Beyond Our Ken

The warm-up act for Round the Horne, and worth hearing in its own right. Kenneth Horne fronted this sketch show on the Light Programme from 1958 to 1964, with Kenneth Williams, Hugh Paddick, Betty Marsden and Bill Pertwee already in place, and Eric Merriman and Barry Took writing. It is gentler and more old-fashioned than what came next, with more musical interludes and fewer risks, so treat it as a companion rather than a substitute. Fans of the later show will enjoy hearing the same company find its voices, and it still turns up in repeats.