16th March 2025
John Wyver writes: The afternoon of Wednesday 16 March 1938 saw a reprise of Eric Crozier's production (above), first presented the previous September, of W.B. Yeats's supernatural drama The Words Upon the Window Pane. The cast was led by Jean
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13th March 2025
John Wyver writes: At 11pm on Monday 13 March 1933, the BBC's 30-line transmission from Studio BB in the basement of Broadcasting House featured selections from 'The British Theatrical Loan Exhibition' that was currently on view at Dudley House in
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12th March 2025
The 100th original post in this series.
John Wyver writes: Closing out transmissions on Saturday 12 March 1938 was An Exhibition of Catch-as-Catch-Can Wrestling, featuring a bout in the studio between Earl McCready, heavyweight champion of the British Empire who
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11th March 2025
John Wyver writes: Across the winter of 1937-38, the Television service broadcast Pre-view on Friday afternoons and evenings. Featuring interviews, rehearsals and test sequences from the forthcoming attractions of the following week, the strand was an attempt to encourage more
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10th March 2025
John Wyver writes: Friday 10 March 1939 saw the publication of Radio Times issue no 806. Around one-third of the copies distributed in the south of England carried television listings and the 'diary column written by 'The Scanner'.
These
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9th March 2025
John Wyver writes: The Spring 1938 Craftsmen at Work series featured demonstrations in the AP studio of a potter at work at a wheel, of whisket-making (constructing baskets from strips of oak), withy-weiving (working with willow) and, on 9 March,
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8th March 2025
John Wyver writes: The 8 March 1939 edition of the popular magazine The Bystander carried a quarter-page ad for the recently-installed television studio at Selfridge's in London's Oxford Street. 'TELEVISION IS *HERE', it proclaimed. 'You can't shut your eyes to
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5th March 2025
John Wyver writes: The evening of Sunday 5 March 1939, from 9.08pm to 10.54pm, was taken up with a studio restaging of Little Ladyship (above), written by Ian Hay after the Hungarian original by Istvan Bekeffi and Adorjan
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3rd March 2025
John Wyver writes: The eclecticism and breadth of the drama produced pre-war at Alexandra Palace is indicated by the production on Friday 3 March 1939 of The King of Spain's Daughter by Teresa Deevy. This was a play that
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1st March 2025
John Wyver writes: Sunday 1 March 1936 saw The Observer splash an exclusive interview with BBC director of television Gerald Cock (above, in his Alexandra Palace office) eight months ahead of the offical opening of the service. The article, bylined
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