Do stay for tea and coffee: ‘No one has ever written about this extraordinary event’ - Reform Magazine

Paul Kerensa tells the story of Britain’s most-heard prayer

It’s been a year since the centenary of the first appearance by a monarch on radio, in the earliest BBC recording.This’ll be the 101st anniversary then. It’s not exactly a round number. So why do
I mention it?

Well, while researching this last year, I spotted a little late that it also contained Britain’s most-heard prayer, in an extraordinary event never seen before or since. I can’t see that anyone’s ever written about this incredible moment of God on air. So what led to the Lord’s Prayer echoing through Britain’s towns and cities?..

Paul Kerensa’s podcast The British Broadcasting Century features other tales of the early BBC, including the first religious broadcasts. @paulkerensa

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This is an extract from an article published in the Issue 3 – 2025 edition of Reform

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Image: Royal Collection, Public domain