1964: BBC TWO will START SHORTLY | BBC News Special | Iconic Moments | BBC Archive
1964: BBC TWO will START SHORTLY | BBC News Special | Iconic Moments | BBC Archive
A major power cut across large parts of London meant that the launch of new channel BBC Two (or BBC2 as it was then styled) didn’t go quite as planned.
Presenter Gerald Priestland bravely took to the air, reading (and re-reading) a news bulletin from the BBC Two studio at Alexandra Palace. This was the only programme broadcast on the channel…
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There is a fade to a blank screen. At one point, so what was cut from this broadcast upload, I wonder?
It also starts with once again, so I wonder what was before this?
Anyone who says Play School launched BBC Two is wrong. It was the News if I have this correct.
Or would it be the announcement of a power failure?
The Church of Scotland calls for no professional football on Sundays….
….guess who ended up winning that battle?
Ear pieces which linked the news studio to the news production gallery were not brought into the BBC and indeed ITN until well into the 1970s. Communication between the two areas was either by telephone or by the floor manager.
Thankfully BBC Television News was still based at their Alexandra Palace studios, otherwise BBC Television wouldn't have had an emergency service ready to go on air.
This would be like some kind of stress nightmare. "You've got to present to the whole nation with no preparation, and you also have to answer this phone for some reason, and also people will be handing you notes whilst you're presenting that you also have to read out articulately."
Thou shalt not exercise on Sundaye – thou shalt reade in steade.
Hugs and kisses to the BBC from the USA this evening.
Fascinating history snapshot
I like the way the bloke at the back on the left with the specs looks round and smiles when the announcer reads out the report he handed him, like he's proud, that's his work lol. It's oh so formal the whole thing and old school British, but casual at the same time, which I like.
Fancy that – an impromptu rolling news service. It's a very early prototype of BBC News 24.
I see the story about the Yorkshire bus conductress, whose commentary on some of her passengers provided the unfortunate first actual words ever spoken on BBC Two, has been discreetly edited out.
This channel is brilliant, great historical record.
A strange pronunciation of Mandela.
So Pythonesque 😅.
Happy 60th Birthday BBCTWO(2)🎉🎉xx Kind regards diehardbritneyfan. Kind request to some Britney Spears stuff to add to BBC2 this year and in the future years to come xx
What is glorious about it is the sheer 'Keep calm and carry on' spirit of it. But I think people relied on the collective notion of 'They're doing their best' back then.
This Sunday it's "serious thought and reading" all the way for me then.
Love the " situation normal all ' loused ' up ! " BBC interpretation of SNAFU !!😅
And now for something completely different…
It's hard to believe how good the Beeb was in the 20th century; Great, varied, programming across TV & radio with no adverts. Now it's just far woke propaganda
Just goes to show the BBC has been ham fisted right from the beginning. SCRAP THE BBC TAX
Hopefully we can have some special idents on tonight?
This guy gets interrupted by the phone at work more often than I do.
Many Happy Returns BBC2!🎂✌
It's like a Monty Python skit
HAPPY 60th BIRTHDAY TO BBC 2
Where's the news item about the Yorkshire bus conductress calling people 'Stinking Wogs'?
I notice they edited out the portion about the bus conductress who was fired for saying certain unsavoury things….
News never stop
Interesting bit of history
Keep calm and carry on. Britain at its best.
I’d like to see Fiona Bruce pick up a rotary telephone whilst reading the news…except these days she’d have to say “one of our experts has just suggested this ‘phone would fetch £60-80 at auction…"
It's almost hard to believe it used to be like this. All you're allowed to do on Sunday is reading and serious thought, and hang on a minute while I just anser the phone. there's no one there, anyway where was I… oh yeah, the news… phone goes again. Can you hear me now.
Happy 60th birthday BBC2 (and BBC1).
BBC 2: The channel that answers phones live, but doesn't tell the audience what has been said, just because that's what BBC 1ndoes
So many mannerisms John Cleese stole for various characters
Ffs, even then people were playing around with their phones and not staying engaged with who they were talking too
That’s John Cleese older brother 😊
This is magical – I wish television news was still like this.
I’m still reading on Sundays. 😊
I wish they'd answer the phone on the news now perhaps a way to get more current and salient broadcasting
Things didn't go entirely go to plan on that day. Electric failure at the Television Centre and BBC2 got delayed til the next day