About
The BBC in South East Asia is an expanding collection of primary source materials focusing on the British Broadcasting Company's significance in the region during Great Britain's late colonial and early post-colonial periods (1927-1961). Led by Cristina Juan, the project aims to gather BBC-produced sound recordings for and about these geographical entities (currently the nation-states of Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Burma, Cambodia, the Philippines, Brunei, Timor-Leste, Laos, and Thailand. There is a special emphasis (and more materials) on The British Colonies in South East Asia which include Burma (now Myanmar) - Colonial period: 1885–1948 Independence: January 4, 1948; Malaya (part of present-day Malaysia) - Colonial period: Various states from the late 18th century, unified as the Federated Malay States in 1895 and later the Malayan Union in 1946 Independence: August 31, 1957; Singapore - Colonial period: 1819–1963 (joined Malaysia in 1963 and separated to become an independent nation on August 9, 1965); North Borneo (now Sabah, part of Malaysia) - -Colonial period: 1882–1963 (joined Malaysia in 1963); Sarawak (now part of Malaysia) - Colonial period: 1888–1963 (joined Malaysia in 1963); and Hong Kong, - Colonial period: 1841–1997, Handover to China July 1, 1997, becoming a British Special Administrative Region (SAR) which, while it is geographically and culturally distinct from South East Asia, is also included in this database as it played a significant role in British colonial history and the BBC’s regional influence during the period. These recordings are contextualized through related materials from the BBC written archives, The BBC Transcription Service, and the Kew National and SOAS archives.
The sound recordings begin with the earliest surviving BBC broadcasts, now digitized and accessible at the British Library. They encompass diverse materials, such as a 1937 broadcast featuring an Englishman's reaction to the 1927 Krakatoa explosion, the inaugural address of the BBC Empire Service in 1932, and the initial broadcast in May 1951 of London Calling Asia, a programme transmitted to South and South-East Asia as part of the BBC's Far Eastern Service.
Pre-1961 recordings of BBC broadcasts were expensive and only done for practical reasons. Consequently, the corpus of recorded material in the inventory is selective and incomplete. Yet the archive still enables us to listen to sounds that might otherwise remain unheard: commercially viable popular music, field recordings for ambient sound, speeches, and the social and ideological positioning of colonial subjects through voice inflections and sonic expressions. The soundscapes offer insights into both significant political events and the everyday lives of people within and beyond the British imperial sphere.
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787 items
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Features a recording of the Gamelan Orchestra from Pilatan, Indonesia, on a 30 cm 33 rpm disc from the BBC ARCHIVE 19654 collection. The recording begins at 00:14:22.10 and ends at 00:18:24.02, showcasing traditional Indonesian music. The label for the recording is BBCARCHIVELP19654. More »Music |Topic: Culture |Audio
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Recording contains a recording of the popular theatre show Ketoprak, featuring comedy with dialogue and crowd laughter. The recording is on a 30 cm disc with 2 sides and plays at 78 rpm in mono. It is part of the BBC ARCHIVE with the code 22570. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Culture |Audio
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Recoding, labeled "Ketoprak (popular theatre)," contains a 30 cm 78 rpm mono disc with the code BBC ARCHIVE 22570 1CL0072057. It features comedy, dialogue, gamelan music, and crowd laughter performed by unnamed individuals. The disc is stored under the code 9CL0029181 in the BBC Archive. More »Music and spoken voice |Topic: Culture |Audio
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A rare collection of Javanese music and popular theatre recordings, including comedic dialogue, gamelan music, and crowd laughter, has been discovered. The collection features 1 disc with 2 sides, measuring 30 cm and playing at 78 rpm in mono. These field recordings provide a rich insight into traditional Javanese music and cultural performances. More »Music and spoken voice |Topic: Culture |Audio
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George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. (Wikipedia) More »Person
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A recording of King George V opening the British Empire Exhibition, with a collector's note indicating it was recorded acoustically by an amateur. The performance includes speeches and actualities, but the sound quality is poor, with audible audience noise at times. More »Topic: Culture |Audio
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R. J. Dalby vividly describes the harrowing experience during the eruption of Krakatoa on August 27, 1883. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Culture |Audio
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Williams requests possible comments or points the sender would like to make in a meeting which will be held on their cooperation with Singapore. More »Message
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The letter discusses the schedule for service, staff content, and news implications. More »Message
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The letter discusses the schedule for service, staff content, and news implications. More »Message
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L.F. Williams stated that they have sent two scripts per week since the approval that Mr. Baker can have a copy of them, but they have since suspended the dispatch of the scripts due to the lack of response from Mr. Bakers group. More »Message
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L.F. Rushbook Williams apologizes for suspending the dispatch of transcripts to Mr. Baker and says that decisions of that nature will not be made without consultation in the future. More »Audio
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L.W.H thanks A.J Gill for his previous attatchment of his response to V.H Winstons letter. More »Message
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Sender proposes a few alterations which can be made to the proposal in order to include more specific information. Such as the specific names and titles of those involved. Also requests clarification on certain aspects of the document. More »Message
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Letter to confirm agreements with J.V. Roberts' proposed changes to their Letter to Malaya More »Message
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Not entirely clear, but he appears to be a Malaysian BBC presenter from Sarawak More »Person
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Laurence Duval Gilliam, OBE (4 March 1907 – 15 November 1964) was a BBC radio producer.Gilliam worked with the Gramophone Company, before transferred to the BBC drama department in 1933, where he was responsible for features. At the end of World War II he was appointed OBE for his outstanding programmes. (Wikipedia) More »Person
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Sir Laurens Jan van der Post, CBE (13 December 1906 – 15 December 1996)[1][2] was a South African Afrikaner writer, farmer, soldier, educator, journalist, humanitarian, philosopher, explorer and conservationist. He was noted for his interest in Jungianism and the Kalahari Bushmen, his experiences during World War II, as well as his relationships with notable figures such as the future King Charles III and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. After his death, there was controversy over claims that he had exaggerated many aspects of his life, as well as his sexual abuse and impregnation of a 14-year-old girl. More »Person
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Lee Kuan Yew (born Harry Lee Kuan Yew; 16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), often referred to by his initials LKY, was a Singaporean statesman and lawyer who served as the first Prime Minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990, as well as Secretary-General of the People's Action Party from 1954 to 1992. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tanjong Pagar from 1955 until his death in 2015. Lee is widely recognised as the founding father of the modern Singaporean state, and for his leadership in turning it into a highly developed country under his tenure. More »Person
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Legong classical dance and folk songs and music are featured on a 1 disc with 2 sides, measuring 30 cm and playing at 33 rpm. The recording, labeled BBCARCHIVELP19654, begins at 00:06:10.09 and ends at 00:26:22.11, showcasing the Gamelan Orchestra from Pilatan, Indonesia. More »Music |Topic: Culture |Audio
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Lenggang Mak Imang (Imang): A traditional instrumental Malaysian folk dance in the inang style, performed by violinist Hamzah Dolmat and his group Rakan2. The performance features unestablished instrumentation, most likely harmonium, violin, accordion, drum, and tambourine. More »Music (Instrumental) |Topic: Culture |Audio
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Sir Charles Leonard Woolley (17 April 1880 – 20 February 1960) was a British archaeologist best known for his excavations at Ur in Mesopotamia. He is recognized as one of the first "modern" archaeologists who excavated in a methodical way, keeping careful records, and using them to reconstruct ancient life and history.[1] Woolley was knighted in 1935 for his contributions to the discipline of archaeology.[2] He married the British archaeologist Katharine Woolley. (Wikipedia) More »Person
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Leopold Mordkhelovich Godowsky Sr. (13 February 1870 – 21 November 1938) was a Lithuanian-born American virtuoso pianist, composer and teacher. He was one of the most highly regarded performers of his time,[1] known for his theories concerning the application of relaxed weight and economy of motion within pianistic technique – principles later propagated by his pupils, such as Heinrich Neuhaus. (Wikipedia) More »Person
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It is noted that there was a request from the Officer in charge to delay broadcast from Variety Programmes by 6 hours. More »Message
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David Crichton notes that a) They received P.L. Carters previous letter stating that transmitters might be available for visiting Americans at the British Far Eastern Broadcasting Station b) Baker, who is head of the BFEBS, stated that it is not BBCs policy to offer broadcasting facilities and wonders if that has been cleared with BBC London. More »Message
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L.D. Whitley relays the content of a letter she received stating that many people do not listen to the British radio as they need a powerful set to pick it up. It also notes that people in Singapore are listening to Rediffusion instead, which mostly broadcasts American items. More »Message
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E. Jago notes the interesting resources in Malaya, and that one of the objects of the government when establishing their agency was for the general public to know more t=of the Malaya. More »Message
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J.B. Clark notes that the right outlet for the NBC correspondents to use might be the radio telephone circuit. He also notes that since the British Far Eastern Broadcasting Station is an external service to Malaya, it might be ideal to approach Radio Malaya. More »Message
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P.L Carter notes that recording facilities are available in Singapore, whence discs could be flown to the the United States. He also notes that the only broadcasting facilities are available from the British Far Eastern Broadcasting Station. Copies of the letter will also be sent to Singapore Tokyo, and Moorland. More »Message
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R. Scrivener discusses that it was decided that it was desirable to persuade the American Newspaper Correspondence to provide facilities in Malaya. R. Scrivener also notes that he would be glad to hear J.B. C lark's views of the matter. More »Message
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The Borneo Broadcasting Services Co. writes to the BBC regarding the reception in the radio station in preparation for BBC taking on responsibility in the British Far Eastern Broadcasting Service, Singapore, and the possibility of changing broadcasting schedules. More »Message
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Norman Collins notes some issues arising with the erection of Transmitting Stations. He also calls for an investigation into the issue. More »Message
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The writer responds to several requests made by John Martin, including inquiries about Publicity Services and requests for scripts of past programming. Letter is incomplete due to missing pages. More »Message
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The inaugural broadcast of London Calling Asia in 1951 is introduced by Major General Sir Ian Jacob, the Director General of BBC's Overseas Service. The program aims to reflect British ideas and activities for audiences in South and Southeast Asia and the Far East, covering various topics such as cultural, scientific, and current affairs discussions. John Morris, the head of the BBC's Far Eastern Service, discusses the format and content of the program. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Culture | Agriculture |Audio
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A talk in which Joyce Cary considers his relationship with the people to whom his work is offered. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Culture |Audio
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Excerpt from 'Personal Call' with sculptor Henry Moore. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Culture |Audio
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Herbert Morrison, MP and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, interviewed by Stephen Black in the series 'Personal Call', broadcast on the BBC's overseas service London Calling Asia, 28 June 1954. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Politics |Audio
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Broadcast about Mr. Walsh, blinded in WWI, and his hobbies. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Culture |Audio
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A composer and his public: Michael Tippett considers his relationship with the people to whom his work is offered. Tippett discusses the impact of long-distance communication on art, the revival of the song recital, and services to new music by radio. He addresses the stranglehold of consumer demand on creative artists, the fear and hatred of new art in totalitarian societies, and the challenges faced by composers in modern Western capitalist societies. Tippett talks about writing works on commission and the difficulties of state patronage in the age of cultural anarchy. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Culture |Audio
