RE-ENTER THE BRAINS TRUST

New Zealand Listener, Volume 12, Issue 300, 23 March 1945, Page 6

RE-ENTER THE BRAINS TRUST

New Series of Famous BBC Discussions Begins From 2YA Next Week

HE provocative discussions, amusing cross-talk and disagreements of the BBC Brains Trust are being resumed for the entertainment and enlightenment of New Zealand listeners. The revival will begin from 2YA on Friday, March 30, at 8.28 p.m., when the first of a new series of recordings from the BBC will be presented. The discussions will be continued each Friday. The "permanent residents" of the Brains Trust will again make their bow. Listeners will welcome the return of such favourites as Professor C. E. M. Joad, with his remarkable knowledge and infectious chuckle; Commander A. B. Campbell, and the other sea-dog, Lt.Commander R. T. Gould. The Brains Trust has maintained its high popularity year after year by the process of varying the cast, selecting as guest speakers a series of people whose names are known the world over. We have read of them often, and the Brains Trust sesgions enable us to hear their voices as

they express themselves spontaneouslyand they never seem to have been "stumped," except on the occasion when the Brains Trust could not, on the spur of the moment, remember why all French nouns have a gender. Their failure was cabled all over the world as a bright news item. — No, They Don’t Know! The wealth of knowledge displayed by this collection of experts every week naturally raises a suspicion that they are given a friendly hint about the coming ordeal before the microphone, but constant assurances have been given by Peter Bax, the producer, that he keeps his victims in complete ignorance till the gong goes. One explanation of the capacity of the Brains Trust to cope with any emergency is that, when making a selection for a session from the thousands of questions that flow in from all over the world, the producer is able to include in the Brains Trust some acknowledged authorities on the questions chosen for discussién. He invites

experts who can be expected to give an informative answer. If they fail to hit the mark, there is always Commander Campbell to rake up some recondite memory from the farthest parts of the globe, or Lt.-Commander Gould, who knows so many scientific answers that he must worry the publishers of encyclopedias, for fear he gives wide publicity to an interesting fact omitted from the printed tomes of knowledge. Also included in the list of well-established "permanents" are Joad, the chuckling philosopher, and his famous. sparring partner, the scientist Julian Huxley. They will all appear at some date or another in this new series. Donald McCullough, the customary questionmaster, who so cleverly keeps the ball bouncing, firmly restraining any chatty member likely to make the session dull by too much detail, takes @ new role in one of the latest series. He leaves the top of the table to sit among

the experts anid submit to the firm guidance of Geoffrey. Crowther as referee. They are very polite to one another. When the first recording of this BBC feature was made for New Zealand, it was an experiment cautiously tried but promptly justified by results. The recordings were not first class, but the BBC has now arranged for a more effective method of reproduction by its London Transcription Service. The discussions will now be heard with all the clarity of the original microphone performances. Listeners will not miss the laughable sidelights, the sotto voce cut-and-thrust of disagreeing experts. Flashes from the Brains. Trust From a few of the discussions soon to be heard in New Zealand are taken these samples of the Brains Trust at play: Trial by jury is under discussion, and the Brains Trust is not unanimously in favour. One masculine view: (continued on next page)

' continued from previous page) "IT don’t think any woman juror believes any woman is giving the right evidence if she is wearing the wrong hat!" On keeping personal diaries: "One of the most valuable forms of literature." "Like keeping, accounts-it does not give you any more money!" "Should red tape in the Civil Service ‘be abolished?" asked a questioner. The Brains Trust was reassuring as well as critical. Red tape Aas been abolishedthe British Civil — now uses white tape. With two brilliant women on the Brains Trust panel, Commander Campbell came under a hot fire after his usual

robust masculine reaction to the ancient but evergreen demand of equal pay for equal work for both sexes. First woman: "I only want to rebut €éverything Commander Campbell has said." Second woman: "And I'll agree, even if I’m ae The Opening Talk Donald McCullough, the controller of the discussions, will have the following team to manage in the opening session of the Brains Trust revival from 2YA on Friday, March 30, at 8.28 p.m. Mrs. Arnot Robertson, author of a bestseller, Four Frightened People; Beverley Baxter, M.P., journalist and playwright; Emanuel Shinwell, M.P. for a Durham constituency; Lt.-Commander Gould; and Dr. Malcolm Sargent, distinguished British musical conductor. Having crossed swords in the House of Commons, Beverley Baxter and Emanuel Shinwell enjoy another hearty dout ‘of disagreement when the Brains Trust is asked to answer the question: "How far does the press influence public opinion?" Other questions discussed will be: "What will soldiers want after the war?" and "Does. the Brains Trust think that a really good man would accept a title?"