John Wyver writes: This coming Sunday, as part of BFI Southbank's Muse of Fire: Richard Burton season, which kicked off last night, I am introducing a rare screening of John Osborne's television play A Subject of Scandal and more
John Wyver writes: Some twenty months after the start of the BBC's service from Alexandra Palace, Wednesday 27 July 1938 saw the publication, in what was still proudly called the Manchester Guardian, of an absorbing article under the headline, 'Television more
John Wyver writes: Television's main event on the evening of 5 June 1938 was a presentation of two modern dance works by the company Ballets Jooss. Founded in 1933 by choreographer Kurt Jooss, the group had fled Nazi more
John Wyver writes: Unbilled in Radio Times, and so clearly organised at very short notice, in the afternoon of Monday 31 May 1937, AP broadcast a half-hour of scenes from Rupert Doone's Group Theatre production at the Little Theatre of more
John Wyver writes: On Tuesday 30 May 1939 viewers could watch Jan Bussell's 87-minute production of Arnold Bennett's drama The Great Adventure in the afternoon and then, presumably in the other studio, an 82-minute adaptation of the Czech writers Karel more
John Wyver writes: The line-up for the BBC's 30-line transmission starting at 23.03 on Friday 19 May 1933 featured Russian singer Dimitri Vetter together with Lilian Lloyd-Taylor 'with songs and costumes of the seventeenth century'. But the most interesting featured more
John Wyver writes: Yet more dance from Alexandra Palace, this time on the evening of Thursday 4 May 1939. Which only speaks to how rich and varied was early television's presentation of the artform. Alongside actors Janine Darcey and Jim more
John Wyver writes: More or less six months to the day after the start of the 'high definition' television service from Alexandra Palace, on Monday 3 May 1937, members of the Vic-Wells ballet company travelled to the studio to perform, more
John Wyver writes: Ninety years ago tonight, on Thursday 2 May 1935, Ivor Novello's musical Glamorous Night premiered at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. The first nighters were enthralled and the box office registered exceptionally healthy sales. The more
John Wyver writes: 'One of the big television occasions of the year,' was how Radio Times (above) trailed the live outside broadcast of the musical comedy Me and My Girl from the Victoria Palace on the evening of Monday more