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Welcome to this new series featuring letters originally published in two magazines produced for archive TV enthusiasts. Test Cards and TV Graphics Review are quarterly magazines produced by HS Publications. The magazines feature a wealth of information associated with the world of archive television and radio covering topics such as broadcasting history, Trade Test Transmissions, BBC-2 Trade Test Colour Films, engineering, Test Card music and much more. If you would like further details about these magazines, plus information about a wide range of books on the subject of television and radio archives, please send a stamped-addressed envelope (or 2 International Reply Coupons -available from main post offices throughout the world- for readers overseas) to the address given at the end of this article.
Wanted: News Sig Tunes
Derek Bracken of County Dublin in Éire is very interested in obtaining information or recordings of signature tunes used by various News programmes. Derek writes: "I would be very interested to hear from anyone who recorded the theme music from the regional BBC News programmes transmitted before 1985, either as video recordings or sound-only. My video recorder is VHS so this type of cassette would be preferable unless readers have suggestions for converting from Betamax to VHS. I would be willing to pay for any conversions providing the costs were not astronomical! Audio cassettes would be acceptable if video recordings are not available. I would also be interested in receiving drawings or off-screen photographs of the graphics used for the programmes. I would be willing to pay all postage costs. Maybe I have some items in my collection which will interest other collectors.
For those who do not have recordings available, memories are just as good to me (well, almost). Can anyone cast their mind back to the introduction of a BBC News and Current Affairs programme called ‘Sixty Minutes’? This replaced the long-running ‘Nationwide’ series in 1983. Between October and Christmas of that year, ‘Sixty Minutes’ started with a trailer for the regional slot. I would be particularly interested to hear from viewers to the programme living in the London area as they received something quite different from the rest of the country. Any memories of the presenters who covered the London news, or how they announced the programme, would be very interesting.
When the programme returned following the Christmas break, the format changed. The presenter of Sixty Minutes (Nick Ross, Sarah Kennedy or Sally Magnusson) would hand viewers over to their regional programme saying that they ‘would be back later on’. I would like to know if those same three presenters then continued the programme in the London area. If so, how did they counter the seeming contradiction for viewers in the South East that they would ‘be back later on’ when, in fact, they had continued to present the whole programme in the London area? During one programme, I heard an announcer read out details about the London show but this was only because the regional studio serving the area in which I lived was a bit slow in opting out from London. If anyone has any memories of what exactly London viewers saw, I would be very pleased to hear from them. Maybe one of the programme directors will read this and reply to me?"
If anyone can help Derek with information about the ‘Sixty Minutes’ programme or any regional News bulletins, please write to him via the address given below.
Wanted: ‘The Gallery’ Signature Tune
Does anyone have a good copy of the tune used to accompany the children’s paintings in the section of the ‘Vision On’ programme called ‘The Gallery’? I have the opening sig tune for ‘Vision On’ itself, but not the fairly slow xylophone (with rhythm accompaniment) music used for the short ‘Gallery’ slot. NB - It's available on the Meldrum Home Page of course!
Philips N1500 Recordings
Lee Jones has written from Fordingbridge in Hampshire about a problem he has with playing back archive video tapes on his Philips N1700 machine. He writes: "I attend a lot of car-boot sales in the hope of finding archive television material on old video cassettes. I recently discovered some tapes but when I came to play them on my N1700 equipment, the results were very disappointing: no sound or vision. A little later, and by complete accident, I did manage to recover the soundtrack but there was still no picture.
I think the problem is that the tapes were recorded on a Philips N1500 machine whereas I am trying to play them back on my N1700. The audio which I eventually recovered sounded far too slow. I managed to record the sound onto an open-reel audio machine and when I played it back at double-speed, it sounded alright. I feel sure that the video cassettes feature archive material but I am unable to play them on my N1700. Does anyone have access to a Philips N1500 video player? Also, my N1700 player has developed a colour fault. Does anyone know of a Philips service department in my area or an engineer who may be able to repair my equipment?"
New Station Logos
Andrew Lilley of Ilford has written with details of changes to some station identification captions. Andrew writes: "Carlton TV changed their station idents last November. The new idents are very imaginative and most of them correspond to the programme which they are introducing. For example, there is smoke coming from the letter ‘N’ before ‘Coronation Street’, the word ‘Carlton’ is upside-down with bubbles coming out of the letter ‘O’ before all Australian ‘soaps’, and there is a blue flashing light inside the letter ‘O’ before all programmes featuring the police."
Sports Theme Tune
Mark Breen has written from Bradford in Yorkshire with details of a theme tune used for a sports programme. Mark writes: "I have recently discovered the theme tune used for the Yorkshire TV Friday night sports programme shown after ‘News At Ten’ (between 1969 and 1970). I think the programme was called ‘Yorksport’ and it was presented by Keith Macklin. The theme tune was called ‘Piccadilly Night Ride’ and was composed by Keith Mansfield and Alan Hawkshaw. The theme tune has been re-issued by KPM on CD 194.
Graphics Wanted
Aleks Radulovic has written from Burton-upon-Trent asking about various archive graphics. Aleks writes: "I am fascinated by some of the older television graphics which I saw as a child during the 1970’s. I would like to know if photographs of any of the following captions are available or whether they have appeared in print:-
1. The BBC "Open University" Clock caption (early 1980’s).
This appeared some time ago in «TV Graphics Review».
2. The BBC-2 Clock caption with the "2" at the bottom and a twin orange line effect before and after the identification.
Again, this has been featured in the magazine.
3. The BBC-2 Clock caption with the word ‘TWO’ at the bottom.
This appeared in Issue 12.
4. The digital clock used by ATV.
This appeared in Issue 16.
5. The BBC-1 Schools And Colleges Countdown Clock with the disappearing dots.
This was featured in the first edition of «TV Graphics Review» (December 1990) but we are pleased to include it here once again.
| The BBC-1 Schools And Colleges Countdown Clock. The ident in the centre was static on this version whereas on the version with BBC-1 identification in large white lettering, the text moved, at least for a short period of time. |  |
6. The BBC-1 Clock caption with very large white identification.
This appeared in Issue 12.
7. The BBC-1 Globe Symbol with large identification in white plus the mirror-image of the world.
Again, this was featured in Issue 12.
8. What did the early BBC Tuning Signals from Alexandra Palace look like?
Here’s an example of one of the very earliest BBC Tuning Signals.
Tuning Signal radiated from Alexandra Palace in 1937.
Christmas Ident Symbols
Mark Breen has written from Bradford with comments about the special Christmas edition of ® TV Graphics Review (Issue 25) published last year. Mark writes: "I really enjoy receiving ® TV Graphics Review . It is such an informative magazine - every time I seem to discover something new! I particularly enjoyed seeing all the old BBC-1 and BBC-2 Christmas Identification Symbols. My first sighting of the ‘Christmas’ BBC-1 Globe was in 1967. I remember it well even though I was only four years old!"
BBC Christmas Symbols
Simon Luxton has written from North Devon to say how much he enjoyed reading Issue 21 which featured a selection of the special BBC Identification Symbols used at Christmas time. Simon writes: "I hope you will print more of these soon. I would particularly like to see all those from 1979 to 1984 as I do not have these on video". Well Simon, our BBC Christmas Ident archives began in 1969. Hopefully we’ll be able to feature more of them in the future. In the meantime, if anyone has photographs or video recordings of BBC Christmas Ident Symbols used up until 1981, or BBC Regional Christmas Idents (Northern Ireland, Scotland and Cymru/Wales) used during any Festive Season, please write in with details.
New Autumn Logos
Andrew Lilley of Ilford has written about the introduction of some new television logos. Andrew writes: "Some channels have taken on a new look for the Autumn season. Bravo, Meridian and LTW have new station idents. Tyne Tees are now called ‘Channel 3 North East’ but, as yet, I have not seen the new logo. To coincide with the launch of the satellite channel Sky 2 on Astra, Sky TV have slightly revamped their station logos."
Wanted: Recordings Of Adverts
James Robinson in Birkenhead has written to ask if anyone has recorded a series of TV adverts. James writes: "It has been a very long time since I saw anything on television which has resembled to some extent the BBC Interlude films shown during the Fifties and early Sixties. But now I have spotted a series of advertisements which remind me of these vintage films. They are the series of Eagle Star Direct ads which have one static camera shot plus a soundtrack. Because I do not know when they will be on I cannot record the. I don’t generally collect recordings of TV adverts but I am interested in these particular 30-second commercials. Does anyone happen to have these on video tape? I have seen the ones with a windscreen wiper, the chessboard, a ticking clock, the garden water spout and the one with classical music. If anyone can help with video recordings of these commercials, please write to me via the magazine. I would also be interested in a recording of the Sky 2 launch at 1900 on September 1st."
"Home-Made Car" Revisited!
A reader in Cheshire (an enthusiast of the BBC-2 Trade Test Colour Films) has sent some very interesting information about the location used for "The Home-Made Car" shown many times during Trade Test Transmissions. He writes: "While on holiday in Winchester, I did some detective work trying to find locations used in ‘The Home-Made Car’ Careful study of the film reveals that the Post Office next to the garage is at Bucks Horn Oak which is a small village on the main A325 out of Farnham. I went to have a look. The BP garage is still there, but much modernised, and so is the house to the left from which the girl is seen busy typing. The Post Office, however, has gone and is now a car wash. At the end of the film the car is seen going past a church. This turned out to be at the village of Seale, again just out of Farnham. The biggest find, however, was the very house where most of the filming took place. It is in Farnborough but the garage of the house where the car was rebuilt has disappeared to be replaced by a new house."
Maybe in years to come, enthusiasts will be taken to the locations by tourist buses to see exactly where "The Home-Made Car" was made! Our thanks to the reader in Cheshire for sending details of his fascinating detective work.
Wanted: BBC-1 and BBC-2 Clock Caption
Richard Bell of Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire would like video recordings of the BBC-1 Clock used just before the introduction of Colour on November 15th 1969, and the one used immediately after. Richard would also like a video recording showing the BBC-2 Clock with ‘BBC-2 COLOUR’ identification below a white horizontal line. A photograph was shown in Issue 15 of TV Graphics Review on page 10 (Fig. 3).
Memories Of The Eurovision Song Contest
Thomas Pahlke has written from Daun/Eifel in Germany following recent articles in TV Graphics Review about the Eurovision Song Contest. Thomas writes: "I very much liked the two articles about the history of the Eurovision Song Contest. It brought back many memories from my childhood days. Watching the Contest was always a family event; we even had bets on who might win!"
Questions & Answers
Ray Sharp has written from Netherfield in Milton Keynes to say that he was very surprised to see the BBC Test Card "A" and Test Card "B" featured in Issue 10 of Test Cards. "I didn’t know these Test Cards existed," Ray said. He has also sent a series of questions. Can anyone supply some of the answers?
Q1. On Horizon Radio on Tuesday May 7th, the breakfast show presenter rang the BBC and asked about Carole Hersee to enquire what she is doing now. Does anyone know what Carole is doing nowadays. Also, is her father still associated with designing BBC Test Cards?
A1. As far as we know, Carole is still connected with a theatrical costumier company. Unfortunately, we didn’t year the Horizon Radio programme, Ray. What information did the presenter receive when he rang the BBC during the show? Regarding Carole’s father, George retired from the BBC some time ago.
Q2. When were Test Card "A" and Test Card "B" first shown?
A2. Test Card "A" was transmitted in the Forties prior to the introduction of the world-famous BBC Test Card "C" in 1947/1948. Test Card "A" was also radiated from the Kirk O’Shotts transmitter because they often lost the feed from London (they apparently had local problems with the public mains supply) and hurriedly switched to Test Card "A". Test Card "B" was never transmitted but used solely for camera line-up work inside the studios at Alexandra Palace.
Q3. Before Sky took them over, BSB used to transmit a test card on the Movie Channel before programmes started. Does anyone have a picture of this?
A3. All the BSB channels transmitted an individual test card together with themed music. Photographs of all the BSB test cards are available and we hope to publish them shortly in our companion magazine, TV Graphics Review. In fact, some have already appeared a couple of years ago. NB - And they all now appear in The Test Card Gallery!
Q4. Which is the tallest transmitter in the whole of the country?
A4. Pass! It all depends on whether you mean the tallest structure or the one which is the highest above sea-level (there could be a relatively small transmitter located atop a huge mountain).
BBC Announcers Wanted
John Grace has telephoned from London with a request for video recordings of former BBC announcers. John explained: "In November 1986, the BBC celebrated fifty years of BBC-tv with a series of programmes from the archives under the overall title of ‘TV 50’. Between the programmes, a number of former television announcers appeared in-vision to tell a few stories about the early days of BBC-tv together with information about the forthcoming programmes. The following announcers appeared: on Sunday November 2nd, Peter Haig; Mary Malcolm on 3rd; Sylvia Peters on 4th; MacDonald Hobley on the 5th; Valerie Pitts on 6th; the series was rounded off on the 7th with Meryl O’Keefe. What I would like to know is who was the in-vision announcer presenting the special archive programmes on Saturday November 1st? I am assuming that the ‘TV 50’ series actually began on the 1st and not on the 2nd."
Editorial Note: We’re pleased to say that after some research, we can clear up this puzzle which we know has been baffling John for some time! All the ‘TV 50’ programmes were transmitted on BBC-2 beginning with ‘Go With Noakes’ at 2.05 p.m. on November 2nd (first shown in March 1977) and ending with ‘Whistle And I’ll Come To You’ at 12.25 a.m. on Saturday 8th (first transmitted in May 1968). There weren’t any special programmes or an in-vision announcer on November 1st. Instead, there was a whole evening of archive clips called That’s Television Entertainment on BBC-1 between 7.35 p.m. and 10.45 p.m.
"Water Mill" Interlude Music
In Issue 9 of Test Cards we mentioned the BBC-tv Interlude Film called "The Water Mill" and wondered whether the haunting music was also used for "The Railway Children". A reader in Cheshire has sent the following thoughts on the subject. He writes: "As a point of interest following one of your reader’s mention of the music used for the BBC-tv adaptation of ‘The Railway Children’, the theme tune was taken from Grieg’s Symphonic Dances (assuming the late Sixties production which is the only one I know of). I don’t know if this was the same music as used with the ‘Water Mill’ Interlude Film.
Editorial Note: This very soothing piece of music, used originally for the BBC-tv "Water Mill" Interlude shown many times in the Fifties, is occasionally played on the BBC Radio 2 programme, Your Hundred Best Tunes, presented by Alan Keith on Sunday evenings. The music was composed by Ronald Binge who, incidentally, originally came from Derby and composed the theme tune used for the BBC Shipping Forecasts called ‘Sailing By’.
Ally Pally: ‘The End’
In Issue 9, John Grace of London requested a photograph (or, better still, a video recording) showing the caption transmitted from Alexandra Palace during the Closedown sequence. The caption consisted of a view of the transmitter with ‘The End’ superimposed.
Wanted: BBC-1 And BBC-2 Clocks
Can anyone help Richard Bell of Melton Mowbray in Leicester with some archive BBC Clocks? Richard writes: "I am trying to obtain video recordings of the BBC-1 pre-Colour Clock and also the BBC-1 Clock which was introduced with the Colour Service on November 15th, 1967. I would also like a video recording of the ‘BBC-2 COLOUR’ Clock used in the late Seventies. The identification (in white) appeared just below a white horizontal line immediately underneath the face of the Clock caption."
If you can help any of our readers’ letters featured above, please write to the following address:-
Keith Hamer, BBC Test Card Club,
HS Publications, 7 Epping Close, Mackworth Estate, Derby DE22 4HR, England (UK)
Please note that we do not currently have access to the Internet. We would be very pleased to hear from readers with information, photographs or comments via the old-fashioned, low-tech mail service. If you do write, and you would like a reply, please don’t forget to enclose a stamped-addressed envelope. If you would like a copy of our current Catalogue which details all our archive TV books and videos, please send 75p in stamps or 4 International Reply Coupons (IRC’s).
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