Which poem contains a phrase like "it was all done in Berlin in the thirties” My father is adamant that he has heard a poem which contains a phrase like “it was all done in Berlin in the thirties”. Possibly read by Kenneth Williams. But Google search has let us down. Can anyone suggest what this poem was? It was definitely a poem, in English. Twentieth century, and obviously post 1930s. He thinks he heard it read on television, rather than reading it himself, so publication location unknown. The theme of the poem was that although people claim to be doing something new, in fact everything has been done before, in Berlin, in the thirties. So probably a drily humorous piece. Dad thinks that there was a repeated refrain, like 'it was all done in Berlin in the 30s, it was all done in the 30s in Berlin'. Guesses at 3 verses ('not an epic').

I finally managed to track down the answer to my question, after finding a reference to it in Kenneth Williams' diaries. The poem is by Stanley Baxter, whom Kenneth Williams knew in the second World War when they were both performing in the Combined Forces Entertainment unit. The poem is actually entitled 'Berlin in the _Twenties_ ', not the Thirties. As far as I'm aware it has never been published. I believe that it was first broadcast in the one BBC Radio 4 programme referenced in Williams' diaries - on 14th February, 1970 - in which Williams read a varied selection of poetry. I don't know of any other broadcast.

Due to the kind help of Kenneth Williams' biographer I have now seen the poem (as transcribed by Williams himself, he thinks) but for copyright reasons am not able to reproduce it.