40 Years & Metroland

It is 40 years since John Betjeman's Metroland had its first TV broadcast in February 1973, shown to a record audience and repeated two weeks later.

 
I was reminded of this by a feature in the Sunday Express newspaper which explored the  creation of the programme and its appeal. The article was superbly written and for me filled in many gaps in my knowledge relating to its origins and its production. To this day, Metroland remains my favourite work by Betjeman though his rediscovered programmes on Swindon & North Lew and Marlborough come a close second.

My introduction to Betjeman was through Metroland. I was compelled to find out more about him and in doing so I amassed a large collection of his television, radio and literary work. His love of the music hall is reflected in Metroland including his passion for the railways and architecture. It is a programme that has everything. To learn about Betjeman is to watch Metroland.

Metroland is actually as old as me - we are both 40 years old, born in February of 1973. In a way, I have literally grown-up with Metroland. With every year that passes, my affection for Metroland grows stronger yet each time I watch it, I never tire of it. Like a masterpiece in a gallery, it finds new audiences year after year. For me it is a particular work of Betjeman's that keeps giving, and this I think is its lasting appeal.