Introduced by Melvyn Bragg and P.J. Kavanagh

'No gags on Scotsmen, Welsh-men, clergymen, drink or medical matters. Do not sneeze at the microphone.'
These were the BBC's official instructions to aspiring performers and entertainers back in 1925. Tonight's programme takes an affectionate look at radio comedy from the earliest days of the British Broadcasting Company right up to the present day.

Among those appearing in the programme to remember their successes and to reminisce with the help of Sound Archives are:
Arthur Askey, Richard Murdoch - Band Waggon
Hatti Jacques, Derek Guyler - ITMA
Maurice Denham, Sam Costa - Much Binding in the Marsh
Alan Simpson, Ray Galton - Hancock's Half-Hour
Frankie Howerd - Variety Bandbox
Tim Brooke-Taylor, John Junkin and Barry Cryer - Hello Cheeky