The BBC is to unveil an online archive of documents next week to celebrate the work of George Orwell, 60 years after the publication of Nineteen Eighty-Four.
The 19 documents relating to his time spent working at the corporation range from notes on his initial interview in 1941 to his notice of resignation two years later.
The writer was given a position employing the high regard he enjoyed in India in the BBC’s Eastern Service in order to counter Nazi propaganda intended to sever traditional ties between India and Britain during World War Two.
During his time at the BBC he produced 120 programmes and introduced 25 broadcasts. He also wrote for The Observer among other newspapers, literary and political periodicals.
The archive comprises of letters and memos, unfortunately no record of Orwell’s voice exists.
The BBC’s official historian Jane Seaton said: “There is absolutely nowhere any scrap of any sound that is Orwell’s. They didn’t keep things.”
This is the latest stage in the BBC’s archive project, which aims to open up the corporation’s vast stock of a million hours of TV and radio programming.
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