Underneath the Arches (radio programme)

For other uses, see Underneath the Arches (disambiguation)

Underneath the Arches was an award-winning documentary on BBC Radio London which broke tradition by enabling London’s homeless people to tell their own stories. The programme was presented by the homeless people themselves without any links from a programme presenter. Instead, short clips from catchy music hall songs were used to establish each location and, with careful editing, the interviewees related their own experiences and introduced each other. Underneath the Arches refers both to the railway arches at Charing Cross where many homeless people have slept rough, and to the music hall song Underneath the Arches .

The unique presentation by producer Owen Spencer-Thomas won the Unda award for the best religious radio programme in 1977. The publicity boosted funds for the Crisis at Christmas campaign and brought more volunteers to the charity which used a derelict church in Lambeth to house and feed homeless people during Christmas week each year in the 1970s.