Derek McCulloch: Difference between revisions
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McCulloch married Eileen Hilda Barry in 1931. He was awarded an [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] in 1964. He died at [[Haywards Heath]] on 1 June 1967. |
McCulloch married Eileen Hilda Barry in 1931. He was awarded an [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] in 1964. He died at [[Haywards Heath]] on 1 June 1967. |
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In 2012, the BBC indicated that as part of the Jimmy Savile sexual abuse allegations that they would be looking into claims that McCulloch had also sexually assaulted children while he worked for the BBC."<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/395372/20121017/deerek-mccolloch-uncle-mac-dick-john-simpson.htm| work=IB Times | title=Jimmy Savile Sex Scandal: Was BBC's Larry the Lamb Derek McCulloch a Paedophile?| date=17 October 2012|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6BkY9hym2|archivedate=28 October 2012}}</ref> |
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McCulloch's name was one of those raised in October 2012 in connection with the [[Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal]]. The media reported that a book by BBC journalist [[John Simpson (journalist)|John Simpson]], ''Strange Places, Questionable People'' (1999), referred to an "Uncle Dick" at the BBC who had sexually assaulted children after they had won competitions to meet him.<ref name=Simpson/> Simpson's source was "Auntie Gladys," named by others as [[Kathleen Garscadden]] (1897–1991), presenter of the Scottish ''Children's Hour''.<ref name=OHagan/> She reportedly told Simpson, during a conversation in the 1960s when he was writing "Uncle Dick's" obituary, that the Director-General's office had brushed off any parents who complained.<ref name=Simpson>Simpson, John. [http://books.google.com/books?id=OjtTqn_lBE4C&pg=PA80 ''Strange Places, Questionable People''], Pan Macmillan, 1999, pp. 80–81.</ref> |
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Based on the information in Simpson's book, reporters looking into the Savile situation identified "Uncle Dick" as McCulloch, though Simpson himself did not comment.<ref name=IBTimes/> [[Andrew O'Hagan]], writing in the ''London Review of Books'' about McCulloch and another BBC presenter, [[Lionel Gamlin]] (1903–1967), said that many of the people who had worked with Garscadden were dead. Those still alive told O'Hagan they had not heard her make the allegations against McCulloch.<ref name=OHagan>{{cite web|last=O'Hagan|first=Andrew|title=Light Entertainment|url=http://www.lrb.co.uk/2012/10/27/andrew-ohagan/light-entertainment|publisher=London Review of Books|accessdate=28 October 2012|authorlink=Andrew O'Hagan|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6BkXttS5B|archivedate=28 October 2012|date=27 October 2012}}</ref> A spokesman said the BBC would investigate the claims as part of its Jimmy Savile review.<ref name=IBTimes>{{cite news| url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/395372/20121017/deerek-mccolloch-uncle-mac-dick-john-simpson.htm| work=IB Times | title=Jimmy Savile Sex Scandal: Was BBC's Larry the Lamb Derek McCulloch a Paedophile?| date=17 October 2012|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6BkY9hym2|archivedate=28 October 2012}}</ref> McCulloch's family described the allegations as "complete rubbish."<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.sky.com/story/999435/new-victim-claims-savile-abused-her-at-15 | work=Sky News | title=New 'Victim' Claims Savile Abused Her At 15 | date=18 October 2012|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6BkY6ZLQi|archivedate=28 October 2012|date=27 October 2012}}</ref> |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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Revision as of 21:54, 30 October 2012
Derek McCulloch | |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 November 1897 |
| Died | 1 June 1967 (aged 69) |
| Occupation(s) | BBC radio presenter, head of children's broadcasting for the BBC |
| Awards | OBE, 1964 |
Derek Ivor Breashur McCulloch (18 November 1897 – 1 June 1967) was a BBC Radio presenter and producer, who became known as "Uncle Mac" in Children's Favourites and Children's Hour, and "Larry the Lamb" in Toytown. He served as the head of children's broadcasting for the BBC from 1933 until 1951.[1]
Early life
McCulloch was born in Plymouth to Scottish parents. The First World War interrupted his education, and he enlisted in 1915 in the Public Schools Battalion of the 16th Middlesex Regiment at the age of 17. He served until 1921 with the infantry, where he was commissioned into the Green Howards, and in the Royal Flying Corps as an equipment officer, including a spell on HMS Valiant. He was wounded at the Battle of the Somme in 1916. After the war he worked in Argentina on the railways, but had to return to England because of ill health.[2]
Career
BBC
He joined the BBC in 1926 as an announcer. He was the commentator on the first radio broadcast of the FA Cup Final in 1927.[3] He became second in command on Children's Hour in 1931 and was placed in charge of it in 1933. The programme included talks, plays, music and drama serials. He was appointed head of children's broadcasting in 1933, serving in that position until 1951.[1] He regarded the department as a microcosm of all broadcasting, stating: "Nothing but the best is good enough for children ... our wish is to stimulate their imaginations, direct their reading, encourage their various interests, widen their outlook and inculcate the Christian virtues of love of God and their neighbours."[4] In 1938 he lost a leg as the result of a road accident, and thereafter remained in constant pain.[2]
In 1939 the audience for Children's Hour reached four million. His sign-off line, "Goodnight children, everywhere," became more poignant after the evacuation of many children from their homes at the start of the Second World War. He resigned from the BBC in 1950 due to ill health.[3]
Children's Favourites
He became the children's editor for the News Chronicle. In 1954 he returned to the BBC, to present a BBC music request programme for children, Children's Favourites, on Saturday mornings.[1] The programme was dropped in 1964, despite protests and questions in Parliament, but it was popular, and McCulloch continued to present it until 1965. After his retirement it became Junior Choice, hosted by Ed Stewart, when the BBC Light Programme was replaced by Radio 1 and Radio 2 in 1967.
Writing
He wrote two children's stories, Cornish Adventure (1941) and Cornish Mystery (1950), and gave his name to a series of Ladybird children's books in the 1950s.[2]
Personal life
McCulloch married Eileen Hilda Barry in 1931. He was awarded an OBE in 1964. He died at Haywards Heath on 1 June 1967.
In 2012, the BBC indicated that as part of the Jimmy Savile sexual abuse allegations that they would be looking into claims that McCulloch had also sexually assaulted children while he worked for the BBC."[5]
Notes
- ^ a b c Strinati, D. Come on Down?: The Politics of Popular Media Culture in Post-War Britain, Psychology Press, 1992, pp. 153, 157.
- ^ a b c Mckenzie, Jim. Biography by Jim Mackenzie at The Wee Web. Accessed 30 October 2012
- ^ a b The Radio Academy: Derek McCulloch. Accessed 30 October 2012
- ^ BBC Quarterly 1948.
- ^ "Jimmy Savile Sex Scandal: Was BBC's Larry the Lamb Derek McCulloch a Paedophile?". IB Times. 17 October 2012. Archived from the original on 28 October 2012.
Further reading
- Children's Hour
- Cahalan, Paul; Jonathan Owen (28 October 2012). "Bitter infighting sweeps the BBC". The Independent. Archived from the original on 28 October 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- Hartley, Ian. Goodnight Children Everywhere: History of Children's Broadcasting. Midas Books, 1983. ISBN 0-85936-201-9
- Walden, Jeff. "Derek McCulloch", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. September 2004.