BBC Experimental Colour Broadcasts 1958

[Richard Moore]

I've just come across reference to this in my researches and did not know the BBC were experimenting with colour for such a long time.

It appears that they were broadcasting special colour shows in the London area after normal programmes had ended.

Does anybody know anymore? (the dates I have are Jan - March 1958) Does any footage survive? (probably B&W Tele recordings - if anything - I suppose)

Did the BBC actually list these shows in the Radio Times? If not is there anywhere that would have info on what was shown?

Thanks

Richard

[Andrew Doherty]

Experimental colour television broadcasting goes further back than 1958.

Studio B at Alexandra Palace in 1956 was set up for 405 line exprimental colour broadcasts. In a 'Panorama' special from July, 1956, Richard Dimbleby showed viewers this studio and one of the colour cameras used. This 'special' exists in the archive.

The same year, the Radio Exhibition in London demonstrated 405 line colour television to a delighted public.

There is a 1957 BBC programme filmed in colour titled, 'Men Women and Clothes', which I remember watching on television back in the late fifties. However, it was only broadcast in monochrome.

Yours,

[Andrew Martin]

richardm said:

I've just come across reference to this in my researches and did not know the BBC were experimenting with colour for such a long time.

It appears that they were broadcasting special colour shows in the London area after normal programmes had ended.

Does anybody know anymore? (the dates I have are Jan - March 1958) Does any footage survive? (probably B&W Tele recordings - if anything - I suppose)

Did the BBC actually list these shows in the Radio Times? If not is there anywhere that would have info on what was shown?

Thanks

Richard

I came across some of these programmes while researching for "Kaleidoscope" recently - there were several dramas broadcast, as you say, after the end of normal transmissions. They were not billed in Radio Times, and they were indeed only shown in the London area. Nothing survives of them, they were broadcast live (naturally enough) and if they were recorded (either in b/w or as a colour telerecording) they have not been kept as far as I know. Unfortunately I have not got the details of these to hand of the titles, cast etc, but each of the dramas was transmitted several times on successive nights, presumably to test different aspects of the colour system being used. I will try to dig out my notes about these productions (though it will take a week or so as I will be on holiday until after Easter).

[emitron]

Apart from the short extracts of colour film, telerecording and the six part fashion series and a demonstration insert in b/w into "The World Our Stage", the only complete programme I've heard of existing is this, from which clips are often used. There are also a series of colour stills taken directly from the receiver screens (like telesnaps) from these demo broadcasts.

The ICI film mentioned as used is on INFAX ("This is Colour" is the full title) was made in 1942 featuring an impressive showcase of materials and scenes in colour. It was photographed by Jack Cardiff in such places as a dye factory. It must have been cut as the proper running time is 17 mins.

A BBC EXPERIMENTAL COLOUR TRANSMISSION
A television programme
BBC Programme Number: LPR5415N
First broadcast on 1957-01-31
Notes: THIS IS A 'LIVE REPEAT'/RE-PERFORMANCE OF PROG 30/1/57
Description
(reveal extra detail) (hide extra detail)

B/W recording of the BBC colour test transmissions.
REEL 1: Title seqs followed by Sylvia PETERS intro (mute) (00.00-00.57) montage seq incl barn, bowl of fruit, archway & pot of tea and cups, Queen's guards (sound begins) (-02.05) Sylvia PETERS intros Cy GRANT (-02.17) Cy GRANT sings calypso song abt colour TV (04.12) var s dance routine by the "Silhouettes" (-07.34) Cy GRANT sings again (-09.25) Sylvia PETERS introduces film about roses, montage seq flowers and shrubs (-13.38) Carol CARR sings "Smoke gets in your eyes" (-15.01) END REEL ONE REEL 2: Reprise Carol CARR sings "Smoke get's in your eyes" (00.00-01.40) Sylvia PETERS introduces Dr SWINTON (Nat History Museum) & James FISHER who show crystals, butterflies and other naturally colourful objects (-08.00) cont....
REEL 2 (cont): Sylvia PETERS introduces a technicolour film about colour (-08.13) Film "Colour" (ICI Copyright) commentary by Joseph MCLEOD (-12.30) Carol CARR sings "Little yellow bird" (-14.30) "Silhouettes" dance seq as bullfighers (-16.36) Carol CARR sings (-18.31) Sylvia PETERS ends colour demonstration programme (-19.00) end

[Dave Andrews]

There's a sequence, in colour, at the end of Richard Cawston's otherwise b&w 1960 documentary This is the BBC which portrays (it was probably staged, and not 'actuality') a colour test programme being made, with the implication that it was broadcast after normal shutdown.

[Richard Moore]

A wealth of information as always!

Seems odd the the BBC should spend what must have been a considerable amount of money on broadcasting dramas etc that were only seen by a very small number of people!

Many thanks guys

Richard

[Dave Andrews]

I think the Beeb really thought of it as an investment, to make sure that they were on top of the technology when and if it ever came. Remember by 1958 ITV was a real competitor, and doing rather well for audiences.

After all, how many people had TVs in the mid/late 30s when the Beeb decided to have a TV service ? It was only broadcasting to London (and other parts of the SE 'when the wind was right').

Actually, back in the '50s-'70s the Beeb spent quite a lot on R&D, they had quite a big research establishment at Kingswood Warren (I had an interview there [and that was all ] in '71)

BTW Anyone remember the IEE Faraday Lectures that toured in 1965, on Colour TV ? The science teacher got us (U5) tickets for the schools' one at the Colston Hall in Bristol. Magic !

[Deleted]

"Apart from the short extracts of colour film, telerecording and the six part fashion series and a demonstration insert in b/w into "The World Our Stage", the only complete programme I've heard of existing is this, from which clips are often used. There are also a series of colour stills taken directly from the receiver screens (like telesnaps) from these demo broadcasts".

Interesting info, Andy. Presumably this item exists outside the BBC (as Andrew Martin said above that nothing survived from those broadcasts)? I've seen such clips myself used in retrospectives though, a b/w t/r which is preceded by the "palette" slide, going into a shot of men discussing natural history or similar. Would this be from the recording you mention?

Could the BBC's technical department have recorded any of these broadcasts though? I recall reading something about this some years ago where the director of some colour experiments was interviewed (Michael Leeston-Smith?) and reckoned that they were recorded by that wing of the BBC. Worth checking out, i'd think.

Incidentally, for anyone wanting to know, the BBC began experimental colour transmissions in 1954. From Alexandra Palace only and they were 405 line / NTSC.

[Andrew Doherty]

From what I know of the 405 line colour experiments, the smeary appearance of some of the colours, especially red, made the BBC think again about the NTSC colour system, and it was another reason why they felt it would be better to wait for higher definition broadcasting. Perhaps it is as well they did, when all said and done.

Yours,