CHRISTMAS PROGRAMME

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28776, 23 December 1958, Page 14

CHRISTMAS PROGRAMME

“ The Seekers 99 From 8.8. C.

H. A. L. Craig, the distinguished and versatile Irish author, who this year—for the first time in years of writing programmes for the B.B.C.—is the writer of the traditional round-the-world Commonwealth feature programme which precedes Her Majesty the Queen’s Christmas broadcast. Entitled “The Seekers,” the theme of the programme is the

pioneers in all the realms of endeavour, spiritual as well as physical, who sought new lands or new knowledge. The programme itself is preceded by a prologue of interlinking words and music in which Craig has collaborated with English composer William Alwyn and the Australian narrator Peter Finch.

Mr Craig’s work is very well known to listeners overseas. He made his first contribution to radio in a poetry series 10 years ago, and he has written many dramatic feature programmes broadcast in the General Overseas Service.

The title “The Seekers” is taken from a line in Tennyson’s “Ulysses”—“To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield”—a poem which had had great significance for most of the great Antarctic explorers. “The Seekers” will be heard on Christmas Day only from 2YA, at 2 p.m. It will be followed at 3 o’clock by the Queen’s Christmas message. On Boxing Day, “The Seekers” will be broadcast by all YA and YZ stations at 9.4 a.m. The Queen’s message will be rebroadcast on Boxing Day as follows: 6.16 a.m. (all YA’s); 7.18 a.m., 8.14 a.m.. 10.3 a.m. (all YA’s and YZ’s»: 12.33 p.m. and 6.39 p.m. (all YA’s and YZ’s).