MONDAY 2 NOVEMBER 1936 BBC TELEVISION SERVICE Programme for today 3.00pm Opening of the BBC Television Service by Major the Rt Hon GC Tryon Postmaster General, Mr RC Norman (chairman of the BBC) and the Rt Hon Lord Selsdon A truly historic day - the British Broadcasting Corporation inaugurates the world's first regular high-definition public television service. (First broadcasts from Alexandra Palace had taken place on 26 August with an announcement by Elizabeth Cowling and the programme Here's Looking at You; these could be seen by visitors to the Radiolympia exhibition). These early broadcasts were only receivable by those living within range of the Alexandra Palace transmitter, and had a potential audience of around 300 people who owned sets. So only the London edition of Radio Times even mentioned the word television; all other regions had a cover showing children with a Guy Fawkes dummy. Initially there was just two hours of broadcasting a day - from 3-4pm, and 9-10pm. (However for this opening day, although not billed in the Radio Times schedule, the opening hour was actually performed twice - first using the Baird system, and then again from 4.00, using the Marconi-EMI system). o what could the privileged few see on day one of the BBC Television Service? After a succession of speeches, including one from BBC chairman RC Norman who said, "We believe that these proceedings will be remembered as an historic occasion", there was a bulletin of British Movietone News, then variety from musical comedy actress Adele Dixon (right) and American dancers Buck and Bubbles. Though billed to run from 3.30 to 4.00, this programme in fact ran from approx 3.23 to 3.31. Then the BBC Television Orchestra continued in sound only till around 3.50. In the evening there was a short film Television Comes to London, which was repeated a number of times over the following days, then the first edition of Picture Page, which was to run until 1939, and again from 1946-54. The second day of television got under way at 3.00pm with exhibits from the Metropolitan and Essex Canine Society's Show, described by A. Croxton Smith OBE. This was followed by a model of The Golden Hind made by L.A. Stock, bus driver, and more variety in Starlight with comedians Bebe and Ben Lyon. Other early programmes included the first televised opera - Mr Pickwick - on 13 November; while it didn't take long for the first cookery programme to be shown, on 9 December. For the first three months of television the Baird and Marconi EMI systems were used on alternate weeks. Baird's system was used first (decided on the toss of a coin!); but was dropped on 4 February 1937. -------------------------- FRIDAY 7 JUNE 1946 BBC TELEVISION SERVICE 3.00pm Reopening of the BBC Television Service by the Postmaster General, the Earl of Listowel. The programme includes a dance by Margot Fonteyn. Followed by................ June 1946 highlights The BBC Television Service resumed on 7th June 1946, after a near-seven year break. At 3.00pm BBC announcer Jasmine Bligh (right) walked towards the camera on the terrace of Alexandra Park and smiled, "Do you remember me?" Following another opening ceremony, which included a dance by Margot Fonteyn, programmes resumed with the same Mickey Mouse cartoon that was 'so rudely interrupted', in the words of announcer Leslie Mitchell, in September 1939. This was followed by another item postponed for seven years, the concert featuring Mantovani's orchestra. Television's first day back was also marked by two plays, George Bernard Shaw's The Dark Lady of the Sonnets and The Silence of the Sea. (Unfortunately the actual timings of the first few programmes on this day were not available for this feature). The next day marked the first anniversary of VE Day, and the BBC provided television coverage of the Victory Parade held along the Mall. Richard Dimbleby and Frederick Grisewood were on hand to provide commentary on the event. However coverage of the evening celebrations was to be limited to fifteen minutes of the crowd assembling. Then television had to break away for an hour of 'cabaret cartoons' (whatever they are) and a guide on how to choose a hat. When it returned in 1946, television was still a relatively modest affair; the service was still only available to viewers living within at least 40 miles of the Alexandra Palace transmitter, and programmes were only broadcast for around a total of three hours a day. However there was plenty to look forward to - the pre-war magazine Picture Page was revived, and a month after the resumption of television, the first regular children's programme, For the Children, was shown. Favourites such as Muffin the Mule and Richard Hearne also made their debuts this year. But the television service was hit again in February 1947 when a fuel crisis during the harsh winter cut programming hours back to evenings only; the Home, Light and Third radio services suffered a similar fate. The full service was resumed on 28th April 1947; but it would take until the end of the decade for television to finally break out of London --------------------------- SUNDAY 14-SATURDAY 22 JULY 1950 BBC TELEVISION SERVICE SUNDAY 5.00pm For the Children: Muffin the Mule This has now been restarted using computer graphics!! Chris http://www.tvradiobits.co.uk/tellyyears/