1st February 2025
John Wyver writes: In the depths of winter, on the afternoon of Wednesday 1 February 1939, one of the mobile outside broadcast units made a first visit to Bulls Cross Farm at Waltham Cross, just off the A10 10 miles
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31st January 2025
John Wyver writes: Since the end of November I have been posting most days about an aspect of British television before the Second World War. Through January I have managed a post each day, and here I have brought together
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31st January 2025
John Wyver writes: The last day of January 1935 was publication day for one of the most consequential documents in British television history: the Report of the Television Committee chaired by Lord Selsdon. Among other matters, this determined that
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30th January 2025
John Wyver writes: another significant moment for the 'high definition' service from Alexandra Palace. Saturday 30 January 1937 was the last day on which the Baird system for producing and transmitting 240-line images was used. After this, AP relied
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29th January 2025
John Wyver writes: A fortnight ago, one of the two mobile outside broadcast units took us to Watford Junction railway station for the first of a Sunday afternoon outing series titled Television Surveys. On Sunday 29 January, while its
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28th January 2025
John Wyver writes: Let us return to table tennis on television. A week ago on this blog, we saw a studio demonstration on 22 January 1938. A year on, on Saturday 28 January 1939, we can travel with one
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27th January 2025
John Wyver writes: At Alexandra Palace on Wednesday 27 January 1937 painter and printmaker John Piper (above) discussed 'The picture in the modern home' with architect and designer Serge Chermayeff.
In London Galleries - Art and Modern Architecture,
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26th January 2025
John Wyver writes: This, my friends, is The Big One. Ninety-nine years ago, on the evening of Tuesday 26 January 1926, in rooms above what is now Bar Italia in London's Soho, John Logie Baird gave the first public presentation
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25th January 2025
John Wyver writes: Nearly three months after the official opening of the BBC's 'high definition' Television service from Alexandra Palace, The Midland Daily Telegraph ran a round-up feature about the new medium. Published on Monday 25 January 1937, this anonymous
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24th January 2025
John Wyver writes: the whole of the afternoon schedule on Monday 24 January 1938 was occupied by a presentation of act 2 of Richard Wagner's music drama Tristan and Isolde. In the evening this was played again, in perhaps
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