Roy Plomley

Infobox_Person
name = Roy Plomley


imagesize =
caption = Roy Plomley in latter years
birth_date = birth date|1914|1|20|df=y
birth_place = England.
death_date = death date and age|1985|5|28|1914|1|29|df=y
death_place = London, England.
death_cause =
occupation =
known_for = Desert Island Discs
title =
children =
spouse = Diana
salary =
networth =
website =

(Francis) Roy Plomley, OBE (20 January 1914 - 28 May 1985) was an English radio broadcaster, producer, playwright and novelist. Plomley died in London at the age of 71.

Early life

Plomley was the son of a pharmacist and was educated at King's College School, Wimbledon. On leaving school he worked first briefly for an estate agent, then for a London advertising agency, then in publishing. His original aim was to be an actor, and he did secure very minor parts in a number of films, but he soon drifted into broadcasting, coming to public notice as an announcer, and later producer, for the International Broadcasting Company (IBC), starting on Radio Normandy in April 1936 and moving on at the end of that year to the IBC's Paris-based station, Poste Parisien. Between mid-1937 and late 1939 he was involved in writing and production, travelling back and forth between these two IBC stations in France and the company's offices and studios in London, while also presenting the variety programme "Radio Normandy Calling", recorded on location in theatres at UK seaside resorts and regularly beating the BBC in audience ratings. [Roy Plomley, "Days Seemed Longer: Early Years of a Broadcaster", London, 1980, pp.107-159. ISBN 0 413 39730 0]

World War II

This part of his career came to an abrupt end when commercial broadcasting from the continent was brought to a halt by World War II. Plomley and his new wife stayed on in Paris, only narrowly escaping back to the UK via a circuitous route through the chaos and panic of the Fall of France, losing all their possessions in the process, as German occupying forces approached the French capital in June 1940. [Plomley, "op. cit.", pp.183-199.]

"Desert Island Discs"

Then, in 1942, he devised the BBC Radio series "Desert Island Discs".cite web
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/1787472.stm
title = Desert Island delights
publisher = BBC
date = 2002-01-29
accessdate = 15 November|accessyear = 2007] It was to be a series of eight weekly programmes. Each show consisted of an interview with a celebrity, interpersed by the guest's choice of music. His contract was renewed for a further 15 shows. In the end he presented 1,791 editions of the programme stretching over 43 years. Its success was attributed to his skill as an interviewer and to his meticulous research. [Richard Baker, "Plomley, (Francis) Roy (1914-1985)", "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography", Oxford University Press, 2004.]

Plomley was succeeded as presenter by Michael Parkinson (1985-1988), then by Sue Lawley (1988-2006), and most recently by Kirsty Young. "Desert Island Discs" is believed to be the longest-running music radio programme in the world, and it is still running.

Unlike many other BBC radio programmes, Desert Island Discs is unavailable for Listen Again on the BBC web site. This is because, when Roy Plomley devised the progamme, he was a freelance producer, and it has been argued therefore, that the format rights of the programme belonged to him rather than to the BBC. At his death, those 'rights' passed to his wife and the BBC has subsequently been unable to negotiate the right to include Desert Island Discs in their Listen Again offering.

Other work

Plomley's broadcasting career was not restricted to "Desert Island Discs"; he also compiled and presented several feature programmes and was the chairman of BBC Radio's game show "Many a Slip" from 1964 to 1979, and a participant in such panel games as "Does the Team Think?", also on BBC Radio. He also anchored "Round Britain Quiz" in 1961. For television he produced "Dinner Date with Death" in 1949, claimed to be the first UK film made for TV, and in the same year chaired "We Beg to Differ" on BBC Radio, transferring with it to BBC Television in 1951. ["Roy Plomley, Creator of 'Desert Island Discs'" (obituary), "The Times", London, 30 May 1985.]

Plomley was awarded the OBE in 1975. He was Chairman of the Radio and Television Writers' Association, 1957-1959, and was voted BBC Radio Personality of the Year in 1979. He published 16 stage plays (one of which, "Cold Turkey", was put on in the West End), and one novel. ["Plomley, (Francis) Roy (d.1985)", "Who Was Who", A&C Black, London, January 2007.] He has been posthumously inducted into the Radio Academy's Hall of Fame. [cite news |title=Radio stars launch Hall of Fame |publisher=BBC News |date=2003-04-08 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/2928233.stm]

Plomley is buried at Putney Vale Cemetery in London.

References

External links

* A rare recording of Roy Plomley in his prewar Radio Normandy days may be heard at the website "Paul's Radio Museum" [http://www.paulplu.demon.co.uk/radio/sound.htm] .
* Roy Plomley at the Radio Academy - includes some audio clips from "Desert Island Discs" and other BBC programmes [http://www.radioacademy.org.uk/record.jsp?type=celeb&ID=43] .

Persondata
NAME= Plomley, Roy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=English radio broadcaster, producer, playwright and novelist
DATE OF BIRTH= 20 January 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH= England.
DATE OF DEATH= 28 May 1985
PLACE OF DEATH= London, England.