OTD in early British television: 5 May 1938

5th May 2025

Daily Telegraph, 6 May 1938, with a picture (and apologies for the quality of the reproduction) taken in the studio during the previous evening’s Picture Page.

Comments

  1. John Wyver says:

    Thomas Borries Ralph Woodrooffe is perhaps even better known for his notorious broadcast a year or so before this on the Coronation Review of the Fleet at Spithead, where after celebrating with some naval chums he gave a commentary that included him proclaiming over and over that ‘the fleet’s lit up’. He was suspended for a week and the BBC apologised with a statement saying that he was ‘tired and emotional’.

    For more:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Woodrooffe
    and
    https://thebravestcanadian.com/2011/12/16/hilarious-bbc-broadcast-of-1937-fleet-review-by-inebriated-woodrooffe/

    And you can hear the rather wonderful broadcast here:
    https://youtu.be/DSn_rAAPwTE?si=DcivNu6VdwquxHFa

  2. John Wyver says:

    Also, it should be noted that the “hat” he appeared to eat on Picture Page was in fact a hat-shaped cake.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *