Charles Chilton

Who was Charles Chilton?

Charles Chilton MBE was a BBC radio presenter, a writer and a producer. Born in Bloomsbury in London, England, he never knew his father – who was killed during the First World War – and when he was six his mother died as a result of having a botched abortion, with the result that Chilton was raised by his grandmother. He was educated at St. Pancras Church of England School.

Chilton left school at the age of 14, and after a brief apprenticeship making electric signs, he joined the BBC as a messenger boy. A year later he became an assistant in their gramophone library. He had a passion for jazz music, and in 1937 formed the BBC Boys' Jazz band.

His first role as a producer was for I Hear America Singing, after which he moved to the BBC variety department. He then presented his own show between 11pm and midnight called Swing Time, and a weekly jazz programme called Radio Rhythm Club. Next came five years' war service with the RAF, after which he was sent to Sri Lanka to run the forces radio station with broadcaster David Jacobs, later to participate in Chilton's Journey into Space.

Back in the BBC he wrote and produced programmes for, among others, Roy Plomley, Michael Bentine and Stéphane Grappelli. He also met and married his wife, Penny, who was a secretary at the corporation. He was then sent to the United States to research, write and produce a number of series based on American western history. One of these, Riders of the Range, lasted for five years until 1953. During its run, Riders of the Range attracted audiences of around 10 million. Chilton wrote a comic-strip version of the series for the Eagle which outlasted the radio version, and wrote another western series, "Flying Cloud", for the Eagle's sister comic Girl. Chilton was also briefly a producer on the comedy series The Goon Show.