First there was Lord Clark, then Dr. Bronowski, then came Professor Galbraith, and now........Mr. David Jason. David Jason unravels the mysteries of the universe and the meaning of life in 25 minutes, with Miriam Margolyes, Royce Mills and the music of John Owen Edwards. He gets to the bottom of...
And so went the sub-billing for the first series. In this series of 25-30 minute shows, helping David Jason to explain, were Miriam Margolyes, Royce Mills, Sheila Steafel, Chris Emmett, Norma Ronald, who were later replaced with Stephen Moore, David Tate, and then subsequently with Malcolm Terris and Jon Glover& Gordon Clyde.
The writers and researchers of the series were Colin Bostock-Smith, Andy Hamilton and Barry Pilton, and the shows were produced by Geoffrey Perkins (1, 2) and Jimmy Mulville.
:: Series 1
All 6 shows in this series were broadcast on Radio 4 at 10.30pm., with on Fridays, with repeats the following day at 5.30 pm on the same channel.
| Tx. Date | Rx. Date | Title | BBC Cat. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2..9.77 | 8.8.77 | ... of Money | T 52377 |
| 9.9.77 | 22.8.77 | ... of Love, Sex & Marriage | T 52378 |
| 16.9.77 | 22.8.77 | ... of Communications | T 52379 |
| 23.9.77 | 19.9.77 | ... of Politics | T 52380 |
| 30.9.77 | 23.9.77 | ... of Travel & Leisure | T 52381 |
| 7.10.77 |
:: Series 2
The second series had an extra two shows, and was broadcast on a Saturday lunchtime (12.30pm) on Radio 4.
| Tx. Date | Rx. Date | Title | BBC Cat. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30.9.78 | 11.7.78 | ... of Foreigners | T 54339 |
| 7.10.78 | 18.7.78 | ... of Education | T 54340 |
| 14.10.78 | 20.6.78 | ... of Illness | T 54341 |
| 21.10.78 | 1.8.78 | ... of War | T 54338 |
| 28.10.78 | 4.7.78 | ... of Crime | Not In Archives |
| 4.11.78 | 27.6.78 | ... of Taboos | T 54342 |
| 11.11.78 | 25.7.78 | ... of Culture | T 54343 |
| 18.11.78 | 8.8.78 | ... of Failure | T 54344 |
:: Series 3
The third series was broadcast on Radio 4 of a Thursday lunchtime (12.30pm).
| Tx. Date | Rx. Date | Title | BBC Cat. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.4.80 | ... of Law & Order | Held In Archives | |
| 10.4.80 | ... of Showbusiness | Held In Archives | |
| 17.4.80 | ... of Progress | Held In Archives | |
| 24.4.80 | ... of The 60s | Held In Archives | |
| 1.5.80 | ... of Religion | Held In Archives | |
| 8.5.80 | ... of The Body | Held In Archives | |
| 15.5.80 | 26.4.80 | ... of The Printed Word | Held In Archives |
| 22.5.80 | ... of The Family | Held In Archives |
:: Series 4
The fourth, and final, series was broadcast on Radio 4 of a Monday lunchtime (12.30pm).
| Tx. Date | Rx. Date | Title | BBC Cat. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20.7.81 | ... of Natural History | Held In Archives | |
| 27.7.81 | ... of The Seven Deadly Sins | Held In Archives | |
| 3.8.81 | ... of Age* | Held In Archives | |
| 10.8.81 | ... of Fear | Held In Archives | |
| 17.8.81 | ... of Business & Pleasure | Held In Archives | |
| 24.8.81 | ... of Saturday Night | Held In Archives | |
| 31.8.81 | ... of Fads & Fashions | Held In Archives | |
| 7.9.81 | ... of Myths & Legends | Held In Archives |
* This title is to be confirmed as "Radio Times" failed to appear due to a printing dispute.
Christmas Special
A one-off Christmas Special entitled "The Jason Explanation of The Festive Season" was broadcast on Radio 4 at 10.30pm on Friday 25 December, 1981, and was the standard 30 minutes. This show is held by the BBC.
I would like to thank Roger Bickerton once again for his help in compiling the log for this page, and the rummaging through countless copies of the Radio Times.