming, always something of an enfant terrible". The poet Philip Larkin wrote that Betjeman "was not only the best loved poet, but one of the best loved men of our time", while his biographer, the academic John Clarke, described him as a "unique figure in twentieth-century English poetry, enjoying a degree of fame and success unequalled by any poet since Byron".

Verse + Betjeman's poetry Title Year of first publication First edition publisher(London, unless otherwise stated) Notes Mount Zion James Press Continual Dew, a Little Book of Bourgeois Verse John Murray Sir John Piers Westmeath Examiner, Mullingar, Ireland Published under the pseudonym Epsilon Old Lights for New Chancels, verses topographical and amatory John Murray New Bats in Old Belfries John Murray Slick but not Streamlined Doubleday, Garden City N.Y. Introduction by W. H. Auden Selected Poems John Murray preface by John Sparrow St. Katherine's Church, Chiselhampton, Oxfordshire Privately printed, Chiselhampton Subtitled Verses Turned in Aid of a Public Subscription towards the Restoration of the Church of St. Katherine, Chiselhampton John Murray Poems in the Porch Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Collected Poems John Murray Compiled and with an introduction by the Earl of Birkenhead. This consisted of a selection of Betjeman's poems, rather than a collection of all his work; there have been numerous reprints, some of which have provided additional works for inclusion. John Betjeman John Murray Selected poems Lament for Moira McCavendish Browne Lismore Undated, but c. 1958–59; booklet, limited to 20 copies Summoned by Bells John Murray John Murray High and Low John Murray Six Betjeman Songs Duckworth Poem of the Month Club John Murray Betjeman in Miniature: selected poems of Sir John Betjeman Gleniffer Press, Paisley John Murray Selected by John Guest Five Betjeman Songs Joseph Weinberger Ode on the Marriage of HRH Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer Warren Editions Limited to 125 copies Church Poems John Murray Uncollected Poems John Murray Betjeman's Cornwall John Murray Ah Middlesex Warren Editions Limited to 250 copies Harvest Bells: New and Uncollected Poems (ed. Kevin J. Gardner) Bloomsbury Continuum PDF ebook Harvest Bells (2019)

Radio

Betjeman was broadcast in numerous radio performances, although no full record exists. Most were on British radio, although he also made recordings for American radio.

+ Radio broadcasts of Betjeman Broadcast Date Channel Notes BBC National Programme BBC National Programme BBC National Programme BBC National Programme BBC London Programme BBC London Programme BBC Regional Programme BBC Regional Programme BBC Regional Programme BBC Regional Programme BBC Regional Programme BBC Regional Programme BBC Regional Programme BBC Regional Programme Town Tours – 24 June 1937 BBC West of England Programme Six episodes BBC National Programme Eccentrics: "Adolphus Cooke Esq of Cookesborough" BBC Regional Programme The producer of the programme was Guy Burgess BBC West of England Programme BBC West of England Programme BBC West of England Programme BBC West of England Programme BBC West of England Programme Western Worthies: "The Parson Hawker of Morwenstow" BBC West of England Programme Built to Last – 27 June 1939 BBC Regional Programme Six episodes BBC Regional Programme BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Regional Programme BBC Home Service Betjeman read excerpts of Oscar Wilde's work BBC Home Service Book Talk: "Yesterday's Fiction" BBC Home Service Book Talk: "Wartime Tastes in Reading" BBC Home Service BBC Home Service Book Talk BBC Home Service Country Magazine: "Padstow and St Merryn, Cornwall" BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Home Service Western Men: "Sabine Baring-Gould" BBC West of England Home Service BBC Home Service Literature in the West: "Augustus Toplady" BBC West of England Home Service West-Country Short Story: "Move with the Times" BBC Home Service Living Writers: "Evelyn Waugh" BBC Third Programme BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Third Programme BBC Third Programme BBC Home Service New Books and Old Books BBC Light Programme Three in Hand: "St Protus and St Hyacinth, Blisland, Cornwall" BBC West of England Home Service Three in Hand: "St John the Baptist, Mildenhall, Wiltshire" BBC West of England Home Service Three in Hand: "St Mark's, Swindon, Wiltshire" BBC West of England Home Service New Books and Old Books BBC Light Programme Buildings and Places: "Padstow" BBC Third Programme BBC Light Programme BBC West of England Home Service Coast and Country – 27 September 1949 BBC West of England Home Service Series one; nine episodes It Begins at Home: "St Petroc" BBC West of England Home Service BBC Third Programme BBC Third Programme Betjeman reads a selection of his own poetry BBC Third Programme Betjeman reads a selection of his own poetry BBC West of England Home Service BBC West of England Home Service BBC West of England Home Service BBC West of England Home Service BBC West of England Home Service BBC Third Programme BBC West of England Home Service BBC Third Programme BBC West of England Home Service BBC Third Programme Coast and Country – 29 September 1950 BBC West of England Home Service Series two; five episodes BBC Third Programme BBC Home Service BBC Third Programme BBC Home Service BBC Home Service An appeal for the restoration fund of St Mary's Church, Mildenhall BBC Home Service For Your Book List: "William Barnes" BBC West of England Home Service Let's Go – 20 September 1951 BBC Light Programme Betjeman broadcast in seven episodes of the programme BBC Home Service BBC West of England Home Service Coast and County – 23 August 1951 BBC West of England Home Service Series three; five episodes – 22 December 1957 BBC Home Service Betjeman broadcast in 30 episodes of the programme BBC Home Service Three in Hand: "Kelmscott Manor" BBC Home Service BBC Third Programme Three in Hand: "Cardiff Castle" BBC Home Service BBC Midland and West of England Home Service To mark the centenary of Augustus Pugin Woman's Hour BBC Light Programme Evening Service BBC Home Service BBC North of England Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Midlands Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Midlands Home Service Desert Island Discs BBC Radio 4 BBC London Calling Asia Foreigners – 13 December 1955 BBC Home Service Series of three programmes – 27 December 1955 BBC Home Service Betjeman broadcast in four episodes of the programme BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Home Service Woman's Hour BBC Light Programme BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Midlands Home Service BBC West of England Programme BBC Midlands Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Network Three BBC Home Service BBC Home Service John Betjeman: Poet, Connoisseur and Churchwarden – 14 November 1958 BBC General Overseas Service Series of three programmes BBC Third Programme Betjeman reads a selection of his own poetry Woman's Hour BBC Light Programme BBC Midlands Home Service Today BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Home Service In Town Tonight BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC General Overseas Service BBC General Overseas Service BBC General Overseas Service Summoned by Bells – 28 November 1960 BBC Third Programme Series one; three programmes BBC Network Three BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC West of England Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC South and West Home Service BBC Light Programme BBC Home Service Woman's Hour BBC Light Programme In Town Tonight BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC General Overseas Service West of England Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Third Programme BBC Home Service BBC Home Service Betjeman introduced the programme, which consisted of his poetry set to music BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Third Programme The News BBC Home Service Betjeman offered an appreciation on T. S. Eliot BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Third Programme An appreciation of T.E. Brown Britain's Cathedrals and Their Music – 1 April 1966 BBC Radio 3 Series of 19 programmes BBC Third Programme BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Home Service BBC Third Programme Choirs and the Places Where They Sing – 29 October 1967 BBC Radio 3 Series of nine programmes Scenes That Are Brightest – 23 March 1969 BBC Radio 4 Series of four programmes BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 Poetry Prom – 25 August 1976 BBC Radio 4 Betjeman appeared in nine episodes BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 Desert Island Discs BBC Radio 4 Sweet Songs of Zion – 14 September 1975 BBC Radio 4 Series one; six episodes Sir John Betjeman: Earlier and Later Loves – 17 December 1975 BBC Radio 4 Series of six programmes BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 4 Sweet Songs of Zion – 12 September 1976 BBC Radio 4 Series two; 11 episodes Kaleidoscope BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 Kaleidoscope BBC Radio 4 Sweet Songs of Zion – 6 September 1978 BBC Radio 4 Series three; six episodes Kaleidoscope BBC Radio 4 Summoned by Bells BBC Radio 3 Summoned by Bells BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 Bookshelf: "The Poems of John Betjeman" BBC Radio 4 Included an interview with Betjeman

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