Papers of John Guy Porter

Correspondence with the B.B.C. and related papers regarding all aspects of radio talks and schools programmes, including the following subjects: a radio script on Galileo and the use of a Latin version of the Lord's Prayer, and rehearsal arrangements; a list of scripts for the series 'Great Discoveries about the Earth' and 'The Earth and its Neighbours'; Foucault's Pendulum as proof of the rotation of the earth; 1949 scripts entitled 'Other Worlds' being used for 'The Earth and its Neighbours'; comments and pamphlets for B.B.C. schools broadcasts; a revision of 'Other Worlds', including a note that a rocket-launching site should be 'a great open space' and on the east coast; 'The Sky at Night' radio programme for rural schools and ideas for subject matter; the 'Science and the Community' schools programme; the standard B.B.C. pronunciation of star and constellation names (provided in a letter to a school mistress); details of a fee paid to Porter, together with terms and copyright conditions; the 'Radio Times' billing for 'The Night Sky in December' (1952); the 'Percussion and the Stethoscope' script, together with a figure for the fee; the suitability of the content of schools science broadcasts for 8, 9, 10 and 11 year olds; the proposal for sixth form schools programmes in the International Geophysical Year and accompanying pamphlets; a press release announcing ten years of 'The Night Sky' broadcasts, together with a clearance from the Admiralty for Porter to continue broadcasting; the production of a pamphlet to accompany the I.G.Y. broadcasts; enquiries from the B.B.C. to Sir Harold Spencer Jones, D.E.R. Deacon, James Paton and R. Stonely regarding whether they have any interest in recording a programme in the I.G.Y. series; a schedule of programmes on astronomy for schools broadcasting; a mention by a B.B.C. programme assistant of a comet visible to the naked eye on 25 April 1956, and further reference to this comet in the context of schools broadcasting mentioning the comet's discovery by Belgian astronomers; alterations to proofs of Teachers' Notes; I.G.Y. talks, schedules and a draft of Porter's script for his I.G.Y. talk; a script by F.R. Elwell for schools broadcasting entitled 'The Night Sky', discussing Moon landings and the unknown far side of the Moon in January 1959; and the scripts of the Network Three broadcasts of 'The Night Sky' dating from after Porter had stopped giving these talks.

The correspondents include Felicia R. Elwell, Dorothy Foulger and Felicity Kinross, Schools Broadcasting Department; James McCloy; Dorothy Ross, Copyright Department; Marguerite Scott, Talks Department; L.J. Lawler; Joan Dickens; Geoffrey S. Hall; Mary J. Reynolds; Archibald Clow; and David Edge.

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