Radio Royal, the voluntary hospital radio service for Bradford Royal Infirmary, began broadcasting on 17 October 1952. The idea was sparked by electrician Robert “Uncle Bob” Morris, alongside doctors and hospital engineers, with equipment supplied by solicitor Thomas Last, who also helped set up Woodland’s Hospital Radio.

Our Early Days

The first “studio” was a broom cupboard near the boiler room, equipped with just a gramophone, a few records and a belief: music helps patients feel better during long stays.

Robert Morris, our founder and senior hospital electrician, became a familiar voice with his programme The Medicine Chest. He worked throughout the Second World War keeping the hospital running and even spent Christmas mornings checking the tree lights.

Growing the Service

In 1954, we were joined by the Bradford Hospitals Broadcasting Association (BHBA), founded by former Lord Mayor H. W. Walker, bringing live sports and events to hospitals across the city. Their partnership with us continued until 1974.

Secretaries like Sheila Mirrell, who joined in 1954 aged 17, typed scripts, collected requests from wards and borrowed records from local music shops to keep programmes fresh. She later became a nurse and tutor but never forgot her start with Radio Royal.

Escapes, Outside Broadcasts and Expansion

By the late 1970s, Radio Royal had become famous for its sense of humour. In 1978 we staged our “Great Escape” from the broom cupboard, celebrating 25 years of broadcasting. In 1984, with support from Sovereign Healthcare and the Telegraph & Argus, we received our first outside broadcast studio, allowing us to bring music to community events, care homes, galas and fun days across Bradford.

Further donations followed, helping us modernise and stay on air.

Challenges and New Beginnings

In 1990 we needed to raise £6,000 for a new home—just as thieves stole equipment from our mobile unit. With help from The Pulse and tireless fundraising, we raised £10,000 and moved under Ward 22.

Throughout the 1990s we continued to upgrade our ageing systems, eventually receiving major donations from the Telegraph & Argus and The Pulse, helping us move into our current base in 2000 — the refurbished former wash house, complete with two studios and storage.

The 2000s – Volunteers, Awards and Rebirth

Volunteers like George Sumner and Christopher Fisher spearheaded the station’s revival. George was recognised for his service in 2009, and the station developed a new business plan, logo and uniforms to modernise its identity.

We hosted exhibitions (including the popular Beatles in Bradford exhibition in 2011), welcomed celebrity visitors such as snooker champion Joe Johnson, Coronation Street’s Alan Halsall, singer Helen Shapiro, and musician Rick Wild Gledhill, and continued to deepen our relationship with the hospital and wider community.

Honouring Our Roots

In 2011 we rediscovered early photographs of founder Robert Morris. A year later, to mark Radio Royal’s 60th anniversary, we dedicated a brass plaque in his honour. By this time our listening hours had risen to around 22,000 a month, reflecting our continued importance to patients.

Still Here for Patients

Over the decades, Radio Royal has relied entirely on volunteers—presenters, engineers, fundraisers, request collectors and supporters who kept programmes running and our equipment updated.

Their dedication, along with the support of hospital staff, voluntary services, local organisations and sponsors, has allowed us to continue doing what we set out to do in 1952:

Bringing comfort, company and music to hospital patients, every day.