- Charles Parker (producer)
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Charles Parker (1919-1980) was a BBC Radio producer based in Birmingham from 1954-1972 who specialised in Documentary Radio and Theatre. In particular, he is remembered for his collaboration with Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger on the 1958-1963 series of Radio Ballads, which won an Italia Prize for Radio Documentary in 1960 and is seen as a landmark of study in oral history.[1]
He came to believe passionately in the value of the testimony of working people and the creative importance of the oral tradition and its relationship to folk music. This became the key to his work in radio, theatre and in his extensive teaching activities.
He was also a founder, writer, singer and actor with Banner Theatre in Birmingham from 1974-1980.[1]
Contents
Legacy
The Charles Parker Archive is deposited in the Archives & Heritage Service at Birmingham Central Library and consists of tapes, production books, papers, correspondence and scripts for most of the programmes Charles Parker produced and the organisations in which he was active.[1]
It contains historical records for studying the culture of the 1950s-1970s in broadcasting, the folk revival, pop music, community arts - as well as contemporary social and political issues. Parker made programmes with blind people, Irish labourers, workers in China in 1972, Asian teenagers, protesters against the Vietnam War and other minorities traditionally denied a voice on the air.
Parker collaborated on several occasions with documentarist Philip Donnellan, notably on 'The Colony' (1963) and 'The Irishmen' (1965).
The Charles Parker Archive Trust is active in promoting the Archive and in fundraising to disseminate its contents. Two recent Heritage Lottery grants have enabled cataloguing to take place within the City of Birmingham's Collecting Histories project.
Charles Parker Day
The annual Charles Parker Day was first organised by Professor Sean Street of the Centre for Broadcasting History Research at Bournemouth University. This has been hosted at Bournemouth, at the School of Media in Birmingham City University and most recently at the University of Sunderland. The day takes the form of a conference celebrating Charles Parker's work, the radio feature in general, and other related topics.
The Charles Parker Day 2010 took place at the National Glass Centre at the University of Sunderland on Friday April 9th. The event was organised by Andy Cartwright of the University's Radio department, and celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the first transmission of the Prix Italia winning radio-ballad Singing the Fishing. Speakers included former BBC Studio Manager Gillian Ford, who worked under Charles Parker.
The 2011 event was held at The Castle Gate Centre in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Again the day was organised by Andy Cartwright, Senior Lecturer in Radio at the University of Sunderland. The central theme was the mining industry, celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the first transmission of The Big Hewer. The day also provided an opportunity for a wider examination of the Radio Drama genre.
References
Bibliography
External links
Categories:- 1919 births
- 1980 deaths
- BBC radio producers
- British radio producers
- Prix Italia Award winners
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