77-541: That Was the Week That Was , informally TWTWTW or TW3 , is a satirical television comedy programme that aired on BBC Television in 1962 and 1963. It was devised, produced, and directed by Ned Sherrin and Jack (aka John) Duncan, and presented by David Frost . The programme is considered a significant element of the satire boom in the UK in the early 1960s, as it broke ground in comedy by lampooning political figures. TW3
154-503: A television licence fee which TV viewers are required to pay annually. This includes viewers who watch real-time streams or catch up services of the BBC's channels online or via their mobile phone. The BBC's international television channels are funded by advertisements and subscription. These channels are also available outside the UK in neighbouring countries e.g. Belgium, the Netherlands and
231-404: A 'best buy'. The programme was not party political but did not treat all issues with what the producers considered to be a false level of impartiality and balance; one example of this is the issue of racism and "the evils of apartheid ", following the view of BBC Director-General Sir Hugh Greene that the BBC should not be bound by its charter to be impartial on issues of racism, which Greene and
308-734: A compilation of bits from various shows, was issued on LP and, in 1992, reissued on CD. After the series' cancellation, Lehrer, who did not appear on the show, recorded a collection of his songs used on the show on That Was The Year That Was , released by Reprise Records in September 1965. ABC aired a That Was The Week That Was special on 21 April 1985, hosted by David Frost and Anne Bancroft and featuring future Saturday Night Live cast members Jan Hooks and A. Whitney Brown and puppetry from Spitting Image . A Canadian show, This Hour Has Seven Days , aired from 1964 to 1966 on CBC . Although partially inspired by That Was The Week That Was ,
385-477: A contemporaneous depiction of Brother Jonathan looks more like the modern version of Uncle Sam, though without a goatee . An 1893 article in The Lutheran Witness claims Uncle Sam was simply another name for Brother Jonathan : When we meet him in politics we call him Uncle Sam; when we meet him in society we call him Brother Jonathan . Here of late Uncle Sam alias Brother Jonathan has been doing
462-551: A converted wing of Alexandra Palace in London. "Ally Pally" housed two studios, various scenery stores, make-up areas, dressing rooms, offices, and the transmitter itself, which then broadcast on the VHF band. BBC television initially used two systems on alternate weeks: the 240-line Baird intermediate film system and the Marconi-EMI 405-line television system . The use of both formats made
539-567: A footnote defining Uncle Sam as "a cant term in the army for the United States ." Presumably, it came from the abbreviation of the United States of America: U.S. The precise origin of the Uncle Sam character is unclear, but a popular legend is that the name "Uncle Sam" was derived from Samuel Wilson , a meatpacker from Troy, New York , who supplied rations for American soldiers during
616-470: A grand job". At the end of each episode, Frost usually signed off with: "That was the week, that was." At the end of the final programme he announced: "That was ‘That Was The Week That Was’ …that was." TW3 produced a shortened 20-minute programme with no satire for the edition on Saturday, 23 November 1963, the day after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy . It featured a contribution from Dame Sybil Thorndike and Millicent Martin performing
693-497: A popular symbol of the U.S. government in American culture and a manifestation of patriotic emotion. Uncle Sam has also developed notoriety for his appearance in military propaganda , popularized by a 1917 World War I recruiting poster by J. M. Flagg . According to legend, the character came into use during the War of 1812 and may have been named for Samuel Wilson . The actual origin
770-496: A powerful lot of complaining, hardly doing anything else. [ sic ] Uncle Sam did not get a standard appearance, even with the effective abandonment of Brother Jonathan near the end of the American Civil War , until the well-known recruitment image of Uncle Sam was first created by James Montgomery Flagg during World War I . The image was inspired by a British recruitment poster showing Lord Kitchener in
847-466: A range of programmes intended to be eclectic and diverse (although if a programme has high audience ratings it is often eventually repositioned to BBC One). The different remit of BBC2 allowed its first controller, David Attenborough to commission the first heavyweight documentaries and documentary series such as Civilisation , The Ascent of Man and Horizon . Attenborough was later granted sabbatical leave from his job as Controller to work with
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#1733085449479924-492: A result of the 2016 Licence Fee settlement, the BBC Television division was split, with in-house television production being separated into a new division called BBC Studios and the remaining parts of television (channels and genre commissioning, BBC Sport and BBC iPlayer) being renamed BBC Content . The BBC operates several television networks, television stations (although there is generally very little distinction between
1001-466: A result, the BBC Television division is now known internally as BBC Content and "BBC Television" as an entity has ceased to exist. On 8 December 2020, Moore announced a new leadership structure for BBC Content taking effect in April 2021, which will prioritise iPlayer in order to compete with commercial streaming services. The role of Controller for BBC One, Two, and Four will be scrapped, in favour of giving
1078-444: A similar pose. It is this image more than any other that has influenced the modern appearance of Uncle Sam: an elderly white man with white hair and a goatee , wearing a white top hat with white stars on a blue band, a blue tail coat , and red-and-white-striped trousers. Flagg's depiction of Uncle Sam was shown publicly for the first time, according to some, on the cover of the magazine Leslie's Weekly on July 6, 1916, with
1155-492: A song ("That was the week that was, It's over, let it go ...") sung by Millicent Martin , backed by the resident Dave Lee house band, including guitarist Cedric West . The opening song featured new lyrics each week referring to the news of the week just gone. Lance Percival sang a topical calypso each week. Satirical targets, such as Prime Minister Harold Macmillan and Home Secretary Henry Brooke were lampooned in sketches, debates and monologues. Some other targets included
1232-459: A stage show called This Is the Week That Is . The variety show style play is written by its small cast with a script that changes nightly over several weeks of performances, and includes improvised comedy, musical parodies, and a versatile cast of performers. The show focuses on politics and news from the preceding year, often taking on local Philadelphia stories as well. In 2019, a documentary, In
1309-515: A trial basis for six months; early television sets supported both resolutions. However, the Baird system, which used a mechanical camera for filmed programming and Farnsworth image dissector cameras for live programming, proved too cumbersome and visually inferior, and ended with closedown (at 22:00) on Saturday 30 January 1937. It was advertised in Radio Times for two weeks later but the decision to end
1386-459: Is het toevallig ook nog 's een keer ( It Just So Happens Once Again ), aired from November 1963 to 1966. It became controversial after the fourth edition, which included a parody of the Lord's Prayer ("Give us this day our daily television"). Angry viewers directed their protests especially against the most popular cast member: Mies Bouwman . After receiving several threats to her life she decided to quit
1463-481: Is obscure. The first reference to Uncle Sam in formal literature (as distinct from newspapers) was in the 1816 allegorical book The Adventures of Uncle Sam, in Search After His Lost Honor . While the figure of Uncle Sam specifically represents the government , the female figure of Columbia represents the United States as a nation. An archaic character, Brother Jonathan , was known to represent
1540-607: Is split up into fifteen regions (such as South West and East), which exist mainly to produce local news programming, but also occasionally opt out of the network to show programmes of local importance (such as major local events). The other nations of the United Kingdom (Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) have been granted more autonomy from the English network; for example, programmes are mostly introduced by local announcers, rather than by those in London. BBC One and BBC Two schedules in
1617-557: The BBC Studios Natural History Unit which had existed since the 1950s. This unit is now famed throughout the world for producing high quality programmes with Attenborough such as Life on Earth , The Private Life of Plants , The Blue Planet , The Life of Mammals , Planet Earth and Frozen Planet . National and regional variations also occur within the BBC One and BBC Two schedules. England's BBC One output
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#17330854494791694-459: The Sky Digital platform, such as Scottish Premier League and Scottish Cup football , while on other platforms such broadcasts were not disrupted. Later, when rights contracts were renewed, this problem was resolved. The BBC Television department headed by Jana Bennett was absorbed into a new, much larger group; BBC Vision, in late 2006. The new group was part of larger restructuring within
1771-453: The US Navy ) states: weighed anchor stood down the harbor, passed Sandy Hook , where there are two light-houses, and put to sea, first and the second day out most deadly seasick, oh could I have got onshore in the hight [ sic ] of it, I swear that uncle Sam, as they call him, would certainly forever have lost the services of at least one sailor. An 1810 edition of Niles' Weekly Register has
1848-571: The monarchy , the British Empire , nuclear deterrence , advertising, public relations and propaganda, capital punishment, sexual and social hypocrisy, the class system , and the BBC itself. Well-remembered sketches include the 12 January 1963 "consumers' guide to religion", which discussed relative merits of faiths in the manner of a Which? magazine report and led to the Church of England being described
1925-470: The president's funeral from Washington, and he said that the programme was a good expression of the sorrow felt in Britain. Prime Minister Harold Macmillan was initially supportive of the programme, chastising Postmaster General Reginald Bevins for threatening to "do something about it". However, the BBC received many complaints from organisations and establishment figures. Lord Aldington , vice-chairman of
2002-401: The 1825 novel Brother Jonathan by John Neal . Uncle Sam finally appeared after the War of 1812 . Columbia appeared with either Brother Jonathan or Uncle Sam, but her use declined as a national person in favor of Liberty, and she was effectively abandoned once she became the mascot of Columbia Pictures in the 1920s. A March 24, 1810, journal entry by Isaac Mayo (a midshipman in
2079-533: The 30-line images, carried by telephone line to the medium wave transmitter at Brookmans Park , until 11 September 1935, by which time advances in the all-electronic 405-line television system made electromechanical broadcasts and systems obsolete. Following a series of test transmissions and special broadcasts that began in August 1936, the BBC Television Service officially launched on 2 November 1936 from
2156-561: The American populace. The earliest known personification of the United States was as a woman named Columbia , who first appeared in 1738 ( pre-US ) and sometimes was associated with another female personification, Lady Liberty . With the American Revolutionary War of 1775 came Brother Jonathan , a male personification. Brother Jonathan saw full literary development into the personification of American national character through
2233-447: The BBC announced plans to merge BBC News (for UK audiences) and BBC World News (for international audiences) as one international news network, under the name BBC News, covering news from both the UK and around the world. The merger took effect in April 2023. In November 2024, six BBC FAST channels were added to Australia's 9Now platform. The BBC domestic television channels do not broadcast advertisements; they are instead funded by
2310-522: The BBC announced that from the end of May 2003 (subsequently deferred to 14 July) it intended to transmit all eight of its domestic television channels (including the 15 regional variations of BBC1) unencrypted from the Astra 2D satellite. This move was estimated to save the BBC £85 million over the next five years. While the "footprint" of the Astra 2D satellite was smaller than that of Astra 2A , from which it
2387-522: The BBC from its studio in Long Acre in the Covent Garden area of London via the BBC's London radio transmitter propagating an analog signal . Baird used his electromechanical system with a vertically scanned image of 30 lines, which is just enough resolution for a close-up of one person, and a bandwidth low enough to use existing radio transmitters. The simultaneous transmission of sound and pictures
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2464-456: The BBC with the onset of new media outlets and technology. In 2008, the BBC began experimenting with live streaming of certain channels in the UK, and in November 2008, all standard BBC television channels were made available to watch online via BBC iPlayer . When Tony Hall became Director General in April 2013, he reverted the division to its original name of BBC Television. As Television it
2541-421: The BBC's genre heads autonomy in commissioning programmes without the requirement for a channel controller to provide secondary approval. A team of "portfolio editors" will select from these commissions for carriage on BBC television channels and iPlayer, with iPlayer Controller Dan McGolpin will becoming Portfolio Director for iPlayer and channels. McGolpin and the genre heads will report to Moore. In July 2022,
2618-477: The BBC's service the world's first regular high-definition television service; it broadcast from Monday to Saturday between 15:00 and 16:00, and 21:00 and 22:00. The first programme broadcast – and thus the first ever, on a dedicated TV channel – was "Opening of the BBC Television Service" at 15:00. The first major outside broadcast was the coronation of George VI and Elizabeth in May 1937. The two systems were to run on
2695-639: The BBC. Programmes have also been imported mainly from English-speaking countries: notable—though no longer shown—examples include The Simpsons from the United States and Neighbours from Australia. Programming from countries outside the English-speaking world consisted of feature films, shown in the original language with subtitles instead of being dubbed , with dubbing only used for cartoons and children's programmes. These included programmes from Eastern Europe , including The Singing Ringing Tree from East Germany , although voice-over translation
2772-527: The Baird system was made too late for it be changed in the printed Radio Times . Initially, the station's range was officially a 40 kilometres radius of the Alexandra Palace transmitter—in practice, however, transmissions could be picked up a good deal further away, and on one occasion in 1938 were picked up by engineers at RCA in New York, who were experimenting with a British television set. The service
2849-533: The Canadian show mixed satirical aspects with more serious journalism. It proved controversial and was cancelled after two seasons amid allegations of political interference. This Hour Has 22 Minutes , created by Newfoundland comic Mary Walsh , has been running since 1992 although the two are not related. An Australian show, The Mavis Bramston Show , aired from 1964 to 1968 on the Seven Network . It grew out of
2926-525: The Conservative Party, wrote to BBC director-general Hugh Greene that Frost had a hatred of the prime minister which "he finds impossible to control". The programme also attracted complaints from the Boy Scout Association about an item questioning the sexuality of its founder Lord Baden-Powell , and from the government of Cyprus which claimed that a joke about their ruler Archbishop Makarios
3003-635: The Fat , and BBC Northern Ireland's talk show Patrick Kielty Almost Live . During the 1980s, the BBC came under pressure to commission more programmes from independent British production companies, and following the Broadcasting Act 1990 it was legally required to source 25% of its output from such companies by the terms of the Act. This eventually led to the creation of the "WoCC" (Window of Creative Competition) for independent production companies to pitch programmes to
3080-572: The Field; Conceiving Satire: The Making of This Is The Week That Is , about the creation of the long-running show was commissioned by the American Theatre Wing and nominated for a Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award for Arts Program/Special. BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC . The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom , under
3157-546: The Republic of Ireland. For BBC News, CBBC and Cbeebies see national & international channels On 3 April 2023, the BBC merged the BBC News and BBC World News channels into a single networked news channel, but there are opt-outs for both the domestic and international versions. The BBC's wholly owned commercial subsidiary, BBC Studios , also operates several international television channels under BBC branding: The BBC also owns
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3234-468: The War of 1812. There was a requirement at the time for contractors to stamp their name and where the rations came from onto the food they were sending. Wilson's packages were labeled "E.A.—U.S." When someone asked what that stood for, a co-worker jokingly said, "Elbert Anderson [the contractor] and Uncle Sam," referring to Wilson, though the U.S. actually stood for "United States". Doubts have been raised as to
3311-453: The audience. Cleveland , Ohio, local personality Ghoulardi (played by Ernie Anderson), host of WJW -TV's Shock Theater in the 1960s, ran clips of local celebrities and politicians and satirised them in a Shock Theater segment entitled That Was Weak Wasn't It? Beginning in 2006, 1812 Productions, an all comedy theatre company in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, has annually performed
3388-403: The authenticity of this story, as the claim did not appear in print until 1842. Additionally, the earliest known mention definitely referring to the metaphorical Uncle Sam is from 1810, predating Wilson's contract with the government. In 1835, Brother Jonathan made a reference to Uncle Sam, implying that they symbolized different things: Brother Jonathan was the country itself, while Uncle Sam
3465-553: The award of Nobel prizes to John Kendrew and Max Perutz , and to Francis Crick , James D. Watson , and Maurice Wilkins was satirised in a short sketch with the prizes referred to as the Alfred Nobel Peace Pools; in this sketch Watson was called "Little J. D. Watson" and "Who'd have thought he'd ever get the Nobel Prize? Makes you think, doesn't it". The germ of the joke was that Watson was only 25 when he helped discover
3542-568: The branches of the tree ...") accompanied by minstrel singers in blackface ("... we hate all the darkies and the Catholics and the Jews / Where we welcome any man / Who is white and strong and belongs to the Ku Klux Klan "), thus parodying The Black and White Minstrel Show , which was then being shown on the BBC despite accusations of racism over its use of blackface. On Saturday, 20 October 1962
3619-581: The caption "What Are You Doing for Preparedness?" More than four million copies of this image were printed between 1917 and 1918. Flagg's image was also used extensively during World War II , during which the US was codenamed "Samland" by the German intelligence agency Abwehr . The term was central in the song " The Yankee Doodle Boy ", which was featured in 1942 in the musical Yankee Doodle Dandy . There are two memorials to Uncle Sam, both of which commemorate
3696-429: The end of TW3 . Frost suggested a means of sabotaging this tactic to Sherrin, and he agreed. For three weeks, at the end of each episode Frost read out a brief summary of the plot of the episode of The Third Man that was due to follow the show, spoiling its twists, until the repeats were abandoned following the direct intervention of Greene. Frost often ended a satirical attack with the remark "But seriously, he's doing
3773-566: The existing VHF 405-line television system. On 1 July 1967, BBC Two became the first television channel in Europe to broadcast regularly in colour, using the West German PAL system that was used for decades until it was gradually superseded by digital systems. ( BBC One and ITV began 625-line colour broadcasts simultaneously on 15 November 1969). Unlike other terrestrial channels, BBC Two does not have soap opera or standard news programming, but
3850-433: The following: BBC Japan was a general entertainment channel, which operated between December 2004 and April 2006. It ceased operations after its Japanese distributor folded. Uncle Sam Uncle Sam (which has the same initials U.S. as United States ) is a common national personification of the federal government of the United States or the country in general . Since the early 19th century, Uncle Sam has been
3927-921: The life of Samuel Wilson: the Uncle Sam Memorial Statue in Arlington, Massachusetts , his birthplace; and a memorial near his long-term residence in Riverfront Park, Troy, New York . Wilson's boyhood home can still be visited in Mason, New Hampshire . Samuel Wilson died on July 31, 1854, aged 87, and is buried in Oakwood Cemetery , Troy, New York. In 1976, Uncle Sam was depicted in " Our Nation's 200th Birthday , The Telephone's 100th Birthday " by Stanley Meltzoff for Bell System . In 1989, "Uncle Sam Day" became official. A Congressional joint resolution designated September 13, 1989, as "Uncle Sam Day",
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#17330854494794004-464: The newly acquired Lime Grove Studios . Postwar broadcast coverage was extended to Birmingham in 1949, with the opening of the Sutton Coldfield transmitting station , and by the mid-1950s most of the country was covered, transmitting a 405-line interlaced video image on VHF. BBC TV was split into BBC1 and BBC2 in 1964, with BBC2 having a remit to provide more niche programming. The channel
4081-524: The other UK nations can vary immensely from BBC One and BBC Two in England. Programmes, such as the politically fuelled Give My Head Peace (produced by BBC Northern Ireland) and the soap opera River City (produced by BBC Scotland), have been created specifically to cater for some viewers in their respective nations. BBC Scotland produces daily programmes for its Gaelic -speaking viewers, including current affairs, political and children's programming such as
4158-801: The pilot episode was not recorded. A compilation of material was shown on BBC Four to celebrate the 40th anniversary. The series placed 29th in the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes in 2000. An American version was on NBC from 10 November 1963 to May 1965. The pilot featured Henry Fonda and Henry Morgan , with Mike Nichols and Elaine May as guests, and supporting performers including Gene Hackman . The recurring cast included Frost, Morgan, Buck Henry , Tom Bosley , and Alan Alda , with Nancy Ames singing an opening news-satire-song and Stanley Grover and Ames performing solos and duets. Regularly contributing writers included Gloria Steinem , William F. Brown , Tom Lehrer , and Calvin Trillin . The announcer
4235-478: The popular Eòrpa and Dè a-nis? . BBC Wales also produces a large amount of Welsh language programming for S4C , particularly news, sport and other programmes, especially the soap opera Pobol y Cwm ('People of the Valley') briefly shown on BBC2 across the UK with subtitles in the 1990s. The UK nations also produce a number of programmes that are shown across the UK, such as BBC Scotland's comedy series Chewin'
4312-584: The producers of TW3 viewed as "quite simply wrong". Following the 1963 murder of 35-year-old white postal worker William Lewis Moore in Alabama, who was on a protest march against segregation in the American South , TW3 's Millicent Martin dressed as Uncle Sam sang a parody of "I Wanna Go Back to Mississippi" ("... where the Mississippi mud/kinda mingles with the blood/of the niggers who are hanging from
4389-660: The programme opened with a song – "That Was The Week That Was" – sung by Martin to Ron Grainer 's theme tune and enumerating topics in the news. Frankie Howerd also guested in one episode with stand-up comedy. Script-writers included John Albery , John Antrobus , John Betjeman , John Bird , Graham Chapman , John Cleese , Peter Cook , Roald Dahl , Robin Grove-White , Richard Ingrams , Lyndon Irving, Gerald Kaufman , Frank Muir , David Nobbs , Denis Norden , Bill Oddie , Dennis Potter , Eric Sykes , Kenneth Tynan , and Keith Waterhouse . The programme opened with
4466-728: The recent local theatrical tradition of topical satirical revue—most notably the popular revues staged at Sydney's Phillip Street Theatre in the 1950s and 1960s—but it was also strongly influenced by the British satire boom and especially TW3 and Not Only... But Also . The New Zealand show A Week Of It ran from 1977 to 1979, hosted by Ken Ellis, and featuring comedians David McPhail , Peter Rowley and Chris McVeigh and comedian/musicians Jon Gadsby and Annie Whittle . The series lampooned news and politics and featured songs, usually by McPhail and Gadsby, who continued with their own show, McPhail and Gadsby in similar vein. A Dutch version, Zo
4543-683: The second and final season were recorded in the then-standard two-inch colour quadruplex videotape format. The Paley Center has copies of some seven episodes, including the hour-long pilot. Also, scripts of all shows survive, both in the NBC Collection at the Library of Congress and in the papers of executive producer Leland Hayward at the New York Public Library. Amateur audio recordings of all or nearly all episodes also survive, and an hour-long recording, That Was That Was The Week That Was,
4620-521: The show. The show was praised as well: in 1966 it received the Gouden Televizier-ring, a prestigious audience award—though it turned out afterward that the election was rigged. An Indian version titled The Week That Wasn't was launched and hosted by Cyrus Broacha . In 2004, ABC News revived the iconic TW3 theme song as a closing segment on its weekly magazine program, Primetime Live . Several two-minute episodes aired, but never caught on with
4697-401: The structure of DNA; much younger than the others. TW3 was broadcast on Saturday night and attracted an audience of 12 million. It often under- or overran as cast and crew worked through material as they saw fit. At the beginning of the second season in the autumn of 1963, in an attempt to assert control over the programme, the BBC scheduled repeats of The Third Man television series after
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#17330854494794774-412: The terms of a royal charter , since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 1932, although the start of its regular service of television broadcasts is dated to 2 November 1936. The BBC's domestic television channels have no commercial advertising and collectively they accounted for more than 30% of all UK viewing in 2013. The services are funded by a television licence . As
4851-555: The tribute song " In the Summer of His Years " by Herbert Kretzmer . This was screened on NBC the following day, and the soundtrack was released by Decca Records . A clip featuring Roy Kinnear was shown in the David L. Wolper documentary film Four Days in November and on the History Channel 2009 documentary JFK: 3 Shots that Changed America . BBC presenter Richard Dimbleby broadcast
4928-555: The two terms in the UK), and related programming services in the United Kingdom. As well as being a broadcaster, the corporation also produces a large number of its own outsourcing programmes and thereby ranks as one of the world's largest television production companies. John Logie Baird set up the Baird Television Development Company in 1926; on 30 September 1929, he made the first experimental television broadcast for
5005-471: The war effort, in particular on the radar programme. The last programme transmitted was a Mickey Mouse cartoon, Mickey's Gala Premier (1933), which was followed by test transmissions; this account refuted the popular memory according to which broadcasting was suspended before the end of the cartoon. According to figures from Britain's Radio Manufacturers Association, 18,999 television sets had been manufactured from 1936 to September 1939, when production
5082-457: Was Jerry Damon . A running gag was a mock feud with Jack Paar , whose own program followed TW3 on the NBC Friday schedule; Paar repeatedly referred to TW3 as "Henry Morgan's Amateur Hour". Of 50 episodes, only a few survive in video form, yet audio episodes survive on acetate disc . The first-season black-and-white episodes were preserved on kinescope film; the surviving colour episodes of
5159-411: Was a "gross violation of internationally accepted ethics". Historians have identified TW3 as breaking ground in comedy and broadcasting. Graham McCann said that it challenged the "convention that television should not acknowledge that it is television; the show made no attempt to hide its cameras, allowed the microphone boom to intrude, and often revealed other nuts and bolts of studio technology." This
5236-616: Was achieved on 30 March 1930, by using the BBC's new twin transmitter at Brookmans Park . By late 1930, thirty minutes of morning programmes were broadcast from Monday to Friday, and thirty minutes at midnight on Tuesdays and Fridays after BBC radio went off the air. Baird's broadcasts via the BBC continued until June 1932. The BBC began its own regular television programming from the basement of Broadcasting House , London, on 22 August 1932. The studio moved to larger quarters in 16 Portland Place , London, in February 1934, and continued broadcasting
5313-517: Was broadcast from Saturday, 24 November 1962 to late December 1963. An American version under the same title aired on NBC from 1964 to 1965, also featuring Frost. Cast members included cartoonist Timothy Birdsall , political commentator Bernard Levin , and actors Lance Percival , who sang topical calypsos, many improvised to suggestions from the audience, Kenneth Cope , Roy Kinnear , Willie Rushton , Al Mancini , Robert Lang , David Kernan and Millicent Martin . The last two were also singers and
5390-479: Was due to launch on 20 April 1964, but this was postponed after a fire at Battersea Power Station resulted in most of west London, including Television Centre , losing power. A videotape made on the opening night was rediscovered in 2003 by a BBC technician. The launch went ahead the following night, beginning with host Denis Tuohy sarcastically blowing out a candle. BBC2 was the first British channel to use UHF and 625-line pictures, giving higher definition than
5467-421: Was halted by the war. BBC Television returned on 7 June 1946 at 15:00. Jasmine Bligh , one of the original announcers, made the first announcement, saying, 'Good afternoon everybody. How are you? Do you remember me, Jasmine Bligh?'. The Mickey Mouse cartoon of 1939 was repeated twenty minutes later. Alexandra Palace was the home base of the channel until the early 1950s, when the majority of production moved into
5544-429: Was previously broadcast encrypted, it meant that viewers with appropriate equipment were able to receive BBC channels "free-to-air" over much of Western Europe. Consequently, some rights concerns have needed to be resolved with programme providers such as Hollywood studios and sporting organisations, which have expressed concern about the unencrypted signal leaking out. This led to some broadcasts being made unavailable on
5621-442: Was reaching an estimated 25,000–40,000 homes before the outbreak of World War II which caused the BBC Television service to be suspended on 1 September 1939 with little warning. On 1 September 1939, the station went off the air; the government was concerned that the VHF transmissions would act as a beacon to enemy aircraft homing in on London. Also, many of the television service's technical staff and engineers would be needed for
5698-552: Was responsible for the commissioning, scheduling and broadcasting of all programming on the BBC's television channels and online, as well as producing content for broadcast. Following the 2016 Licence Fee settlement, BBC Television was split into two divisions, with in-house television production being separated into a new division called BBC Studios controlled by Mark Linsey and the remaining parts of television (channels and genre commissioning, BBC Sport and BBC iPlayer) being renamed as BBC Content, controlled by Charlotte Moore . As
5775-654: Was the government and its power. A clockmaker in an 1849 comedic novel explains "we call...the American public Uncle Sam, as you call the British John Bull ." By the 1850s, the names Brother Jonathan and Uncle Sam were being used nearly interchangeably, to the point that images of what had previously been called "Brother Jonathan" were being called "Uncle Sam". Similarly, the appearance of both personifications varied wildly. For example, one depiction of Uncle Sam in 1860 showed him looking like Benjamin Franklin , while
5852-463: Was unusual in the 1960s and gave the programme a modern feel. TW3 also flouted conventions by adopting "a relaxed attitude to its running time", and "it seemed to last just as long as it wanted". The programme was taken off the air at short notice in December 1963 with the explanation that "1964 is a General Election year". TW3 was broadcast live, but it was normally recorded for legal reasons; only
5929-448: Was used instead of dubbing for budgetary reasons. Ceefax , the first teletext service, launched on 23 September 1974. This service allowed BBC viewers to view textual information such as the latest news on their television. CEEFAX did not make a full transition to digital television, instead being gradually replaced, from late onwards, by the new interactive BBCi service before being fully closed down on 22 October 2012. In March 2003
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