Betty Smith, David Reeves and Beryl Renwick
ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio Humberside producer David Reeves, who created the Sony Radio Academy Award-winning ‘The Beryl & Betty Show’, pays tribute to a unique radio double-act.
When it was announced at London’s Grosvenor House that ‘Beryl and Betty’ had won a Sony Radio Academy Award, the audience stood and cheered. We had beaten the likes of Frank Skinner to be named winners of the radio equivalent of an Oscar.
It was an unforgettable moment for the pair, and for me, and something none of us could have predicted or planned. I’ll treasure that memory even more now that both Betty and Beryl have passed away.
How did these two elderly but formidable women from Hull become the toast of the radio industry? It was down to ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ local radio. Giving a voice to our audience is what we do. Betty and Beryl embodied that. They brought a raw energy, connecting with our audience like no other programme. They had universal appeal because they could do, say and create radio that you’d never heard before – something truly original. The programme enriched their lives as much as it did the audience that tuned in every week to soak up wisdom from two lives well lived.
I first met them in May 2006 when I was looking for ideas for a new programme. I was keen to create a feature that would play on the relationship that I enjoyed with my grandparents: the exchange of ideas; the sharing of stories. I was looking for a group of pensioners to talk to on the radio. Luckily for me the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ in Hull offered tours around its TV and radio facilities. As chance would have it, I was working in the studio when Beryl and Betty stepped into our offices, and my life, for the first time.
My colleague buzzed through as 20 women poured into a small studio space: “I’ve got a tour with me, do you mind showing these ladies what you’re up to Reevsie?”
“We recognise your voice,” said a short, white-haired woman with piercing eyes at the front of the group. “Lovely aren’t you?” (I’d done some deputising for daytime presenters so within seconds they’d recognised my voice.)
“You’re handsome,” came another voice out of the group. They all looked the same, if I’m being honest, although the lady standing next to the first lady who spoke, quiet though she might have been, was now standing right in front of me, giving the impression she wanted to lean in for a handshake.
I was wrong. It appeared that she wanted a kiss. It was a little awkward. A few conservations over cups of tea, and they agreed to take a leap of faith and join me on the radio.
Initially they started on the Late Show, picking the music (Michael Buble was a firm favourite). But that was merely a peg to get two great voices on the radio. Soon we created a stand-alone hour long show just for them with me in the middle holding fort, them just doing what they did best - talking and telling me off. That was really where things started to take shape and our little show soon became appointment to listen.
Listening back to old tapes Betty and Beryl were great from the first show. All I did was give them a few tips along the way and mould a show around them, trying to get the very best out of their personalities.
Beryl and Betty had only known each other for about a year before they came to the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ in Hull. They were chalk and cheese. Betty, with her throaty laugh and naughtiness, paired with Beryl’s wit and ability to tell a story packed with historic detail was a winning combination. My attempts at keeping the show flowing while gently winding them up for an hour was a weekly treat. It all came together perfectly.
They loved coming to the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ. Beryl called it her second home while Betty’s family told me coming to the studio gave her a new lease of life. Both of them cared deeply about making people happy and they delivered that in bucket loads each week.
Beryl and Betty loved every minute of their time at the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ, claiming it was the best years of their lives. Mine too. I was trying to get the best out of them while in turn they got the best out of me.
The show stopped in 2012, not long after that award win, their health not quite what it was. I missed the chatter, the jokes, and the flirting, and so did our listeners. It was the end of an entertaining radio programme and an enriching era of my life.
David Reeves is a producer at ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio Humberside