OTD in early British television: 30 November 1932
John Wyver writes: on this St Andrew’s Day in 1932, the 30-line Television service, which for the three months past had been operated by the BBC, presented an ambitious Scotland-themed variety show. Woolwich-born Helen McKay (real name: Ruby Ellen Northover) sang Scottish songs, as did renowned actually Scottish opera singer William Heughan, and Ernest MacPherson contributed violin solos including ‘Loch Lomond’. But I suspect the highlight was an appearance by Pipers of the Scots Guards, although it’s not entirely clear quite how many turned up.
Those pipers who were squeezed into the modestly-sized Broadcasting House studio BB and stationed in front of the scanner gave a performance of the ‘Skye Boat Song’ among other numbers, as well as what the PasB record noted was a ‘Sword Dance’ and a Fling. All in 38 minutes from an 11pm start time.
The television image at this point, remember, was composed of 30 vertical lines in a 3:7 portrait frame. The scanner was fixed in position but could swivel on its base, and both full figure shots and close-ups were possible. Nonetheless, since the summer BBC producer Eugene Robb had been pushing at the limits of the technology, determined to develop broadcasts that people enjoyed beyond simply marvelling that this was possible at all.
Robb and the BBC’s first broadcast, from what would eventually be a run of over 600, was on the evening of 22 August 1932. Inherited from the Baird company was the dominant format of half-hour variety bills, but more elements of classical music began to be included, as in a programme on 22 September given over to Debussy, Chopin, Bach, Brahms and Albeniz.
Among the performers who appeared early on were the Hungarian violinist Adila Fachiri, dedicatee of two Bartok violin concertos, and singer Raymonde Collignon, who had worked with Ezra Pound and George Antheil. Robb also began to theme broadcasts around national traditions, starting with a Japanese gala in late September. In mid-November a Russian cabaret was hosted by Vladimir Launitz, a former aviator who fought for the ‘White’ forces in the Russian Civil War and who later was Anna Pavolva’s musical director. And then there was the St Andrew’s Day offering.
At the end of the first month, the Spectator noted, ‘all the evidence points to the conclusion that the broadcasters are seriously attempting to popularise the new science. Ingenuity and enthusiasm are at work and a high standard of artistic performance has been achieved.’
Just under four years later, in August 1936, when the 30-line operation had been discontinued and largely disavowed by the BBC, Helen McKay kicked off the ‘high definition’ service’s broadcasts to Radiolympia by singing ‘Here’s Looking at You’.
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