Ray’s Rants Life in the 1950s 1960s 1970s Great Britain girls England family UK work school British music night clubs pubs fashion pirate radio Caroline English holidays television

Vintage Television License Fee... and more

Television arrived in most people's homes in the 1950s and 60s. ITV generated their income from advertising. So, where did the BBC get their money from? Join me in this episode for a look at TV back then... and the dreaded license fee.

Midweek Message 66.

Hello, welcome to another Midweek Message... and another weather report! We're on the verge of a drought here in Britain.  That means there will be a hosepipe ban, which is normal here after a few days of sunshine! 

Money! Why is everything so expensive?

Money, lots of it or lack of it. How does it affect people? Do you crave money? Are you happy with having only a penny more than you need? Join me for a look at money. Why are things so expensive? When I was a boy, I bought a tanner's worth of chips. A few of us kids would sit by the road eating our chips out of old newspaper. Happy days! Join me for a look at money.

Midweek Message 65.

Hello and welcome to another Midweek Message. The temp here in Briton went sky high and broke all records... 40.3 Centigrade which is about 105F. Phew, it's been hot! However, it all ended last night with rain and storms. I hope you are keeping cool and enjoying the summer.

Conversation... and other stuff!

Conversation. Are you any good at chatting in a group of people? To be honest, I don't say much because I can never get a word in edgeways! I wait for someone to take a breath and.. too late! Someone else butted in!

Midweek Message 64.

Hi, and welcome to another Midweek Message. I'm not here... I'm in the Isle of Wight for a few days so I've prerecorded this message. The weather should be ultra hot this week so I might even frighten the islanders by wearing my shorts!

Standards, Then and Now

Have standards fallen over the last few decades? Do we retain the values which were so much a part of Britain back in the 50s and 60s? Join me for a look at the way things were and the way things are now.

Midweek Message 63.

Hello, I hope you're keeping well. Railway stations were lovely places in the old days. The staff wore uniforms, there were flowers and gardens, everything was freshly painted... what went wrong? Progress, I suppose!

Nothing Works Properly!

I heard a chap on the radio saying that nothing works properly in Britain. The railway doesn't work properly, airports don't work properly... Join me for a look at how things are now and how they were back in the old days.

Midweek Message 62.

Hi, I hope you're keeping well. This Sunday, I'll be ranting about things not working in Britain. The railways don't work properly, airports are a nightmare, there are massive waiting lists for hospital treatment... nothing works properly! Join me for a good old rant!

The Cost of Living!

We are all suffering from price rises. House prices are going through the roof, people can't afford the deposit for a mortgage. In this episode, I look back at the 1970s and also recall a story of a friend who bought a house and... I hope you enjoy this episode.

 

Midweek Message 61.

Hi, I hope you're well.  I'm not sure what next Sunday's episode will be about. Got any suggestions? Email me. raysrants@protonmail.com

Communication, Then and Now.

Communication back in the 1950s and 60s. Many people didn't have a telephone or a television. How did they communicate? Join me for a look back at the red telephone box and other forms of communication.

Midweek Message 60.

Summer has finally arrived in Britain! Temps might reach 34 this Friday. Apart from the weather, thanks for all your emails regarding lats Sunday's episode. This coming Sunday, I want to talk about communication back in the 50s and 60s. Red phone boxes, newspapers, radio new bulletins... Please join me!

Politics, Then and Now.

What were politics like back in the old days. No House of Commons cameras live on TV, no 24 hour news channels, no social media... How did people know what was going on in parliament? Join me for a look at politics!