What did Tommy Handley blue plaque do at BBC Radio Theatre Broadcasting House?

The Story

# Tommy Handley at Broadcasting House Standing before this elegant Art Deco building on Langham Place, you're looking at the creative nerve centre where Tommy Handley revolutionized British radio comedy during the Second World War. From the BBC Radio Theatre housed within these walls, Handley broadcast "It's That Man Again" (ITMA) weekly from 1939 onwards, turning the show into a national phenomenon that kept wartime Britain entertained through the darkest years of the conflict. Here, in this very theatre, Handley and his ensemble cast performed live before audiences, improvising gags and creating characters that would become legendary—Mrs. Mopp's "Can I do you now, sir?" and Colonel Chinstrap's double entendres became catchphrases that united a nation huddled around wireless sets. This address represents more than just a workplace; it was the birthplace of modern British comedy, where Handley's genius for topical humour and his ability to connect with ordinary people forged a template for radio entertainment that would influence generations to come.

Location

BBC Radio Theatre Broadcasting House

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