The BBC broadcasts the ballad of John Axon

The BBC broadcast of the Radio Ballads, in particular the first of these, The Ballad of John Axon, changed radio for ever. A collaboration between Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger and producer Charles Parker, it recounted the story of Stockport steam locomotive driver John Axon, who was posthumously awarded the George Cross in 1957 when he refused to abandon his runaway train and saved lives at the expense of his own. The broadcast featured so-called "actuality"– real recordings and interviews, melded into a soundtrack of traditional and original songs. Not only did it change the format of radio documentaries that were previously the domain of home counties actors, it put folk music into a modern, relevant and emotional context.