Dick Joice
Encyclopedia
Dick Joice was a British
regional television presenter renowned in the East of England
for his Anglia Television
programmes - particularly the Bygones show that ran from 1967 for twenty years . He was a director of Anglia TV in the company's infancy and its head of local programmes.
A farmer's son, Joice was educated at Culford School
before taking over his father’s tenancy on the Norfolk estate of The Marquess Townsend in 1940. It was a chance conversation with his landlord in 1958 that launched his career into television. Townsend, chairman of the new Anglia company, recognised that programmes for the farming community would be a vital part of the service and asked Dick to help.
From 1959 Dick Joice presented Anglia’s weekly Farming Diary as well as becoming the first host of the regional news magazine programme About Anglia
in 1960. It was, however, his programme Bygones that had a tremendous impact in the region (despite being little known outside) and established him as a much-loved presenter .
Each half-hourly edition of Bygones explored East Anglian history and traditional crafts and featured mystery objects, about which Joice asked viewers, "Does anyone know what this was used for?" In two particularly memorable programmes (Horsemen and The Harvest), Joice assembled teams of men - some in their eighties - to demonstrate their now-lost skills with horses and in the fields.
In his autobiography, Full Circle, Joice wrote that he ‘...was born with a naturally acquisitive and inquisitive nature, always wanting to find out how things worked and where they came from;’ and his own collection of bygone agricultural and domestic items was enormous. In1979 this lifetime collection came to rest in the old stable block at Holkham Hall
after Lord Leicester acquired it to complement his exhibition celebrating the contribution of the Coke family to the Agricultural Revolution of the late 18th and 19th centuries .
Bygones was an Anglia local programme that made it to the ITV network, and, after Joice's death, it won the Royal Television Society
Television Professionals' All-time Favourite Regional Series Award in 2000. The award was collected by Joice's wife Jean, with whom he had purchased and rebuilt a Norfolk watermill during the 1990s. Joice was featured in a BBC Radio 4
series, Norfolk Man broadcast in 1988.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
regional television presenter renowned in the East of England
East of England
The East of England is one of the nine official regions of England. It was created in 1994 and was adopted for statistics from 1999. It includes the ceremonial counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Essex has the highest population in the region.Its...
for his Anglia Television
Anglia Television
Anglia Television is the ITV franchise holder for the East Anglia franchise region. Although Anglia Television takes its name from East Anglia, its transmission coverage extends beyond the generally accepted boundaries of that region. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional...
programmes - particularly the Bygones show that ran from 1967 for twenty years . He was a director of Anglia TV in the company's infancy and its head of local programmes.
A farmer's son, Joice was educated at Culford School
Culford School
Culford School is a coeducational HMC and IAPS public school for pupils age 3–18. Founded in 1881, it is situated in Culford, four miles north of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, England.-History:...
before taking over his father’s tenancy on the Norfolk estate of The Marquess Townsend in 1940. It was a chance conversation with his landlord in 1958 that launched his career into television. Townsend, chairman of the new Anglia company, recognised that programmes for the farming community would be a vital part of the service and asked Dick to help.
From 1959 Dick Joice presented Anglia’s weekly Farming Diary as well as becoming the first host of the regional news magazine programme About Anglia
About Anglia
About Anglia, first broadcast in 1960, is the flagship television news magazine for Anglia Television. Its original presenter was Dick Joice....
in 1960. It was, however, his programme Bygones that had a tremendous impact in the region (despite being little known outside) and established him as a much-loved presenter .
Each half-hourly edition of Bygones explored East Anglian history and traditional crafts and featured mystery objects, about which Joice asked viewers, "Does anyone know what this was used for?" In two particularly memorable programmes (Horsemen and The Harvest), Joice assembled teams of men - some in their eighties - to demonstrate their now-lost skills with horses and in the fields.
In his autobiography, Full Circle, Joice wrote that he ‘...was born with a naturally acquisitive and inquisitive nature, always wanting to find out how things worked and where they came from;’ and his own collection of bygone agricultural and domestic items was enormous. In1979 this lifetime collection came to rest in the old stable block at Holkham Hall
Holkham Hall
Holkham Hall is an eighteenth-century country house located adjacent to the village of Holkham, on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk...
after Lord Leicester acquired it to complement his exhibition celebrating the contribution of the Coke family to the Agricultural Revolution of the late 18th and 19th centuries .
Bygones was an Anglia local programme that made it to the ITV network, and, after Joice's death, it won the Royal Television Society
Royal Television Society
The Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world...
Television Professionals' All-time Favourite Regional Series Award in 2000. The award was collected by Joice's wife Jean, with whom he had purchased and rebuilt a Norfolk watermill during the 1990s. Joice was featured in a BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
series, Norfolk Man broadcast in 1988.
Television credits
- About AngliaAbout AngliaAbout Anglia, first broadcast in 1960, is the flagship television news magazine for Anglia Television. Its original presenter was Dick Joice....
- Farming Diary
- Bygones