Today in "1950s television was very weird" we have Jon Pertwee hosting an ABC Weekend TV programme called "Can Do!" where Lonnie Donnegan is showing off his marksmanship skills in the Alpha studios in Aston.

Wanted: One-armed men! (1960) Charles Curran MP of Granada’s Who Goes Next? discusses the programme and its regular team

April 1969 map of the planned UHF 625-line transmitter network in the ATV Network region. More info: transdiffusion.org/2026/03/10/i...

April 1969 map of the planned UHF 625-line transmitter network in the ATV Network region. More info: transdiffusion.org/2026/03/10/i...

The Greeks have a word for this colour TV (1959) Another attempt at projecting television pictures on to a large screen – this time in colour

The death has been announced of Pam Masters, former head of Presentation at the BBC and Channel 4 and later founding CEO of Red Bee. @tvlive.site @thetvroom.com @ukpres1.bsky.social @transdiffusion.org www.linkedin.com/posts/jamesa...

The ever brilliant Mark McMillan (of APFS) has launched a website that should be catnip to TV presentation fans. 182 reconstructed TV clocks!!! www.mcmweb.co.uk

The BBC’s job is to “inform, educate, and entertain”? Let’s talk about the middle word. What follows is the story of what we found in an FOI request (per the Observer) about the Corporation killing off plans to launch an online catalogue and failing to deliver ‘learning for people of all ages’. 🧵

It happened like this… (1966) The women of Rediffusion talk about the highs and lows of being a PA at a television station – the backbone of any TV network: without them, no television gets made. #InternationalWomensDay #IWD

Morning

Blech. How very, very unpleasant. Stay away from that Network site. Just... keep as far from it as possible.

Bullets stopped him mowing lawn (1965) A ‘This Week’ crew head into the middle of a revolution rediffusion.london/bullets-stop...

Another example of the UHF coverage looking like a shrunken balloon of the VHF one. In practice the usable UHF area was somewhat greater, eg covering much of Reading. Plus the VHF area at the edges here would typically have required monster aerials (at least double 5s).

April 1969 map of the planned UHF 625-line transmitter network in the Thames/LWT region. More info: transdiffusion.org/2026/03/03/i...

Mrs. Smith and Rediffusion (1963) All the things that Associated-Rediffusion’s parent company does for you every day

I’ve bored myself going on about this show, which I’m strangely fascinated with, but this was a good watch. Despite its many well-documented (largely by me) flaws it’s amazing how much of Parallel 9 so very nearly succeeds, particularly in that first year with so much plot baggage and expectation.

Back in 2023, along with announcer Duncan Newmarch, I made this little tribute to Red Dwarf happen on BBC Two. The fact that I got to do this meant everything to me. If you haven’t seen it before, I hope it can give you some joy tonight too. www.dirtyfeed.org/2023/08/the-...

Very sad news about the death of Rob Grant (co-writer, Red Dwarf, amongst many other things) RIP.

ATV & TWW were the only contractors to advocate commercial competition in their Pilkington evidence. For ATV there was the prospect of more outlets for their production side. For TWW it was more a matter of principle for Lord Derby it's chairman.

I was very sorry to learn today of the passing of our former BBC NI TV Presentation colleague Edgar Martin. This clip is from 1974 with Edgar at the controls in TV Continuity, preparing to put Scene Around Six on air. Our thoughts are with Edgar's family.

What we’ve told the Pilkington Committee… AND WHY (1961) The Deputy Chairman of ATV sums up

What we’ve told the Pilkington Committee… AND WHY (1961) The Deputy Chairman of ATV sums up

April 1969 map of the planned UHF 625-line transmitter network in the Granada Television region. More info: transdiffusion.org/2026/02/24/i...

April 1969 map of the planned UHF 625-line transmitter network in the Granada Television region. More info: transdiffusion.org/2026/02/24/i...

Ulster press look at studio site (1959) Journalists are taken on a tour of what will soon be Ulster Television

Reminded of Indiana University Bloomington's jaw-dropping "Orson Welles on the Air 1938-1946" archive. Hours and hours of programming available to stream, "digitized from originals cut directly from the broadcasts as they aired." It's an *incredible* resource. orsonwelles.indiana.edu

Ulster press look at studio site (1959) Journalists are taken on a tour of what will soon be Ulster Television

I've started a new site where I'll be writing periodically about TV, films, music and the like. To begin with, ahead of the 100th anniversary of his birth: Kenneth Williams and 1980s television - a story of commitment, triumph and upholstery. nearertotheend.co.uk/2026/02/15/k...

Ally Bally revisits the former Radio Tay studios in Dundee www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/past-time...

Six hours of Kenneth Williams on 4 Extra to celebrate his centenary on Sunday. Starts at 6am, runs until 12, then repeated in full twice. Some brilliant stuff in here, including his spine-chilling reading of "Diary of a Madman". www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

No-one noticed the text scratched into the welding mask when this was first broadcast on the BBC, back in 1979, did they?

Public service round the world (1966) The annual report for Rediffusion’s parent companies in 1966

Until Sunday 22 February Bloomsbury are practically giving away my newly published 'Magic Rays of Light: The Early Years of Television in Britain', with the pb at £18.89 (plus p&p) and the .pdf or epub ebook just £14.57. www.bloomsbury.com/uk/magic-ray...

Note that the UHF area for Anglia is somewhat less further west than VHF. The sometimes expressed idea that this encroached into former North / Yorkshire areas is thus incorrect. Belmont was not attached in 1966 to the Northern region unlike the BBC probably because it would make it too large.

April 1969 map of the planned UHF 625-line transmitter network in the Anglia Television region. More info: transdiffusion.org/2026/02/17/i...

"Mam! There's a duck in Harlech Television"

The ITA's chairmanship was a "retirement" job for Herbert Bowden in the gift of Harold Wilson. He'd turned down an offer to be BBC chairman & Charles Hill was moved sideways to achieve this. Sadly 1969 would be a poor year for ITV; extra costs from colour conversion & less ad income.

After the shake-down – a new opportunity (1968) The ITA’s chairman looks ahead to the next six years of ITV

We’ve been watching some things on Talking Pictures which were originally shown on ITV and they’ve not only kept the idents, they’ve left the cue dots on. I’ve been amusing Groupie by saying things like “stand by regions…” and “roll commercials” 😊 cc @transdiffusion.org

World Sales for our Shows (1962) Success for both of ATV's ITC subsidiaries with sales of Supercar and Danger Man across the world

World Sales for our Shows (1962) Success for both of ATV's ITC subsidiaries with sales of Supercar and Danger Man across the world

April 1969 map of the planned UHF 625-line transmitter network in the Scottish Television region. More info: transdiffusion.org/2026/02/10/i...

It’s a bright new world for lucky viewers (1970) Northern Ireland goes into colour

It’s a bright new world for lucky viewers (1970) Northern Ireland goes into colour

April 1969 map of the planned UHF 625-line transmitter network in the Border Television region. More info: transdiffusion.org/2026/02/03/i... (We're doing one a week for 13 weeks, so stay tuned.)

April 1969 map of the planned UHF 625-line transmitter network in the Border Television region. More info: transdiffusion.org/2026/02/03/i... (We're doing one a week for 13 weeks, so stay tuned.)

Around the world in 28 days (1964) The director of Double Your Money takes the show around the world

I see the Radio Times has a new masthead for its next issue out tomorrow and possibly a new look.

Piped television comes to life (1963) The mayor of Reading turns on cable TV

Piped television comes to life (1963) The mayor of Reading turns on cable TV