OTD in early British television: 5 April 1939
John Wyver writes: Although we have next-to-know moving image records of pre-war television programmes, almost all of which were transmitted live, we do have elements of the transmissions in the form of the twice-weekly newsreels and the documentary films that were broadcast from Alexandra Palace.
Given the extent and significance of documentary filmmaking in the 1930s, by the GPO Film Unit, Strand Films and other groups, it is perhaps surprising that relatively few independently produced films were licenced for showing by the BBC.
Among the few that were was the Council for the Preservation of Rural England’s campaigning film made in 1938 and variously titled Rural England, This Blessed Plot and The Case for the Defence. It was screened at 10.17pm on Wednesday 5 April 1939, and courtesy of Pathé can be found online today.
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