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| Genre | Religious |
|---|---|
| Running time | 15 minutes |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | BBC Radio 4 Extra |
| Original release | January 1928[1] |
| Website | Daily Service |
The Daily Service is a shortChristian service broadcast every weekday morning between 09:45 and 10:00 onBBC Radio 4 Extra. It was also broadcast onBBC Radio 4's FM frequencies until 13 September 1991 and its LW frequencies until 29 March 2024 which wasGood Friday that year.[2]
In 1926, British novelistKitty Cordeux began a persistent letter-writing campaign urging the BBC to broadcast daily Christian religious services on the radio. The result wasThe Daily Service, beginning in 1928 and continuing to the present day.[1] Her campaign was documented in the BBC Radio 4 documentaryThe Lady Behind the Daily Service (2005).[3] Originally aired from Savoy Hill and then Broadcasting House, the service was moved on the outbreak ofwar in 1939, first to Bristol and later to the Trinity Chapel ofSt Paul's Church, Bedford, under the musical direction of DrGeorge Thalben-Ball.[4] In 1945 the service returned to a studio in Broadcasting House.
For many yearsThe Daily Service was broadcast live fromAll Souls Church, Langham Place, the church adjacent toBroadcasting House. In 1993, when the Religion and Ethics department of the BBC moved to Manchester, its new base became Emmanuel Church,Didsbury, a suburb in southManchester.[5][1] In 2017, live services moved from Emmanuel Church Didsbury toMediaCityUK in Salford. using the Philharmonic Studio, MPAS studio or a radio studio in Dock House. This move was driven by cost and logistical issues, and was facilitated by the installation of an electronic organ in the Philharmonic Studio. Since 2018 live choirs and music groups have often been replaced by specially pre-recorded segments, again for logistical reasons and to make cost savings. From the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020 presenters pre-recorded the services remotely several days in advance, and music was provided by commercial CDs. In the post-pandemic era the programme has continued to be made in this way due to reduced budgets. The service of today combines hymns, prayers and reflections by a variety of ministers and laypeople and has evolved to reflect the range of contemporary worship styles in the UK.
The Daily Service was first transmitted on 2 January 1928, though not listed in theRadio Times until 16 January. Until 30 June 1928, it was broadcast under the titleA Short Religious Service.
