The interesting point for me is the likes of York & parts of North Yorkshire are shown as covered by Emley Moor. In later maps this was downgraded as "supplementary" & the official transmitter was Bilsdale. In reality EM was generally used in N Yorks if at all possible with Bilsdale as last resort.

Recovering all the right episodes but not necessarily in the right order.

Desmond Morris, producer/presenter of Granada's Zoo Time, Thames' The Human Race and the BBC's The Human Animal, has died at 98.

I hope there is more attention put on the characters' accents this time around as in the 1980s version only one actor got anywhere near close. Hartlepool is apparently masquerading for Leicester though.

I've written a piece for the History of the BBC website, to tie-in with my new BBC Sounds documentary about Flight into Danger. I also *think* that international and non-signed-in UK listeners *should* be able to listen to the version of the doc embedded here - fingers crossed!

In the shadows to the right is the chart device Laurie West is usually credited to have invented for showing the progression in the day's weather. Consists a series of three-side metal bars with a bit of map on each face which he could turn round as he delivered the forecast.

A curiosity. In the few images over the years I have seen of Laurie West by a chart, the barometer needle seems always to be in the same place despite the depicted weather pattern being quite difficult. Maybe it needed a tap.

Not a historic observation but this shows up what a rotten site Waltham is for the basis of an East Midlands (sub-)region. Supplementary coverage area bigger than the main yet missing most of Derby & in practice at least a fifth of Leicester. Not a thought of this possibility at this time of course.

Cyril Fletcher started out appearing on pre-war TV in numerous revue comedies & finished up presenting gardening programmes for Central & Channel.

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).

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.

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.

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.

1982: Dr Linda Barrett and the other one, Carol Thingy, dust off their CVs.

Bit late for the anniversary but never mind. An oldie but goodie.

Another "Doctor who" headline. Could be more careful ...

Stuck for Christmas presents? Give your children a cheque book said Lloyds.

It’s a very happy #DoctorWhoDay from us - we’re delighted to announce we’ve successfully acquired the archive of Whoniverse legend Terrance Dicks 😲 Read more at the link: www.york.ac.uk/borthwick/ne...

Worth reading through all this ...

Comcast holds talks about acquiring ITV’s television business on.ft.com/4oUhmNs

With Dick Van Dyke nearing 100, maybe the BBC will one day clear up the Scunthorpe problem they have with his name in their programme index. (It is the Dyke part of his name that's the problem rather than the Dick if that matters.)

This article, probably understandably, omits the role of David Grugeon of the Socialist Education Association & the National Extension College as a moving force in this experiment. There were some additional closed-circuit lectures mounted that week as well as the broadcast ones.

As a contrast early ITV stockpiled film drama before it started through a scarcity of multi-camera studios for making it live. They apologised promising they'd make more studio stuff as soon as they could. That was what TV was thought to be - a performance. Even tape recording didn't change that.

As shown here the notional coverage area of BBCtv Holme Moss 2V was vast. However, particularly in summer the effective area could become very much less, down to no more than 30 miles arising in the main from Sporadic E interference. Band III relays helped later from Winter Hill & Belmont.

Aerial photography. One really heavy pigeon doing all the damage.

BBC News currently showing what looks like an interesting report, but the subtitles are underneath the banner for most of it. Does anyone from the control room keep an eye on what *actually* goes out?

The 2000 crowd that turned up for the opening would have known Sid James but not many would be familiar with Tesco as this store in Leicester was the first outside of the Hone Counties.

Network Three & later the Music Programme were in part BBC defences against a perceived threat that as the Third Programme only occupied a few hours at night the frequencies could always be removed at least during daytime & used for a commercial station. The money for these extra services was scant.

Wow & flutter off the scale supposedly. Lots of non standard tape recorders in the 1950s as manufacturers did their own thing without considering people might want to pass tapes to others. Even Grundig with their earlier models

They'd managed to invent the world's first variable polarisation transmitter. Often vertical to the west and horizontal to the east but not always. The replacement was a more conventional design. The later UHF antenna was also non standard, being panels low down to the sides of the mast but worked.

If you see this, post a TV ident

This predates adopting the "switch over" concept of BBC(1) & ITV to UHF. Adorian was never in favour of a national UHF network because of the cost of 1000+ stations. His solution was to wait for satellite instead, which he thought would be viable by 1980.

Pretty much the only readily seen consequence of the otherwise ghostly 1974 franchise extensions. Belmont had always carried BBC North as its VHF function for them was effectively a fill-in for Holme Moss particularly in areas affected by interference in the summer.

#OnThisDay 21 July 1961 Adverts in the press announce: BORDER TV IS COMING! Bringing you top shows like . . . "weekly drama" Emergency Ward 10 and "domestic comedy" #CoronationStreet. Get ready to switch to Border TV!

We’re pleased to announce that we will be publishing the first full-length biography of prolific Doctor Who writer and script editor Terrance Dicks, written by Simon Guerrier with the cooperation of Terrance’s family. Written by Terrance Dicks is provisionally scheduled for publication in 2026.

ABC Weekend TV didn't do much children's output, but what they did do – including The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Snip and Snap, and Emerald Soup – are in our new book! Back it now on Indiegogo for delivery in September! --> www.indiegogo.com/projects/loo...

Aerial photography. Most obvious a double-5 Band III array used for fringe area reception of Croydon. An early UHF aerial for Oxford, maybe 50+ years still in service & in the middle a horizontal dipole for the old Band I Ch2 Oxford relay. Many survivors of these around, next door had one as well.

95% of the way there with our 2nd 2025 Transdiffusion Print project! So, there's the 180-page A5 bookazine digesting the ITA/IBA yearbooks 1963-88 on ITV for children (~£10 inc p&p) and the PLUS PACK (~£20 inc the book) of reprints. [1/4]

Coming soon from Transdiffusion Print! A 180+page softback book digesting all the ITA/IBA yearbooks' coverage of ITV programmes for children 1963-88. Plus! Stickers! Ephemera reprints! A bookmark that's also a fridge magnet somehow! Stay tuned!

Aerial photography. A collection observed in Reading. Four UHF pointed towards Hannington of various vintages plus one for Crystal Palace. Band II for London FM. Plus a Band III relic for Croydon.

The British Government had a poor track record of cluttering up what were broadcasting frequencies elsewhere with other "official" users. This was done in Band III as well as Band II. The former delayed the potential expansion of ITV as for some years only 3 channels were cleared.

Aerial photography. Size isn't everything. Short yagis were often used in the early UHF days in areas of good reception. This dinky Group C/D one is on a thick pole which probably originally held a much more hefty VHF array. Recent channel changes have made some of these no longer adequate.

Back to aerial photography, from the roof of a chip shop. Two Oxford UHF aerials on an old pole with a redundant "1 and 7", the Band I dipole for Crystal Palace & the Band III yagi for Croydon.

Some historical curiosities in the radio listings: "Test Match Special" listed as its own Service not Network 3. Rediffusion Channel B being Net3 sport only + foreign selections. Cable not carrying the evening Third Programme was criticised by the Pilkington Committee. Luxembourg more profitable!

One of my great uncles supposedly received BBCtv in the 1950s using an old garden fork mounted in the loft. Why is a mystery lost to time (and it may have only been a story) but I suppose it was kind of half an "H".

"Edward the Seventh" has various dancing scenes spread over the 60 years covered by the series. These utilise the same troupe of extras who don't age at all.

Gavin is going to be on In Tune on Radio 3 this afternoon talking to Petroc Trelawny about The Next Programme Follows Shortly. No pressure, like. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

The ITA tied itself in knots by creating "Yorkshire" as a 'major' region when it struggled to earn enough on revenue & could never practically from the already planned transmitter locations fully cover its namesake area without disadvantaging others.