Classic BBC Radio Theme ~ Music While You Work

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• published: 29 Aug 2009
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This is Calling All Workers composed by Eric Coates and performed by Eric Coates and his Symphony Orchestra, this tune is the well known theme to the long running BBC radio programme Music while you work. Music While You Work was a daytime music programme broadcast twice daily in the United Kingdom on the BBC General Forces Programme. It began broadcasting in June 1940 during World War II, with the intention of helping the war effort. It was perceived that the productivity of manual labour could be raised by offering a non-stop medley of popular music played at an even tempo, to accompany the working day in factories. For a certain period, a recorded version was rebroadcast in the late evening, to entertain night-shift workers. After the war, the broadcasts continued on the newly-formed BBC Light Programme. Music While You Work was discontinued in 1967 when most Light Programme offerings were transitioned to BBC Radio 2. However, it was revived in the 1980s; initially for one week to mark the BBC's 60th anniversary in October 1982 and then as a regular part of the Radio 2 schedules from January 1983 to January 1984