''The Daily Service'' is a short

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

service broadcast every weekday morning between 09:45 and 10:00 on

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History

In 1926, British novelist Kitty Cordeux began a persistent letter-writing campaign urging the BBC to broadcast daily Christian religious services on the radio. The result was ''The Daily Service,'' beginning in 1928 and continuing to the present day. Her campaign was documented in the BBC Radio 4 documentary ''The Lady Behind the Daily Service'' (2005). Originally aired from Savoy Hill and then Broadcasting House, the service was moved on the outbreak of war in 1939, first to Bristol and later to the Trinity Chapel of St Paul's Church, Bedford, under the musical direction of Dr George Thalben-Ball. In 1945 the service returned to a studio in Broadcasting House. For many years ''The Daily Service'' was broadcast live from All Souls Church, Langham Place, the church adjacent to

Broadcasting House London Broadcasting House is the headquarters of the BBC, in Portland Place and Langham Place, London. The first radio broadcast from the building was made on 15 March 1932, and the building was officially opened two months later, on 15 May. T ...

. In 1993, when the Religion and Ethics department of the BBC moved to Manchester, its new base became Emmanuel Church,

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, a suburb in south

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

. In 2017, live services moved from Emmanuel Church Didsbury to

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in Salford. using the Philharmonic Studio, MPAS studio or a radio studio in Dock House. This move was driven by cost and logistical issues, and was facilitated by the installation of an electronic organ in the Philharmonic Studio. Since 2018 live choirs and music groups have often been replaced by specially pre-recorded segments, again for logistical reasons and to make cost savings. From the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020 presenters pre-recorded the services remotely several days in advance, and music was provided by commercial CDs. In the post-pandemic era the programme has continued to be made in this way due to reduced budgets. The service of today combines hymns, prayers and reflections by a variety of ministers and laypeople and has evolved to reflect the range of contemporary worship styles in the UK. ''The Daily Service'' was first transmitted on 2 January 1928, though not listed in the ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...

'' until 16 January. Until 30 June 1928, it was broadcast under the title ''A Short Religious Service''.

Transmission

Until 13 September 1991 it was broadcast on all

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's FM frequencies, apart from when Schools programmes were being broadcast in its timeslot on FM. However the 1991 schedule revamp saw the programme only being aired on long wave. This continued until 29 March 2024 which was

Good Friday Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during ...

that year. At this point it moved to digital station BBC Radio 4 Extra as part of the ending of separate Radio 4 programmes on FM and long wave.

References

External links