What was on the BBC when you were born?

[Eric Mc]

HenryJM said:

TG used to be about informing, now it's about entertaining.

Absolutely. Keeping the brainless amused is far more lucrative than keeping the interested informed.

Anyway, we digress.

[HenryJM]

Indeed.

[226bhp]

I have no idea what time I was born so can't be precise, I didn't know the Two Ronnies was written by Tim Brooke Taylor and three of the Monty Python team (amongst others).
I was interested to learn just how late the programs started; 11.15 on a Saturday morning in the early 70's with the Weather, followed by 'Music on Command' A spectacle of military music and movement bands.

It begs the question, when did kids programs start to be put on a Saturday AM?

[Eric Mc]

Up until 1972, TV was restricted to starting in the early evening - usually around 4.30 pm to 5.00 pm. If you turned on your TV in 1970 at (say) 11.00 am midweek, you would get either the test card or "Schools Programmes" (or a test card).

After 11.30 pm on BBC you would get Open University programmes.

In 1972, TV (both BBC and ITV) was allowed to start broadcasting general programming weekdays from 1.00 pm. This usually kicked off on BBC1 with the lunchtime news and ITV had a news programme called "First Report".

Weekend programming usually got going around lunchtime with news followed by Grandstand on BBC and World of Sport on ITV.

I don't really think dedicated programming for children on Saturday mornings got going until around 1974/75.

[jmorgan]

First memories for me was the Redifussion TV (on a payment and not owned!). Big selector switch screwed to the window shelf where the cable came through the frame. On the back of this thought, just a quick google and
http://www.rediffusion.info


els bels, looking in there, that is where the school programming came from that we had to sit through?

Edited by jmorgan on Monday 20th October 08:41

[Silverbullet767]

BBC1: Jasper Carrott
BBC2: International Tennis

[Spanglepants]

Just checked -Aug 12 11.30pm 1965
On BBC1 Having a Baby (!) had just finished news was about to start
BBC2 Late Night Line Up - no idea what it was about, no description
Had a childhood of rented tvs that used to pop and go up in smoke then no tv for a couple of days

[Bebee]

Eric Mc said:

Different generations. I liked the old TG because it actually informed me about useful attributes of cars and driving.

But "old style" telly does not suit a generation that loses interest in something that doesn't blow up after 30 seconds.

I like the old TG and the opening track, for nostalgia reasons though, ultimately, TG now is much better entertainment value, I think the presenters back then made boring pieces, It's very old timer even back then when first broadcast, beige coat, driving gloves and 30 MPH, I don't need to see under the bonnet of a Honda shopping car but need to see under a bonnet of a TVR, having said that Clarkson won't even entertain looking under 'the hood' of any motor.