At the outbreak of war, Braden was 13 years old but with his father, a railway signalman supervisor (a reserved profession), and his brother of fighting age, he found himself and his mother mostly alone.
Ultimately, the lure of television and work from Tin Pan Alley (Denmark Street publishing houses) brought him to London.
Alan Braden was a much-in-demand session clarinetist and saxophonist as well as a talented arranger and composer, and it was not long before he got his first big break on television with the Rediffusion-produced Stars and Garters, a show about a working class pub.
Braden's work for television has included London Night Out, The Sooty Show, Night Out at the London Casino, The Two Ronnies, The Chipperfield's Circus Specials, Get Some In!, Armchair Theatre, Up Pompeii, Give Us A Clue, The Ken Dodd Laughter Show, Mike Yarwood in Persons, Billy Dainty Esq., The Tommy Cooper Hour, Name That Tune and the 1979 version of the classic comedy short film The Plank.
[1] Throughout his career, Braden worked with many of the big names of the time, including Nat King Cole, the Beatles, Elton John, Petula Clark, Tom Jones, Tom O'Connor, Lionel Blair, Cilla Black, Roy Hudd, Danny La Rue, Peggy Lee and Louis Armstrong.