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18th Dec 2016

BBC had the cutest response to little girl who wanted to shout ‘bong’ on the radio

She wanted to make the sound for Big Ben when renovations are carried out.

Megan Roantree

This is very cute.

In London, Big Ben will not ring (or bong) for the first time since 2007 as renovations are being carried out on the clock.

The repairs to the clock’s hands, mechanism and pendulum will begin early in the new year and will cost £29m.

One person who was not impressed by this news was eight-year-old Phoebe Hanson.

Once she heard what was going to happen, she came up with a solution – to shout ‘BONG’ on BBC radio in place on the bells that come on just before the news.

She sent in her genius idea to Radio 4 who’s editor Roger Sawyer sent  a brilliant response.

The letter said:

Re. Big Ben’s Bongs (lack of).

Dear Miss Hanson,

Thank you for your letter and your very imaginative idea about what to do when Big Ben falls silent for repairs early next year. Some of the cleverest and most important people at the BBC are scratching their heads, wondering quite what to do.

Once before, when Big Ben fell silent for repairs, we played different birdsong every evening. The listeners loved that. Then the people behind Tweet of the Day (that’s on each day just before 6 in the morning) stole our idea… so we can’t do that again.

I must say I was very much taken with your idea… and we have passed it on to those who make the decisions. As you know, the Bongs are live… and (you may not know this) the beginning of the Westminster Chimes (the bit that goes BimBom BimBom BimBobBimBom before the first BOOONNNGGGGGGGGGG!) is always at a slightly different time (which is why you sometimes hear someone accidentally talking when they start). It depends on things like temperature and atmospheric pressure and stuff like that.

So it would be quite a task for you, doing the Bongs: you’d have to rush in after school each day (and at the weekend), rush home for tea, homework, a bit of chillin’, then a quick sleep. And then – here’s the hard bit – you’d have to rush back again at midnight, because there are live bongs again before the midnight news. That’s an awful lot of work for someone who is still quite young. I know I wouldn’t like to do all that.

Thank you very much for writing to us. I’m very impressed that you listen to Radio 4. I wish my two children did.

Have a spiffing Christmas and a stupendous and lucky 2017.

Roger Sawyer.
Editor: PM, Broadcasting House, iPM – BBC Radio 4

Phoebe’s father Jon shared the letter on Facebook labelling it priceless.

 

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