Continuity and TV Announcers

[Simon Winters]

The Rediffusion start-up sequences which can be found on the internet and among some collectors are all mock-ups, courtesy of Transdiffusion. The sound on them is mainly original, though.

No original Rediffusion/AR start-ups are known to exist, although who knows what will resurface in the future.

There is one ATV and one AR closedown in existence as 16mm telerecording. Kal have both of these.

There are sound recordings of the final broadcasts of both Rediffusion and of ATV London in existence. These used to be on a website called 'The Continuity Booth' and I seem to remember them being on another website somewhere.

ITV sixties continuity is so rare, as ITV virtually never preserved it (unlike the BBC). As others said previously, only tiny snippets survive. Hopefully, most if not all of this will be available to view on the day. certainly, the TTTV and YTV openings will not have been seen anywhere since original transmission.

I feel a bit responsible for getting continuity fans to come to this Kal event, having pestered Chris Perry et al into putting it on. Well done to them for venturing into unchartered territory.

And, if Central News have found the idea good enough to cover, then Kal must be onto a good thing.

Given that it is a one off, and given that they have spent serious amounts of time and money on this day, and also given that there has never been a continuity-themed day to my knowledge anywhere else before....... I think people really should try to get there. If necessary, cancel your hip replacement appointments, and pick up your anoraks from the cleaners another day.

[Deleted]

May 27, 2009 11:06:46 GMT Simon Winters said:

There is one ATV and one AR closedown in existence as 16mm telerecording. Kal have both of these.

That's very interesting, Simon. Would the A-R closedown be the general election one? When does the ATV (London or Midlands?) one come from? Was it on the end of another programme or recorded specifically for some reason? I'm curious about there being no start-ups surviving as I have something on video somewhere (not a recreation) which has a few seconds of Picasso "London" card on t/r followed by Rediffusion ident. I wonder where this would be from (and, indeed, where is resides now)?

Those Transdiffusion recreations go to a lot of trouble and are interesting to watch as approximations but get some of the small details wrong though, I have to say.

[Simon Winters]

The ATV sixties closedown is on the back end of a telerecording of an edition of 'Lunch Box', and the AR closedown at the back end of the ITN recording of General Election 1959. Both preserved by chance.

[Deleted]

Ah, yes. I'd forgotten about that Lunchbox closedown! Thanks Simon.

By the way, i've sent you a pm.

[Simon Winters]

I am sure that the poor quality rediffusion start-up which was doing the rounds some time ago is in fact a poor vhs version of a Transdiffusion recreation, which looks more authentic as it has been copied down so frequently.

[Peter Stirling]

May 27, 2009 12:40:34 GMT Simon Winters said:

I am sure that the poor quality rediffusion start-up which was doing the rounds some time ago is in fact a poor vhs version of a Transdiffusion recreation, which looks more authentic as it has been copied down so frequently.

If it was a much copied VHS it would look like an oil painting, but it certainly does not look like that.
It has a false line lock and other defects suggestive of an aged CV2000 recording, but who knows it may indeed be a clever mock up ?

BTW My offer to link these clips was aimed at those who were just passing by and interested - not members of the archive lodge who know all the materials in circulation

[Deleted]

May 27, 2009 12:40:34 GMT Simon Winters said:

I am sure that the poor quality rediffusion start-up which was doing the rounds some time ago is in fact a poor vhs version of a Transdiffusion recreation, which looks more authentic as it has been copied down so frequently.

One of the Picasso sequence mock-ups floating around on the net is in fact one of my own recreations from many years ago and several generations down the line! Someone somewhere along the line has seen fit to post it up and I guess some will think it's a real recording. Mind you, i've seen some of Transdiffusion's mock-ups and I can say from personal memory that they have many mistakes in the detail for the London area stuff (no idea about other regions).

[cperry]

Interesting thread this, but so far no one has actually said they are coming to the event, apart from Simon who gave us the idea in the first place.

Lots of people apologising and saying "I'd saw my leg off and hop there", who then say "but I can't make it" lol.

So who is coming?

c

[Simon Winters]

For the benefit of Rediffusion fans....Kaleidoscope have also got the Rediffusion London red animated ident in their collection, and I am sure they will be persuaded to play it on the big screen for any Rediffusion pilgrims who can make it to Stourbridge.

The colour Rediffusion production ident is on the print of 'Half Hour Story: George's Room' and dates from 1967. I think this is the only surviving print of the Rediffusion colour production ident.

The other version of this ident, in blue, is apparently completely lost.

[Peter Stirling]

May 28, 2009 8:47:59 GMT @cperry said:

Interesting thread this, but so far no one has actually said they are coming to the event, apart from Simon who gave us the idea in the first place.

Lots of people apologising and saying "I'd saw my leg off and hop there", who then say "but I can't make it" lol.

So who is coming?

c

Many of us are infact locked away in institutions so it can be difficult to get let out sometimes





.

[cperry]

That's no way to talk about marriage Peter lol :-)

Seriously, I hope people do come. We've gone to a lot of effort and spent a lot of money.

Kaleidoscope exists as a social history tool and this is a one-off event to meet those faces between the programmes and see lots of officially missing material.

It won't be repeated, unlike UK Gold schedules :-)

c

[Deleted]

Rediffusion continuity! I've waited Y-E-A-R-S to see this sort of stuff but there's no way I can make it to the event due to prior commitments. There's no justice, is there! I expect it'll all go back into someone's loft for another 40 years afterwards and so that will probably be my chance gone of ever seeing it again...

[cperry]

So I ask the question again... who is coming?

I know who isn't lol, but who is actually coming?

And you are right Laurence, it's all going back in the loft again after the apathy this event is receiving lol. Clearly only you and 2 other people in the whole world actually want to take it out of the loft lol.


c

[Peter Bradford]

I do not think you should think of this as apathy. I would like to go, but it is simply too far for me to travel, and as it happens, I will playing my part in given the uk viewing public contemporary television when the event is on.

[Deleted]

Yes, this is not apathy! I've done my bit attending events all over the place over the last 25 years! Some of us have commitments and no amount of implying that we're lightweights for not making the trip is going to change that. Otherwise it just sounds like a threat that if we won't throw our other plans out of the window, the toys will go back in the attic forevermore. Why not try and re-stage parts of the event at MBW or the October Kal screening so as to give others a second chance at seeing at least some of the material on another occasion? One solitary event is a very small window to look through.