70-448: Slim John was a 1969 BBC English Language Instruction serial made for overseas broadcast, in twenty-six episodes of fourteen minutes each, and in black and white. It involves android robots from outer space planning to take over the Earth, starting with London. They work following the directions of an authority called Control. Robot Five, nicknamed Slim John ( Simon Williams ), is himself
140-483: A television licence . As 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
210-556: A column of light shines 900 metres (3,000 ft) into the sky. It was officially unveiled on 16 June 2008, by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon . The earliest use of Broadcasting House as a setting in fiction would seem to be in the 1934 detective novel Death at Broadcasting House by Val Gielgud and Holt Marvell ( Eric Maschwitz ), where an actor is found strangled in Studio 7C. Broadcasting House
280-564: 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
350-466: 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
420-551: A rebel robot who befriends a human couple, Stevie and Richard. Slim John has extraordinary strength. The plots revolve around the other robots trying to eliminate him, and often include the fact that Slim John and the other robots have limited amounts of power available and need to recharge themselves regularly. Short grammar lessons are transmitted to all the robots at regular intervals via their hand-held communication devices (anticipating personal digital assistants by more than 30 years). These short lessons are presented not only to
490-470: 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
560-493: 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 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. Broadcasting House Broadcasting House
630-495: A studio audience. As part of a major consolidation of the BBC's property portfolio in London, Broadcasting House has been extensively renovated and extended. This involved the demolition of post-war extensions on the eastern side of the building, replaced by a new wing completed in 2005. The wing was named the " John Peel Wing" in 2012, after the disc jockey. BBC London , BBC Arabic Television and BBC Persian Television are housed in
700-526: 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
770-595: Is World , a pavement artwork by the Canadian-born architect and artist Mark Pimlott. According to the BBC, the work "reflects the global dimension of the BBC’s broadcasting and consists of over 750 stone flags inscribed with place names from around the world, as well as those from history, mythology and fantasy. The artwork is enhanced by elegant steel lines of longitude and latitude, a subtle scheme of small embedded lights and some audio installation linked to key output from
SECTION 10
#1732793107617840-705: Is a central feature in Penelope Fitzgerald 's novel Human Voices , published in 1980, where the lead characters work for the BBC during the Second World War . It is also the work place of Alexander Wedderburn in A. S. Byatt 's 1995 novel Still Life, and Sam Bell in Ben Elton 's 1999 novel Inconceivable , and also that of the evil nazi-sympathiser Ezzy Pound in Michael Paraskos 's 2016 novel In Search of Sixpence. The building
910-633: Is generally very little distinction between 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
980-611: Is glass-covered in the plaza area and curved to contrast both wings either side and to continue the glass on both sides high up the building. On the Portland Place side, it continues the same use of Portland stone and glass as with the John Peel Wing. On Monday 18 March 2013 at 1 pm, following the BBC News Channel's final broadcast from Television Centre , the first news programme from Broadcasting House
1050-555: 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
1120-469: Is subject to change. All times listed are either Greenwich Mean Time or British Summer Time depending on what is being used in London. The building showcases works of art, most prominently the statues of Prospero and Ariel (from Shakespeare 's The Tempest ) by Eric Gill . Their choice was fitting since Prospero was a magician and scholar, and Ariel a spirit of the air, in which radio waves travel. There was, reportedly, controversy over some features of
1190-687: Is the headquarters of the BBC , in Portland Place and Langham Place, London . The first radio broadcast from the building was made on 15 March 1932, and the building was officially opened two months later, on 15 May. The main building is in Art Deco style, with a facing of Portland stone over a steel frame . It is a Grade II* listed building and includes the BBC Radio Theatre , where music and speech programmes are recorded in front of
1260-570: Is well realised as a setting in Nicola Upson 's 2015 mystery novel London Rain . The head of BBC history, Robert Seatter, has said George Orwell in his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), "reputedly based his notorious Room 101 from the novel "on a room he had worked in whilst at the BBC." On 7 November 2017, a statue of Orwell , sculpted by the British sculptor Martin Jennings ,
1330-575: 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
1400-494: The BBC World Service , which relocated from Bush House on 12 July 2012. Many of the BBC's national radio stations are also broadcast from the building, with the exception of BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra which have moved to Salford Quays . The building work was completed in two phases. It began with the demolition of two post-war extensions to the original building. The first phase consisted of
1470-641: The London Underground : the Victoria line was tunnelled beneath in the 1960s, and presented problems for construction of the Egton Wing (see below). Noise from passing trains is audible within the radio theatre but generally imperceptible in recordings. The ground floor was fitted with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the street, as the BBC believed that to finance such a project (costing £25 million in today's money), they would need to let
SECTION 20
#17327931076171540-465: 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
1610-474: The United Kingdom , under 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
1680-578: The art-deco style with an emphasis on both looks and practicality. The practicality of the studios diminished rapidly as a result of the changing nature of broadcasting and changes in the required uses of the studios. These studios and their original intended roles were: Following the rebuild and refurbishment, several studios have been added and the studio structure changed dramatically. The current studios are: BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 5 Live Nicky Campbell (5 Live) The Media Show (Radio 4) || Visual Radio Studio Until programmes air information
1750-547: 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
1820-557: 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. The BBC domestic television channels do not broadcast advertisements; they are instead funded by 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
1890-530: 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
1960-753: The BBC in 2011. While the rebuilding process was under way, many BBC radio stations moved to other buildings near Portland Place . The extension contains the BBC News and Journalism departments, and state-of-the-art technical equipment and new studios to house the BBC News bulletins on television, the BBC News Channel and BBC World News , the BBC Arabic Television service and the BBC Persian Television service. At
2030-461: 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
2100-551: 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 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
2170-421: 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,
Slim John - Misplaced Pages Continue
2240-480: 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
2310-710: 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
2380-540: 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
2450-491: The Egton Wing were fully fitted out and completed by 2007. In 2012, it was announced by the then Director-General Mark Thompson that the Egton Wing would be renamed the ' John Peel Wing' to commemorate the late Radio 1 disc jockey, whom he described as a "great radio talent". Thompson described the wing as a "fitting tribute to a man who personified so much of what the BBC stands for". It houses BBC London , BBC Arabic Television and BBC Persian Television , together with
2520-649: 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
2590-591: The World Service." On the roof of the John Peel wing, mirroring the radio mast, is Breathing , a cone-shaped glass structure reaching into the sky to the same height as the mast. It was sculpted by Jaume Plensa as a memorial to journalists killed in the line of duty. It includes words from a poem by James Fenton and is illuminated day and night. At 10 pm daily, in line with the BBC News at Ten ,
2660-430: The building in collaboration with the BBC's civil engineer, M. T. Tudsbery. The interiors were the work of Raymond McGrath , an Australian-Irish architect. He directed a team that included Serge Chermayeff and Wells Coates and designed the vaudeville studio, the associated green and dressing rooms, and the dance and chamber music studios in a flowing Art Deco style. The building is built in two parts. Dispensing with
2730-521: The building. On 15 March 1932, the first musical programme was given by the bandleader Henry Hall and the BBC Dance Orchestra. Hall also wrote and performed, with his dance band, Radio Times , the name of the BBC's schedule publication. The first news bulletin was read by Stuart Hibberd on 18 March. The last transmission from Savoy Hill was on 14 May, and Broadcasting House officially opened on 15 May 1932. George Val Myer designed
2800-581: 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
2870-582: The first experimental television broadcast for 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
Slim John - Misplaced Pages Continue
2940-457: The fourth floor up. This not only affected the floor plan of the structure, but meant that the interior recording tower could not be built to the top floor. (Thus, one studio on the top floor was actually outside the central studio core structure.) Underground structures, including a hundred-year-old sewer, also presented problems during construction. The building is above the Bakerloo line of
3010-465: The ground floor as a retail unit. The rapid expansion of the BBC meant this never occurred. The original building is a Grade II* listed building . Beginning in 2003, Broadcasting House underwent a major renovation during the BBC 's W1 Programme, with the aim of refurbishing the building and combining a number of the BBC's operations in a new extension. This houses the television and radio operations of BBC News , relocated from Television Centre , and
3080-489: The heart of this is a new newsroom, the largest live newsroom in the world. A walkway above the newsroom allows the public to view the work of journalists, connecting the foyer to the Radio Theatre and a new café for staff and the public. Complemented by the outdoor plaza, which could act as an outdoor arena and theatre, this is designed to engage the public with the television and radio making process. The extension
3150-463: The new wing, which also contains the reception area for BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra (the studios themselves are in the new extension to the main building). Since February 2024 BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 6 Music have moved in, opposite the BBC Radio 1 studios on the 8th floor. This was created by converting office space, after the decision to move out of Wogan House was made. The main building
3220-476: 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
3290-422: The oft-found central light-well of contemporary buildings this size, the central core containing the recording studios was a windowless structure built of brick. (Structural brick rather than steel framing was used in order to reduce noise transmission both from without and between studios.) The surrounding outer portion, designed for offices and ancillary spaces, is steel-framed and faced with Portland stone. While
3360-434: The only Eastern Bloc countries to show the serial, with an enormous response, in the 1970s. The series was available on various media, television, radio, disks and books. This article related to a BBC television programme is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC . The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in
3430-529: 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
3500-402: The outer portion had plenty of windows, the inner core required special sound-dampened ventilation systems. There were two areas where right of ancient lights would cause height restrictions. While the rights on the southern side ceased to be a problem after the owners of those rights gave concessions, the rights on the eastern side were dealt with by sloping the roof away from the street from
3570-482: 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'
SECTION 50
#17327931076173640-454: The reception area for BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra . The second phase was the creation of the large wing to the rear of the building, joining the two buildings, and creating a plaza between them. The original architects were replaced for not agreeing to cost-related revisions, as Sir Richard MacCormac was unwilling to sacrifice the quality of his design. Construction was completed by Bovis Lend Lease in 2010, and control handed over to
3710-500: The renovation of the original building, which was starting to show its age and needed structural repair, and a new wing to the east. In the old building, the sloped "cat slide" slate roof was removed and many of the rooms stripped back to their walls, although much of the Art Deco architecture was retained and preserved. Much of the work focused on the lower walls and ceilings, which did not include Art Deco features. The reception area
3780-456: The robots (including Slim John), but in full screen to the viewers. The serial was an educational tool used for English language instruction. It was supported by books and records as an English teaching method. The series was broadcast for years all over the world, in Turkey, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Brazil, Yugoslavia and other countries. Hungary, Poland and Romania were
3850-485: The sculptor's sexuality might be reflected in the statue. The BBC has declined to remove the statue, citing Gill's status as one of the preeminent British artists of the 20th century. On 13 January 2022, the statue was vandalized by a man wielding a hammer, who wrote "Time to go was 1989" and "noose all paedos" on the statue. Several works of art were commissioned by the BBC for the refurbishment of Broadcasting House, at an overall cost of more than £4 million. Among these
3920-431: The side, mirroring that created in the main building when the sloping roof was removed. The design of the extension, intended to equal the original in "architectural creativity", was carried out by MacCormac Jamieson Prichard . Construction was completed in 2005, with the refurbished Broadcasting House and new Egton wing opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 20 April 2006 as part of her 80th birthday celebrations. All areas of
3990-566: The statues when built and they were said to have been modified. They were reported to have been sculpted by Gill as God and Man, rather than Prospero and Ariel, and that there is a small carved picture of a beautiful girl on the back of Prospero. Additional carvings of Ariel are on the exterior in many bas-reliefs , some by Gill, others by Gilbert Bayes . The reception area contains a statue of 'The sower' by Gill. The statues of Prospero and Ariel have attracted controversy in recent years, due to evidence that Gill engaged in pedophilia, and that
4060-471: 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
4130-621: 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
4200-624: Was aired: the BBC News at One , on BBC One and the BBC News Channel. BBC World News was the first of BBC's news services to move into the new building on Monday 14 January 2013, beginning with GMT at noon. Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the extension on 7 June 2013. The second phase development won the 'Programme of the Year' award at the 2013 annual awards of the Association for Project Management. When built, Broadcasting House contained 22 radio studios for all programme genres, in
4270-463: Was completed in March 2013. The official name of the building is Broadcasting House but the BBC now also uses the term “new Broadcasting House” (with a lowercase 'n') in its publicity referring to the new extension rather than the whole building, with the original building known as “old Broadcasting House”. Construction of Broadcasting House began in 1928, with programmes gradually transferring to
SECTION 60
#17327931076174340-479: 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
4410-423: 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
4480-429: 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
4550-442: 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
4620-462: Was refurbished, and an extension built to the rear. The radio stations BBC Radio 3 , BBC Radio 4 , BBC Radio 4 Extra and the BBC World Service transferred to refurbished studios within the building. The extension links the old building with the John Peel Wing, and includes a new combined newsroom for BBC News , with studios for the BBC News channel , BBC World News and other news programming. The move of news operations from BBC Television Centre
4690-402: Was renovated to include a new desk while retaining the message and statue as an attention piece. Many rooms had ceilings removed, such as the south tower, and new reinforcement joists were added. The new Egton Wing is roughly the same shape as the main building, with a modern design and window arrangement but retaining features such as Portland stone. Towards the rear a large block was created in
4760-552: 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
4830-402: Was unveiled, outside Broadcasting House. The wall behind the statue is inscribed with the following phrase: "If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear". These are words from his proposed preface to Animal Farm and a rallying cry for the idea of free speech in an open society. In 1985 it was revealed by The Observer that MI5 had had
4900-448: 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
#616383