Radio Philosopher: the Radical Life of Cyril Joad

'Radio Philosopher' is the compelling story of Cyril Joad, a pioneer public intellectual and celebrity of the 'golden age' of BBC radio broadcasting. In the forefront of many of the social and political movements in Britain during the inter-war years, Joad was a pioneer of many and a professional controversialist. The scope of his activities ranged across pacifism, womens' rights, radical politics, rambling, environmentalism, and adult education, and he was one of the earliest exponents of radio as a means of reaching a mass audience for serious programmes. Until now much of Joad's pioneering work has been unknown or largely forgotten, and this book examines his life and tries to explain some of the contradictions of his personality as played out against a background of some of the most dramatic events of the twentieth century in Britain.