Up to the Hour
Encyclopedia
Up to the Hour was a programme on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...

 that ran from 1977 to 1978. There were two editions each weekday morning, each approximately 30 minutes long and finishing at 7am and 8am respectively. Both parts were followed by the Today programme, which during this period was also broadcast in two parts.

The original theme tune was Tambourin by François Joseph Gossec
François Joseph Gossec
François-Joseph Gossec was a French composer of operas, string quartets, symphonies, and choral works.-Life and work:...

, performed by James Galway
James Galway
- External links : IMGArtists.com 15 September 2008. AllAboutJazz.com 5 August 2008.*...

.

History

In 1977 the then-controller of Radio 4, Ian McIntyre, cut the length of a number of news and current affairs
Current affairs (news format)
Current Affairs is a genre of broadcast journalism where the emphasis is on detailed analysis and discussion of news stories that have recently occurred or are ongoing at the time of broadcast....

 programmes, in the belief that this would improve their overall quality. In the case of the breakfast programme Today, the reduction from two hours to one was achieved by splitting the programme into two. The gaps created were filled by Up to the Hour, which consisted of lighter items such as music, sport and trailers for upcoming programmes. It also incorporated the existing religious slot, Thought for the Day
Thought for the Day
Thought for the Day is a daily scripted slot on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 offering "reflections from a faith perspective on issues and people in the news", broadcast at around 7.45 each Monday to Saturday morning...

.

The new format was unpopular with BBC staff, including announcer Peter Donaldson
Peter Donaldson
Peter Ian Donaldson is a main newsreader on BBC Radio 4.He was born in Cairo, Egypt and moved to Cyprus in 1952 at the time of the overthrow of King Farouk. He was a frequent listener to the BBC World Service and the BFBS....

who on at least one occasion openly ridiculed the programme on air. It also provoked comments in the diary columns of the daily newspapers. By the end of 1978 Today had returned to its previous length and Up to the Hour had been dropped.
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