Annie Nightingale's Age of Irreverence

A lifelong fan of both comedy and new music, Annie Nightingale looks at how, in the youth revolution of the late 50s and 60s onwards, British rock music and comedy were closely intertwined.

Starting with The Goon Show, she takes us on a personal tour of the pop culture scene that includes The Beatles, Beyond The Fringe and That Was The Week That Was, The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, Monty Python and The Rutles. We hear how a core group of British musicians and satirists influenced each other, sharing a similar view of the world and a fearless desire to disrupt and lampoon the political and social norms in which they'd been brought up.

Contributors include David Quantick, composer John Altman, comedy historian Jem Roberts, and 'Legs' Larry Smith of the Bonzos.

Producer: Victoria Ferran
Executive Producer: Susan Marling

A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in January 2023.