May 1939, October 1948, September 1950, March 1953,
January 1955, March 1957, May 1960, March 1963, January 1965, February 1967

First BBC Television Outside Broadcast May 12th 1937
While most of the BBC's efforts were concentrated on the radio broadcast of the coronation service from Westminster Abbey, into whose hallowed precincts tv cameras were not allowed, there was an attempt to show a small part of the event after the service, the Radio Times promising, "televiewers will see the royal procession passing Hyde Park Corner, and the State Coach only a few feet away." The location of cameras is indicated on the accompanying plan.
Pictures were relayed to the mobile control room, 400 feet west of the cameras at Apsley Gate, pictures then sent by cable to Broadcasting House and Alexandra Palace. Interesting that contingency plans were in place, with a second van containing an ultra-wave transmitter, capable of sending the pictures by wireless link to Ally Pally.
A special commentary only for tv was given by Freddy Grisewood as about 2pm the procession was scheduled to reach Hyde Park Corner, "and here it will run the gauntlet of the television cameras, for the first time transmitting a historic event." Before this, cameras were to show the crowds in the stands and across the park to St George's Hospital and Wellington Arch. Telephoto lens enabled the first sighting of the procession at Stanhope Gate.
Dinosaur TV Main Menu

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BBC Television Centre
Still operational 50 years on!

For its Opening Night on Wednesday 29th June 1960
a special programme "First Night" was shown from 8.35pm to 9.55pm. TAM ratings of 3,342,000 homes (47% of the total BBC/ITV audience) were achieved, considerably better than the Corporation's rating of 27% on previous Wednesdays. However the Beeb were still short of one and a half million homes, if they wanted to get in the Top Ten!
The actual show was panned by critic John Price: "Graeme Muir tried to present a spectacular with a difference but just failed to pull it off. Irving Davies led dancers around the fountain outside the main studio. Outside broadcast cameras showed us the immense size of the Centre before we were led, through corridors, into the studio by the dancers. From then on the show seldom lifted itself above the humdrum.... David Nixon kept a benevolent eye on Arthur Askey and Richard Hearne who both repeatedly veered away from the script. It was left to the melodious voices of Elizabeth Larner and Alfred Drake to remind me this was supposed to be a special production." Perhaps no surprise then, that by the end of the programme, half a million viewers less were watching.
In fact the preceeding special "This is the BBC", transmitted from 7.30pm got the thumbs up from this critic. Richard Cawston should have subtitled it "This is How a Documentary Should Be Made". 24 hours in the life of the BBC was compressed into 65 minutes. Indeed it won the British Film Academy's Oscar for Best Specialised Film. Oh, and the BBC Centre cost 12 million!

To BBC start

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The BBC in 1955

Chairman of Governors: Rt Hon Sir Alexander Cadogan, Vice Chairman: Sir Philip Morris
Director General: Sir Ian Jacob.

Heads of Departments:
Drama: Michael Barry. Light Entertainment: Ronald Waldman. Women's Programmes: Doreen Stephens.
Music: Kenneth Wright. Children's programmes: Freda Lingstrom. Outside Broadcasts: Peter Dimmock.
Contract Producers: Rudolph Cartier, Stephen Harrison, C Campbell Logan, Close Gibson, Ian Atkins, Alvin Rakoff, Douglas Allen, Gilchrist Calder, Barbara Burnham, Arthur Swinson.
Light Entertainment: Richard Afton, Graeme Muir, Brian Sears, John Warrington, Francis Esses, Leslie T Jackson, Ernest Maxin, Brian Tesler, Duncan Wood, Josephine Douglas, George Inns, Douglas Moodie.
Children: Dorothea Brooking, Naomi Capon, Barbara Hammond, Joy Harington, John Hunter Blair, Kevin Sheldon, Shaun Sutton, Rex Tucker.
Contract Artists: Malcolm Muggeridge, Christopher Mayhew, Humphrey Lestocq, Sir Mortimer Wheeler, Peter Cushing, Anne Crawford, Fred Emney, Dave King, Victor Silvester, Dr Glyn Daniel, Pauline and Larry Forrester, Harry Corbett (Sooty), Josephine Douglas, The Lyon Family, James Fisher, Peter O'Sullevan, Max Robertson, Harry Carpenter, Wynford Vaughan Thomas, Cliff Michelmore, Vic Oliver, Clive Graham, Douglas Muir and Constance Fraser, Ralph Wightman, Audrey Russell, Jack Payne, Raymond, Bernard Fishwick, John Slater, Jeanette Sterke, Henry Sherek, Petula Clark, Andy Stewart, George Martin, Alfred Marks, Alfred Wurmser, Anne Sheppard, Norman Evans, Peter Scott, John Ellison, Frank Muir and Denis Norden, Raymond Glendenning, Franklin Engelmann, Peter Brough, Roger Bannister.
Note- the order is that found in BBC publicity

BBC Studios:
Lime Grove Shepherd's Bush W12, Television Centre Wood Lane W12, Television Theatre (Shepherd's Bush Empire) W12, King's Theatre Hammersmith W6, Riverside Studios W6, Ealing Studios W5.

To BBC start

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The BBC in 1963

Chairman of Governors: Sir Arthur fforde, Vice Chairman: Sir James Duff
Director General: H Carleton-Greene.
Controller of Television Programmes: SC Hood
Controller of Television Programme Services: IR Atkins
Controller of Television Administration: SG Williams
Chief of Programmes (BBC1): DL Baverstock
Chief of Programmes (BBC2): IM Peacock

Heads of Departments:
Talks and Current Affairs: Mrs G Wyndham Goldie. Drama: Sidney Newman. Light Entertainment: TJH Sloan. Outside Broadcasts: Peter Dimmock. Television Enterprises: DG Scuse.

BBC Studios:
Television Centre Wood Lane W12 telephone Shepherd's Bush 8000, Lime Grove Shepherd's Bush W12, Television Theatre W12, Riverside Studios Crisp Road Hammersmith W6, Television Film Studios Ealing Green W5.

To BBC start

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All BBC TV Programmes for May 7th to 13th 1939
At this date, it was estimated about 14,000 private viewers could have watched these programmes.