Original version

BBC World Service South Asia

Witness History

Podcasts

Factual: Life Stories

Factual: History

History as told by the people who were there

History as told by the people who were there.

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service

BBC World Service News Internet

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

BBC World Service East Asia

Witness History: From cakes to computers

Documentaries

From cakes to computers

27/11/2019 GMT

BBC World Service - Witness History, From cakes to computers

How the Lyons catering company pioneered LEO, the first electronic office system

Mary Coombs recalls her work as an early computer programmer on LEO, the first electronic office system, pioneered by the Lyons catering company.

In the early 1950s, the leading British catering firm, J Lyons & Co, pioneered the world's first automated office system. It was baptised LEO - the Lyons Electronic Office - and was used in stock-taking, food ordering and payrolls for the company. Soon it was being hired out to UK government ministries and other British businesses. Mary Coombs worked on the first LEO and was the first woman to become a commercial computer programmer. She tells Mike Lanchin about her memories of those heady days when computers were still in their infancy. 

Photo: LEO 2 in operation, 1957 (Thanks to The LEO Computers Society for use of archive)

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Witness History

From cakes to computers

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service South Asia

About BBC World Service