Clockwork - BBC - Radio - Comedy - British Rail - Timekeeping - 1985

Here's a very funny Thirty Minute Theatre from 1985 "Clockwork" A Commuter called Roebuck tries to find out why his train is always late with hilarious results as he battles his way through the comedic bureaucracy of British Rail the government owned organisation that ran the UK Railway network up until 2001,alas since privatisation beuracracy has got even worse .
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages between 1994 and 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commission, it became an independent statutory corporation in 1962: the British Railways Board.
The period of nationalisation saw sweeping changes in the national railway network. A process of dieselisation and electrification took place, and in 1968 steam locomotion had been entirely replaced by diesel and electric power, except for one narrow-gauge tourist line. Passengers replaced freight as the main source of business, and one third of the network was closed by the Beeching Axe of the 1960s.
On privatisation, responsibility for track, signalling and stations was transferred to Railtrack and that for trains to the train operating companies.
The British Rail "double arrow" logo is formed of two interlocked arrows showing the direction of travel on a double track railway and was nicknamed "the arrow of indecision".[1] It is now employed as a generic symbol on street signs in Great Britain denoting railway stations, and as part of the Association of Train Operating Companies' jointly-managed National Rail brand is still being printed on railway tickets.

[@Londonfogey]

Very funny little play, just right for livening up a boring car journey! Thanks.

[@jeremypearson6852]

Very amusing, I moved from the U.K. to the US in 1982 but I can still remember the announcements regarding delayed and cancelled trains. Fortunately, I only commuted between Southend and Fenchurch St for a few years so I didn’t have it quite as bad as the old timers! Brit Rail could take years off your life.

[@denestarjanyi8892]

Very good and funny play thank you

[@pjb3150]

Worth another listen.

[@TheLuigi69]

Loved this 😊 thank you for uploading

[@CP-jr2hj]

Sounds fine so far...wish I could find my glasses to read the long and worthy b;lutb accompanying it@

[@AuntDaisy1]

Thanks for all the great radio plays.Do you have any more?

[@videocurios]

AuntDaisy1 Thanks for your kind comment yes I do and intend adding them as time permits. If you like them and would like to keep them download YTD TH-cam Downloader its an excellent free and trouble free bit of software whichenables you to copy stuff from youtube and convert it to mp3.

[@buriedstereo6959]

@@videocurios oh cool!

[@archiebald4717]

People seem to have forgotten just how awful BR was.

[@ann-mariepaliukenas19]

Better than now though lol

[@videocurios]

[@alexapenn6399]

it's Bing Crosby!! right? :} love these programs. . . thanks

[@RapunzelinOttawa]

Nope...chap named Michael Holliday, heavily influenced by Bing C...sad life, died in the early 60s of a drug overdose at age 41, in Croydon. And, yes, these programs are great! You can try Old Time Radio for dozens more. Enjoy.

[@ddynumber6]

alec bennet

[@williamhagen2792]

Not being English, I must admit that I found nothing amsing during this "comedy."

[@videocurios]

you need to be at least 50 years if age,and somebody who had experienced how bad at running railways British Rail was to understand this very British comedy 😃

[@videocurios]