Charles Chilton was born in Sandwich Street, Euston in 1917

Published: 10 January, 2013
by DAN CARRIER

CHARLES Chilton, who has died aged 95, went from the life of an orphan in a grotty tenement in the smoggy back-streets of old King’s Cross to forging a career as one of the most influential BBC radio producers during the heyday of the wireless.

He was behind some of the best-loved serials the BBC has broadcast, writing scripts as well as producing – and all despite leaving school, aged 14, with no qualifications.

Charles was born in Sandwich Street, Euston in 1917. His father was killed on active service in the trenches and then he lost his mother in the flu epidemic that swept Europe once the guns on the Western Front had fallen silent.

He told the New Journal in an interview in 2004 of his early life in King’s Cross: his house was shared by four families and they had no bathroom. He recalled how he had earned vital cash for the family as a schoolboy, selling newspapers.

“I delivered them on roller skates,” he said. “I got up at six and delivered until 8.30am. I went home at four for my tea and then was out delivering again.

He fondly remembered Sundays as special days: “It was the only day of the week we’d have breakfast. We’d have eggs, bacon, sausages and tomatoes, but never toast – we always ate bread and marge.

“We didn’t want to risk burning it. Lots went without food. You’d see them going to the pawn shops in Chalton Street to raise enough for something to eat.”

Charles recalled how he had been wandering around his home patch when he saw the new Broadcasting House at the top end of Regent Street.

“I got a job by chance,” he said. “I liked the look of the building so I walked in. I went up to the reception and said, ‘Oi, I’d like a job’.”

He worked in the record library and then put together a script for a show about jazz musicians, which was a success. During the war, he worked for the Forces Radio station and was posted to the Far East.

On his return, he went back to the BBC.

In the 1950s, he was behind the popular sci-fi series, Journey Into Space, and the Western adventure series Riders on the Range. He was also the producer for Alistair Cooke’s famed Letter from America series and a host of other well known shows.

He retired in 1979 and was awarded an MBE for his work in broadcasting.