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The People's Post: A Narrative History of the Post Office

The People's Post: A Narrative History of the Post Office: Episode 1: The Origins of the Post Office

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Factual: History

Episode 1

Episode 1: The Origins of the Post Office

The Origins of the Post Office

BBC Radio 4 - The People's Post: A Narrative History of the Post Office, The Origins of the Post Office

Dominic Sandbrook investigates how the post office has shaped British society.

As Royal Mail faces an uncertain future, Dominic Sandbrook charts the development of the post office and examines its impact on literacy, free speech, commerce and communication.

Introduced by Henry VIII to aid the spread of intelligence, the first 200 years of Royal Mail saw a series of attempts to reform the postal system with mixed results. By the early 19th century the system had reached breaking point as all social classes sought ever more ingenious ways to avoid the high cost of postage.

Launched in 1516, the Royal Mail was intended to support official communications and bolster intelligence. It was only a rise in literacy and trade that stimulated a demand for a public service. In the paranoid era of the English Civil War the postal network became an important instrument of state control. In a secret room deep in the post office building, agents opened and copied letters from suspected dissidents on a grand scale. 

Launched in 1680, The London Penny Post was the first accessible and cheap method for sending mail within the capital for the equivalent of £6.

During the eighteenth century an expanding postal network offered new possibilities for long-distance relationships. From travelling preachers to sailors and their families, people from all backgrounds found ways to write home. 

Introduced in 1784 the mail coach slashed journey times by two thirds, provided a new state of the art form of public transport, and allowed newspapers to reach the provinces within 24 hours. The timepieces carried by guards also had the unintended consequence of creating standard UK time in the era before GMT.

In the early 1800s the post office operated an expensive and illogical payment system. This forced letter-writers into ever more imaginative ways of avoiding postage, from using private couriers, to sending coded newspapers. MPs were allowed to send letters for free, but as only a signature was required it created a system that was ripe for abuse.

Writer and Presenter: Dominic Sandbrook

Historical Consultant: Susan Whyman

Musicians: Sam Lee, Bella Hardy, Mick Sands, Nick Hart

Actors: Morgan George, John Sessions, Simon Tcherniak, 
Malcolm Tierney, Jane Whittenshaw,


Producer: Joby Waldman
A Somethin Else production for BBC Radio 4.

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Omnibus edition. Dominic Sandbrook charts the development of the post office

Omnibus edition. As Royal Mail faces an uncertain future, Dominic Sandbrook charts the development of the post office

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The People's Post: A Narrative History of the Post Office

Episode 1: The Origins of the Post Office

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