The Cellist and the Nightingale
In 1924, the BBC broadcast a cellist playing in her garden at night, and a nightingale sang along with her. A million people listened. But was it a bird?
What was reported
Beatrice Harrison was a famous cellist who said that when she played in her garden in Surrey, nightingales in the woods would answer her. On 19 May 1924, the BBC broadcast it live, one of the first outdoor radio broadcasts ever made. As she played, a nightingale sang with her.
The broadcast was a sensation. Listeners wrote in from across Britain and beyond, and it was repeated every spring for years. Harrison received thousands of letters.
Explanations offered
Decades later, a claim surfaced that the 'nightingale' on the first broadcast was actually a bird impressionist hired in case the real bird didn't sing. The BBC and historians have found no firm proof either way, and later recordings in the garden did capture real nightingales. The truth of that first night is still debated.
- When
- 19 May 1924
- Where
- Oxted, Surrey, England, UK
- Witnesses
- BBC listeners across Britain
- Status
- Disputed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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