Television's Opening Night: How the Box Was Born

0:00:02 > 0:00:04DISTORTED TRANSMISSION

0:00:11 > 0:00:13Can you see me?

0:00:19 > 0:00:21Can you hear me?

0:00:23 > 0:00:26On 2nd November 1936,

0:00:26 > 0:00:30an unlikely troop of technicians and tap dancers,

0:00:30 > 0:00:34performers and producers, was about to make history.

0:00:35 > 0:00:37- Vision and sound are on. - MAN BLOWS WHISTLE

0:00:37 > 0:00:39The station goes on the air.

0:00:39 > 0:00:43This is direct television from the studios of Alexandra Palace.

0:00:44 > 0:00:48This was the official birth of television in Britain.

0:00:48 > 0:00:51Look at this. Comedian and dancers.

0:00:51 > 0:00:54It's basically The X Factor!

0:00:54 > 0:00:57To have live moving pictures in your front room

0:00:57 > 0:00:59was the dawn of a new era.

0:01:01 > 0:01:06But there are no recordings of that first live broadcast.

0:01:09 > 0:01:14So we're going to restage that very first night as faithfully as we can.

0:01:14 > 0:01:16I have the honour of hosting the show.

0:01:16 > 0:01:18Do you know, I didn't recognise you!

0:01:18 > 0:01:20And Professor Danielle George is going to look at

0:01:20 > 0:01:24the technical challenges of broadcasting live from Ally Pally.

0:01:24 > 0:01:28- Just turn that dial.- OK.- And we'll create lightning in the bottle.

0:01:28 > 0:01:30- You see it there? - Oh, my God, look at that.

0:01:32 > 0:01:35We'll uncover a battle between two rival camera systems.

0:01:38 > 0:01:40Only one would make it.

0:01:40 > 0:01:43So that's the disc. Bit out of balance.

0:01:43 > 0:01:45Our doctor of spin, Hugh Hunt...

0:01:45 > 0:01:47Whoa!

0:01:47 > 0:01:50Whoa-ho! That wasn't meant to happen.

0:01:50 > 0:01:53..will attempt to resurrect Ally Pally's most extraordinary

0:01:53 > 0:01:58invention, a mechanical camera that could only see in the dark.

0:02:00 > 0:02:02All the drawings are missing.

0:02:02 > 0:02:05There's no instructions on how to build this thing.

0:02:05 > 0:02:08We'll face setbacks and frayed tempers,

0:02:08 > 0:02:10just like the original trailblazers.

0:02:10 > 0:02:12Hugh, we need to test this.

0:02:12 > 0:02:15Well, OK, but... We'll switch this off, then.

0:02:15 > 0:02:19And we'll meet some of those television pioneers.

0:02:19 > 0:02:23- This is John Logie Baird. This is you, Paul.- Yeah.

0:02:23 > 0:02:25How old are you now?

0:02:25 > 0:02:26I'm 104.

0:02:27 > 0:02:30It's a story of cogs and gears...

0:02:30 > 0:02:33This is all prewar technology.

0:02:33 > 0:02:35..electron beams and dancing girls...

0:02:35 > 0:02:37- That's great.- I can still tap-dance.

0:02:41 > 0:02:43..and one mad night...

0:02:45 > 0:02:46Silence, everybody.

0:02:46 > 0:02:49..that helped change the world forever.

0:02:49 > 0:02:52This is the BBC.

0:02:52 > 0:02:54Welcome to television.

0:03:03 > 0:03:05CRACKLING

0:03:12 > 0:03:17In the spring of 1936, the familiar hulk of Alexandra Palace

0:03:17 > 0:03:21was transformed into a beacon of the future.

0:03:23 > 0:03:24Under orders of the BBC,

0:03:24 > 0:03:28over 200 feet of steel was grafted onto the east tower.

0:03:33 > 0:03:36Visible for miles, this was a public announcement.

0:03:37 > 0:03:41This is the BBC television station at Alexandra Palace.

0:03:41 > 0:03:46The world's first regular domestic television service was on its way.

0:03:48 > 0:03:51The fact that you can now see and hear me in your own home

0:03:51 > 0:03:53of course we take completely for granted,

0:03:53 > 0:03:58but before 1936, this would have been a radical idea.

0:04:00 > 0:04:04It's fitting that TV as we know it started in this building.

0:04:04 > 0:04:06LAUGHTER

0:04:06 > 0:04:09The Victorians created it as a people's palace

0:04:09 > 0:04:13where the masses could come for live entertainment.

0:04:14 > 0:04:17Little could they have imagined a world where the masses could

0:04:17 > 0:04:21stay at home and the entertainment would go to them.

0:04:21 > 0:04:25When the technology of television was starting to take shape,

0:04:25 > 0:04:29you have a whole range of other technologies of communication

0:04:29 > 0:04:32and entertainment that are already there.

0:04:32 > 0:04:34The telegraph has been around for decades.

0:04:35 > 0:04:39And you've got cinema, which is born at the end of the 19th century,

0:04:39 > 0:04:44which has pictures, of course, but pictures are canned, not live.

0:04:44 > 0:04:49And then there's radio, which is full of sound but no pictures,

0:04:49 > 0:04:51but also live.

0:04:51 > 0:04:54This is the world that television is emerging into.

0:04:54 > 0:04:56And it's not just developing the technology,

0:04:56 > 0:05:01it's also working out...what do you film, what do you put in the studio?

0:05:03 > 0:05:08On 2nd November 1936, the pioneers took a leap of faith,

0:05:08 > 0:05:11and in this very studio,

0:05:11 > 0:05:15television went live with the first official broadcast from Ally Pally.

0:05:18 > 0:05:21It must have been tense, not just because it was live television,

0:05:21 > 0:05:25but this would have been nail-biting for a different reason.

0:05:25 > 0:05:30Behind the scenes, you had two rival television technologies

0:05:30 > 0:05:31battling it out.

0:05:33 > 0:05:37The BBC launched the new service as an on-air competition,

0:05:37 > 0:05:40with two different companies taking it in turns to broadcast from

0:05:40 > 0:05:43studios just a few feet apart.

0:05:45 > 0:05:49This was the old Marconi-EMI studio, and in here, they were testing out

0:05:49 > 0:05:52some of the very first electronic television cameras.

0:05:56 > 0:06:00Using experimental electron-beam technology,

0:06:00 > 0:06:04Marconi-EMI's Emitron cameras were truly cutting-edge.

0:06:08 > 0:06:12But they hadn't been tested outside the laboratory.

0:06:13 > 0:06:16Would they be ready for live television?

0:06:20 > 0:06:25Next door, in Studio B, the rival system was mechanical,

0:06:25 > 0:06:28producing pictures by rapidly rotating discs.

0:06:33 > 0:06:36This steampunk technology was the brainchild

0:06:36 > 0:06:38of Scottish inventor John Logie Baird.

0:06:42 > 0:06:4311 years earlier,

0:06:43 > 0:06:47he'd been the first person in the world to produce a television image.

0:06:51 > 0:06:55The winning technology would be the one judged best for making

0:06:55 > 0:06:56live programmes.

0:07:00 > 0:07:02In the lead-up to the first night,

0:07:02 > 0:07:05a coin was tossed and the Baird team won.

0:07:08 > 0:07:10Ooh, let's have a look.

0:07:10 > 0:07:13'The mechanical studio would transmit first.'

0:07:13 > 0:07:16This is where Baird's camera would have been,

0:07:16 > 0:07:20somewhere over there, where all that sort of '70s and '80s BBC gubbins

0:07:20 > 0:07:24is now, and then the presenter would have sat somewhere around here.

0:07:25 > 0:07:27It's not very big, is it?

0:07:32 > 0:07:37In 1936, this little room was home to the Baird Company's

0:07:37 > 0:07:39most extraordinary invention.

0:07:43 > 0:07:47A seven-foot-tall behemoth known as the flying spot.

0:07:50 > 0:07:51To prevent it catching fire,

0:07:51 > 0:07:54cold water was pumped through its innards.

0:07:57 > 0:08:03Encased in a vacuum chamber was a steel disc three feet in diameter.

0:08:07 > 0:08:10Inside, it was spinning so fast,

0:08:10 > 0:08:13the edge of the disc was almost supersonic.

0:08:16 > 0:08:18This produced an intense spot of light

0:08:18 > 0:08:21which scanned the presenter's face.

0:08:22 > 0:08:26No wonder he described it as a terrifying ordeal.

0:08:31 > 0:08:35There are no flying spot cameras left, so to restage

0:08:35 > 0:08:38the first night of television, we'll have to rebuild one.

0:08:41 > 0:08:44BICYCLE BELL RINGS

0:08:44 > 0:08:46Enter Dr Hugh Hunt,

0:08:46 > 0:08:49leading mechanical engineer at Cambridge University.

0:08:49 > 0:08:52If the theory is correct, it should break here.

0:08:52 > 0:08:56Hugh's renowned for his...hands-on approach to engineering conundrums.

0:08:56 > 0:08:59Oh, it did! OK...

0:09:01 > 0:09:03That's lucky for us,

0:09:03 > 0:09:07because our anniversary broadcast is just six weeks away.

0:09:08 > 0:09:11If we're going to build one of these...

0:09:11 > 0:09:17then we have to figure out what they built back in 1936.

0:09:18 > 0:09:21The Far-Seeing. That is television.

0:09:23 > 0:09:25There's not much to go on.

0:09:25 > 0:09:28All the drawings are missing.

0:09:28 > 0:09:30We haven't got a Haynes Manual.

0:09:30 > 0:09:34There's no instructions on how to build this thing.

0:09:37 > 0:09:41All the blueprints were lost when the Baird Company's headquarters

0:09:41 > 0:09:44at the Crystal Palace was destroyed in a catastrophic fire,

0:09:44 > 0:09:47less than a month after the first night.

0:09:52 > 0:09:55This leaves Hugh with just a couple of photos...

0:09:56 > 0:09:59What's scary about it is that I don't know what's inside.

0:10:01 > 0:10:05..a sketch of a similar mechanical camera from prewar Germany...

0:10:05 > 0:10:08Ah, the spinning speed, I think, has to go that way.

0:10:08 > 0:10:12Oh, no, that's going... Oh, God, these arrows.

0:10:12 > 0:10:14..and a brief description of the flying spot

0:10:14 > 0:10:17in an engineering paper from 1938.

0:10:18 > 0:10:22A disc scanner running at 6,000rpm.

0:10:22 > 0:10:27Whoa! The speed of the edge of that disc was nearly the speed of sound.

0:10:27 > 0:10:31That's 100 times per second.

0:10:31 > 0:10:34100 times a second would make a noise...

0:10:34 > 0:10:37HE HUMS DEEPLY

0:10:37 > 0:10:38That's about 100.

0:10:38 > 0:10:41HE HUMS DEEPLY

0:10:46 > 0:10:47Cor! Would have been scary!

0:10:47 > 0:10:51You'd have thought this thing was going to take off!

0:10:54 > 0:10:58As Hugh begins working out how to make moving pictures

0:10:58 > 0:10:59by mechanical means...

0:11:02 > 0:11:05..Professor Danielle George is exploring some of the other

0:11:05 > 0:11:08scientific and engineering challenges

0:11:08 > 0:11:10of getting the first night on air.

0:11:12 > 0:11:15For someone whose day job includes designing amplifiers

0:11:15 > 0:11:17for deep-space communication,

0:11:17 > 0:11:21where else is there to head first but up?

0:11:21 > 0:11:25This is genuinely exciting for a radio frequency engineer!

0:11:28 > 0:11:33Wow. This is over 80 years old and it's still so impressive, isn't it?

0:11:35 > 0:11:38There's 220 feet of steel up there.

0:11:39 > 0:11:43You can see so much of the city from here.

0:11:45 > 0:11:49The reason the BBC chose this site to be their first official studio

0:11:49 > 0:11:52was because we're sat right on top of this hill,

0:11:52 > 0:11:56above the line of the trees and the buildings, and so the radio waves

0:11:56 > 0:12:00wouldn't be blocked or attenuated by the buildings and the trees.

0:12:05 > 0:12:08The idea was that radio signals would be broadcast

0:12:08 > 0:12:10in a 25-mile radius around here,

0:12:10 > 0:12:12but actually, on good weather conditions,

0:12:12 > 0:12:17this managed to get 40 miles, which, in the 1930s, is not bad at all.

0:12:19 > 0:12:22GARBLED TRANSMISSIONS

0:12:29 > 0:12:33The studios at Ally Pally have been out of commission for decades.

0:12:34 > 0:12:38So for our 80th anniversary broadcast, we're taking over

0:12:38 > 0:12:41an old 1930s theatre just down the road.

0:12:45 > 0:12:49We at the BBC are proud that the government should have

0:12:49 > 0:12:53decided to entrust us with the conduct of the new service.

0:12:53 > 0:12:57There are no video recordings of the live broadcast.

0:12:57 > 0:13:01At this moment of the starting of television, our first tribute

0:13:01 > 0:13:05must be to those whose brilliant and devoted research...

0:13:05 > 0:13:09Although we have unearthed an audio recording.

0:13:09 > 0:13:11..Britain leads today.

0:13:11 > 0:13:15And the original script and running order.

0:13:15 > 0:13:19Cor, look at this. Monday 2nd November 1936.

0:13:19 > 0:13:21It sort of takes you right back.

0:13:21 > 0:13:23And look at this, you've got actually...

0:13:23 > 0:13:26stage positions where everyone's going to be sitting,

0:13:26 > 0:13:30where the camera is, it tells you everything you need to know.

0:13:30 > 0:13:32Who needs actual recordings when you have this?

0:13:32 > 0:13:34God, and look, they've got the...

0:13:34 > 0:13:39This is the original opening announcement by Leslie Mitchell,

0:13:39 > 0:13:42who I know was... a sort of well-known presenter,

0:13:42 > 0:13:47he was sometimes called the Adonis of television.

0:13:47 > 0:13:49I shall be playing him.

0:13:49 > 0:13:51NO SOUND

0:13:51 > 0:13:56Leslie Mitchell was an actor turned BBC radio announcer.

0:13:56 > 0:14:00He didn't actually apply for the TV job at all and was surprised

0:14:00 > 0:14:04to learn he was about to become the first face of the new service

0:14:04 > 0:14:06after reading about it in a newspaper.

0:14:07 > 0:14:11And this is the more official version of it. Let's have a look.

0:14:12 > 0:14:14Opening ceremony.

0:14:14 > 0:14:20Adele Dixon, singer, and Buck and Bubbles, comedian and dancers.

0:14:20 > 0:14:23It's basically... It's basically The X Factor!

0:14:25 > 0:14:28The callboy arrives. The programme is about to begin.

0:14:30 > 0:14:33This short film showcasing the launch

0:14:33 > 0:14:36went out after the live broadcast.

0:14:36 > 0:14:39It was the first official BBC documentary.

0:14:39 > 0:14:42Engineers stand by in the control room.

0:14:42 > 0:14:46And it started a fine tradition of TV blowing its own trumpet.

0:14:46 > 0:14:50The controllers are ready on vision...and sound.

0:14:50 > 0:14:53It was shot and edited on 35mm film,

0:14:53 > 0:14:57so was much better quality than the original live TV images.

0:14:58 > 0:15:02The producer is waiting at his microphone to speak his last word to the artist.

0:15:02 > 0:15:04But it clearly shows us,

0:15:04 > 0:15:09despite their modest budget of under £150 for performers and sets,

0:15:09 > 0:15:13the pioneers were aiming high with their opening act.

0:15:14 > 0:15:19# A mighty maze of mystic, magic rays

0:15:19 > 0:15:22# Is all about us in the blue... #

0:15:22 > 0:15:25Adele Dixon was a very big name to have on the first night

0:15:25 > 0:15:28and that was a real coup for the BBC.

0:15:28 > 0:15:34Here was someone who was a star of West End musicals,

0:15:34 > 0:15:40singing that specially composed song about mystic, magic rays.

0:15:40 > 0:15:41# There's joy in store... #

0:15:41 > 0:15:44Even though she was associated with television,

0:15:44 > 0:15:47she herself actually was a bit dubious about it,

0:15:47 > 0:15:50she refused to buy a television set of her own,

0:15:50 > 0:15:53and always much preferred radio, she thought of it

0:15:53 > 0:15:57as a more intelligent medium, as many people did.

0:15:57 > 0:16:03# ..That bring television

0:16:03 > 0:16:08# To you. #

0:16:12 > 0:16:15SONG IS PLAYED ON PIANO

0:16:17 > 0:16:21We've found the score for that specially composed song

0:16:21 > 0:16:24buried in the archives.

0:16:24 > 0:16:28# By the magic rays of light

0:16:28 > 0:16:33# That bring television

0:16:33 > 0:16:37# To you. #

0:16:37 > 0:16:41Yeah, I need...to breathe.

0:16:41 > 0:16:44So, with a bit of fine-tuning, we've got our first act.

0:16:52 > 0:16:56None of the original performers from the first night are still alive.

0:16:56 > 0:16:57DOG BARKS

0:16:57 > 0:17:01Oh, hi. Are you Lily's dog?

0:17:01 > 0:17:02Hi, dog.

0:17:02 > 0:17:05But just a stone's throw from the old studios,

0:17:05 > 0:17:08there's someone I want to meet who comes pretty close...

0:17:08 > 0:17:09That's great!

0:17:09 > 0:17:12..having stepped in front of the cameras

0:17:12 > 0:17:14just two months after Adele Dixon.

0:17:18 > 0:17:22- Hello!- Hi! What a pleasure to meet you.- And you, too, darling.

0:17:22 > 0:17:25- Thank you very much for coming to chat.- May I give you a kiss?

0:17:25 > 0:17:29- You may. Absolutely.- And one... Ooh, two!- The French style.

0:17:29 > 0:17:32- Do come in.- Thank you very much.

0:17:32 > 0:17:36Now in her 92nd year, Lily Frier was talent-spotted

0:17:36 > 0:17:39as a young girl singing and dancing in the theatre.

0:17:39 > 0:17:41This is terrific.

0:17:42 > 0:17:47- And this has been sort of coloured in afterwards.- Yes, yes.

0:17:47 > 0:17:50- I was 12, I think.- You were 12!

0:17:50 > 0:17:52- I'll make you a nice cup of tea. - Thank you very much.

0:17:52 > 0:17:55- Excuse me not walking properly, but...- Tea good.

0:17:55 > 0:17:58- And you're on your fifth hip, is that right?- Fifth, yes.

0:17:58 > 0:18:00- Fifth, that's pretty good going. - Yes.

0:18:00 > 0:18:04- But I can still tap-dance.- Can you? Can we have a look at...?

0:18:04 > 0:18:07- Just listen to that. - Let's have a look at the tap dance.

0:18:09 > 0:18:13Teach me one tap-dance move, because I've never tap-danced.

0:18:13 > 0:18:16- Oh, it's wonderful. - How do I...? Give me...

0:18:16 > 0:18:18Give me one little quick lesson.

0:18:18 > 0:18:22Shuffle down. One, two, three, one, two, three, four.

0:18:22 > 0:18:24- One... Hang on. One, two...- No, toe.

0:18:24 > 0:18:28- Tap, tap.- You've got to do this from your ankle, tap, tap, down.

0:18:29 > 0:18:31I'm really not very flexible.

0:18:33 > 0:18:37Lily was just 12 years old when on 6th January 1937,

0:18:37 > 0:18:41she performed two variety acts in Studio A

0:18:41 > 0:18:43with Leslie Mitchell presenting.

0:18:46 > 0:18:48One of those acts was... very much of its time.

0:18:48 > 0:18:50Look at how old I was.

0:18:50 > 0:18:52Oh, my goodness, look at this. HE GASPS

0:18:52 > 0:18:55- My mother made the wig.- Oh, gosh! I was going to ask about the wig.

0:18:55 > 0:18:58- Yeah.- I mean, this is a long time...

0:18:58 > 0:19:00Obviously, you couldn't... do something like this now.

0:19:00 > 0:19:02Ooh, wouldn't dare, no, wouldn't dare now.

0:19:02 > 0:19:04- Do you remember the song that you sung?- Do you know what?

0:19:04 > 0:19:06- I don't know if I remember all the words.- Come on.

0:19:06 > 0:19:10- You're allowed a few... - # When did you leave heaven?

0:19:10 > 0:19:12# How did they let you go?

0:19:12 > 0:19:16# What have you come to tell me?

0:19:16 > 0:19:18# I'd like to know... #

0:19:18 > 0:19:23- Went... That's gone now, I can't remember the words.- It's great.

0:19:23 > 0:19:25What kind of music do you like? I notice...

0:19:25 > 0:19:28# If I kissed you, my dear

0:19:28 > 0:19:31# Would it be a sin? #

0:19:33 > 0:19:35- No, it's gone. - SHE SINGS WORDLESSLY

0:19:38 > 0:19:42Fewer than 300 television sets had been sold by the time

0:19:42 > 0:19:46Lily performed, so stores like Selfridges ran demonstrations

0:19:46 > 0:19:49where people could marvel at the new medium.

0:19:50 > 0:19:53Did you have any idea what television was?

0:19:53 > 0:19:55No, not many people had televisions,

0:19:55 > 0:19:59- and then they were tiny ones, they weren't...- Yeah.

0:19:59 > 0:20:05But I loved doing it, I really did. And my dad wanted to see...

0:20:05 > 0:20:09He went to Selfridges, cos they would...

0:20:09 > 0:20:11- They did the demonstrations there, yeah.- Yeah.

0:20:11 > 0:20:14And they said, "Sorry, you can't come in, it's full up."

0:20:14 > 0:20:16He said, "But my daughter's on there."

0:20:16 > 0:20:18So when he said that, he went in.

0:20:20 > 0:20:23I mean, that was the beginning of television, and you were the first, so...

0:20:23 > 0:20:26When I've told people that they were coming today,

0:20:26 > 0:20:30I said, "It's not because I'm famous, it's because I'm alive."

0:20:30 > 0:20:32Because everybody else is dead!

0:20:32 > 0:20:35They... It is true!

0:20:35 > 0:20:37What do you think of television now? Do you watch TV now?

0:20:37 > 0:20:39Oh... It's rubbish.

0:20:39 > 0:20:41BELL CHIMES

0:20:48 > 0:20:52In Cambridge, Hugh's building a prototype flying spot camera

0:20:52 > 0:20:55to try out the spinning disc concept.

0:20:55 > 0:20:57We're nearly there.

0:20:57 > 0:21:00He needs somewhere dark to begin experiments,

0:21:00 > 0:21:04so he's commandeered the home of the University Footlights...

0:21:04 > 0:21:07We're going to try and go onto this black wall there...

0:21:07 > 0:21:09..and roped in engineering student Charlie,

0:21:09 > 0:21:12who's a dab hand with stage lighting.

0:21:18 > 0:21:20The flying spot lived up to its name.

0:21:22 > 0:21:25An intense light passed through holes in the spinning disc

0:21:25 > 0:21:28to create a fast-moving beam.

0:21:30 > 0:21:34This scanned across the presenter's face thousands of times a second.

0:21:36 > 0:21:39The light reflected back was then picked up by banks of

0:21:39 > 0:21:42photoelectric cells.

0:21:44 > 0:21:48These sent tiny electrical impulses to be pieced back into an image

0:21:48 > 0:21:50at the receiving end.

0:21:53 > 0:21:55- Is that more or less in the right spot?- Hang on, let me just...

0:21:55 > 0:21:57Oh, you can move the light more easily than I can...

0:21:57 > 0:21:59To test the principle, Hugh wants to see

0:21:59 > 0:22:04if a small metal disc can produce descending lines of light.

0:22:04 > 0:22:07This disc has got 30 holes on a spiral

0:22:07 > 0:22:11and you can see that when this spins,

0:22:11 > 0:22:13you can see the spiral going around and around.

0:22:13 > 0:22:17And, ideally, if we shine a bright light through the holes,

0:22:17 > 0:22:19it's going to produce our scanner.

0:22:19 > 0:22:21Oh, that's a good shout as well.

0:22:21 > 0:22:23And now is the disc going to fit?

0:22:23 > 0:22:24Yes, just.

0:22:24 > 0:22:27- So, now... - Have you got that Allen key?

0:22:27 > 0:22:28Oh!

0:22:31 > 0:22:33It's reasonably secure.

0:22:33 > 0:22:36Reasonably is the word I use when I mean not very.

0:22:36 > 0:22:39- OK, that's pretty tight now. - OK, so...

0:22:39 > 0:22:43this is our first spin up, let's see how it goes.

0:22:43 > 0:22:45- How bent is it? - It's not that bent.

0:22:47 > 0:22:49- Good.- Is that...? Is that working now?- It's working!

0:22:49 > 0:22:51OK, I'm going...going darker.

0:22:54 > 0:22:57All right, now, I'm straightaway seeing...

0:22:57 > 0:22:59that there's a lot of stray light.

0:22:59 > 0:23:03- Yeah.- Is there any way we can cover this space?

0:23:03 > 0:23:04I'll go have a look.

0:23:04 > 0:23:07When Hugh starts using photoelectric cells...

0:23:07 > 0:23:10- Is that going to be big enough? - Yeah, that looks good.

0:23:10 > 0:23:13..they'll only work if everything apart from the object being scanned

0:23:13 > 0:23:16is in complete darkness.

0:23:16 > 0:23:20I don't have a dog, but if my dog had breakfast...

0:23:20 > 0:23:23- So, you've got to still be able to get to the drill.- Ah!

0:23:27 > 0:23:29OK, spinning slowly.

0:23:33 > 0:23:35- How's that looking? - It looks really good.

0:23:35 > 0:23:38- You can clearly see the lines going across him.- Great.

0:23:38 > 0:23:40Speeding up.

0:23:42 > 0:23:44Because the 30 holes are in a spiral,

0:23:44 > 0:23:48each revolution sends 30 lines down the face.

0:23:49 > 0:23:51- Woohoo!- What are you seeing?

0:23:51 > 0:23:54- It's amazing. It's really good. - I can't see!

0:23:58 > 0:24:01If Logie Baird had a battery operated electric drill...

0:24:01 > 0:24:04- CHARLIE LAUGHS - ..he'd have had a much easier job.

0:24:05 > 0:24:08- Are you all right? Do you want a hand?- It's OK.

0:24:08 > 0:24:12Producing lines of light from a disc is one thing...

0:24:13 > 0:24:16..but in order to transmit that image,

0:24:16 > 0:24:19they need to turn those lines of light into an electric signal.

0:24:24 > 0:24:27Luckily, that can be done using a phenomenon called

0:24:27 > 0:24:29the photoelectric effect.

0:24:31 > 0:24:33This is what makes television possible,

0:24:33 > 0:24:36as Danielle's going to demonstrate.

0:24:37 > 0:24:39OK, so I'm going to show you the photoelectric effect

0:24:39 > 0:24:42just using this copper coin.

0:24:42 > 0:24:44So I'm just going to connect it to my circuit here.

0:24:46 > 0:24:48Just use a peg as a bit of a stand.

0:24:48 > 0:24:52And I'm just going to put some water on top of this piece of wire,

0:24:52 > 0:24:57and that's really just to conduct the electricity.

0:24:57 > 0:25:00So that when we shine a torch on this,

0:25:00 > 0:25:04we should be able to see the difference in voltage.

0:25:04 > 0:25:07It would be nice to try and hear the photoelectric effect as well,

0:25:07 > 0:25:10so I've just rigged up here a sound system

0:25:10 > 0:25:14so we can hear a synthesised sound as the voltage changes.

0:25:14 > 0:25:17CONTINUOUS TONE

0:25:17 > 0:25:19So let's give it a try.

0:25:23 > 0:25:25TONE RISES IN PITCH

0:25:25 > 0:25:26TONE LOWERS IN PITCH

0:25:26 > 0:25:28TONE RISES IN PITCH

0:25:28 > 0:25:30So you can really, really hear it.

0:25:30 > 0:25:32TONE RISES IN PITCH

0:25:32 > 0:25:35So what's happening there is that the light from this torch

0:25:35 > 0:25:39is being converted into electrical energy.

0:25:39 > 0:25:41TONE LOWERS IN PITCH

0:25:41 > 0:25:43It's such a great noise.

0:25:43 > 0:25:46And that is the photoelectric effect, and it was really important

0:25:46 > 0:25:48in the birth of television.

0:25:52 > 0:25:55The photoelectric effect was first discovered

0:25:55 > 0:25:59by English engineer Willoughby Smith in 1873.

0:26:01 > 0:26:04He was testing cables for a telegraph system

0:26:04 > 0:26:08using a substance called selenium as an electrical insulator.

0:26:10 > 0:26:14To his surprise, when the selenium was exposed to sunlight,

0:26:14 > 0:26:17it started producing electric current.

0:26:20 > 0:26:23This was TV's big bang moment.

0:26:24 > 0:26:26Now it was only a matter of time

0:26:26 > 0:26:29before someone created an electric image.

0:26:34 > 0:26:36That man was John Logie Baird.

0:26:39 > 0:26:41Improving on a paper design

0:26:41 > 0:26:45patented by a 19th-century German inventor, Paul Nipkow,

0:26:45 > 0:26:49he created the first television picture using spinning discs

0:26:49 > 0:26:53and selenium photocells on 2nd October 1925.

0:26:57 > 0:27:01This breakthrough sealed Baird's place in the history books.

0:27:03 > 0:27:05This camera here, that's an early colour camera.

0:27:05 > 0:27:09Today, his grandson Iain is keeping the family business alive

0:27:09 > 0:27:13as curator of a vast collection of TV technology

0:27:13 > 0:27:18with Baird's 1925 television scanner as its centrepiece.

0:27:20 > 0:27:23This is the double-8 apparatus from 1925.

0:27:25 > 0:27:29These are actually bicycle lenses, and they collect the light very well

0:27:29 > 0:27:31and put it onto the photoelectric cell.

0:27:31 > 0:27:33And he'd used quite a few bicycle components,

0:27:33 > 0:27:36like the bicycle lamp lenses, the chain ring,

0:27:36 > 0:27:39whatever was available, radio, electric motors

0:27:39 > 0:27:42were all cobbled together to make the new technology.

0:27:42 > 0:27:45He was a big fan of HG Wells, who used to make these things

0:27:45 > 0:27:47- seem possible in his books.- Yeah.

0:27:53 > 0:27:56He was using a system which required the subject to be

0:27:56 > 0:27:58intensely illuminated.

0:27:58 > 0:27:59To have someone actually sit there

0:27:59 > 0:28:02for more than a minute was very uncomfortable,

0:28:02 > 0:28:06so the idea of borrowing a ventriloquist's dummy

0:28:06 > 0:28:09as a test subject meant he could adjust things

0:28:09 > 0:28:12and Stooky Bill wouldn't complain about the heat at all.

0:28:12 > 0:28:13Let's turn him around.

0:28:13 > 0:28:16- And this is the original one? - This is the original one.

0:28:16 > 0:28:18- Well, you can see he's lost some of his hair.- He has.

0:28:18 > 0:28:20This was the amount of light we're talking about here.

0:28:22 > 0:28:25As the dummies were prone to singeing under the hot lights,

0:28:25 > 0:28:27Baird kept spares.

0:28:33 > 0:28:36In a period of feverish experimentation,

0:28:36 > 0:28:39he managed to record this ghostly image of another Stooky Bill

0:28:39 > 0:28:42onto a gramophone disc in 1927.

0:28:47 > 0:28:49Although his pictures were ground-breaking,

0:28:49 > 0:28:53it was obvious that if television wanted to compete with cinema

0:28:53 > 0:28:57or even radio, the technology had a long way to go.

0:29:00 > 0:29:01Wow!

0:29:03 > 0:29:06But was Baird the man to refine it?

0:29:06 > 0:29:08He was certainly driven.

0:29:09 > 0:29:13He was always looking for the next big idea

0:29:13 > 0:29:17that would enable him to become an inventor, an entrepreneur.

0:29:19 > 0:29:22Before moving into television, he'd tried inventing everything

0:29:22 > 0:29:26from man-made diamonds to medicated socks.

0:29:27 > 0:29:30These journals started around 1928.

0:29:31 > 0:29:35And they were very much based on the experiments of John Logie Baird.

0:29:35 > 0:29:36This is a fairly early one.

0:29:38 > 0:29:42His entrepreneurial spirit and eye for publicity ensured that

0:29:42 > 0:29:44from the moment he got his first pictures,

0:29:44 > 0:29:47his name would be synonymous with television.

0:29:48 > 0:29:51- Yeah, he's sort of front cover every month, isn't he?- Yep.

0:29:51 > 0:29:54People were obviously interested in the man as well,

0:29:54 > 0:29:57because you've got, you know, "John Logie Baird talks to the amateur,"

0:29:57 > 0:29:59and then, "John Logie Baird - the man."

0:29:59 > 0:30:02You know, it's a two-page spread just about John Logie Baird.

0:30:03 > 0:30:05I think his spirit of innovation

0:30:05 > 0:30:08takes us back to the idea of the lone inventor.

0:30:08 > 0:30:10He did definitely dream of the future

0:30:10 > 0:30:12and then tried to make it happen.

0:30:17 > 0:30:19We're going to go on a little bit of a thieving mission.

0:30:19 > 0:30:22With our broadcast fast approaching...

0:30:22 > 0:30:24We know where to come for lenses.

0:30:24 > 0:30:28..Hugh's trying to turn Baird's dreams into reality.

0:30:28 > 0:30:33Just trying to get bits and pieces that...hopefully no-one will miss.

0:30:34 > 0:30:38Like the 1936 team, he's using photoelectric cells

0:30:38 > 0:30:41inside a device which will multiply their effect.

0:30:43 > 0:30:45OK, so I've got to adjust the photomultiplier

0:30:45 > 0:30:49so it's pointing at me.

0:30:49 > 0:30:50So hopefully...

0:30:50 > 0:30:52Though his is a tad smaller.

0:30:54 > 0:30:57This will pick up the light reflected from the test card

0:30:57 > 0:31:00and turn it into electric signals

0:31:00 > 0:31:03that Arthur hopes to record and piece into a moving image.

0:31:05 > 0:31:08Maltese cross in place.

0:31:08 > 0:31:10Take the Maltese cross out.

0:31:10 > 0:31:11Light.

0:31:11 > 0:31:14So we've got a wide range of different things there.

0:31:16 > 0:31:18- So, are we ready?- Yeah.

0:31:18 > 0:31:20- Let's see what it looks like.- OK.

0:31:20 > 0:31:21OK.

0:31:23 > 0:31:24Whoa!

0:31:24 > 0:31:27That's not bad!

0:31:27 > 0:31:28That's our first movie.

0:31:33 > 0:31:36Baird's first public demonstration of a television image

0:31:36 > 0:31:39was also of a shadowy Maltese cross.

0:31:42 > 0:31:45But by the time of the launch of Ally Pally,

0:31:45 > 0:31:49mechanical cameras could produce images as good as this -

0:31:49 > 0:31:52a rare snapshot taken from the flying spot.

0:32:00 > 0:32:05It scanned the presenter with a whopping 240 lines of light.

0:32:07 > 0:32:11So far, Hugh's managed only 30 lines.

0:32:13 > 0:32:17To improve picture quality, he needs to add more holes.

0:32:17 > 0:32:21But that means a bigger disc - a much bigger disc.

0:32:22 > 0:32:24If you do the maths on it,

0:32:24 > 0:32:28it turns out that the size of the disc you need

0:32:28 > 0:32:31goes up as the square of the number of holes.

0:32:31 > 0:32:37That means, going to 240 lines, you need a 20-metre diameter disc.

0:32:37 > 0:32:41One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

0:32:43 > 0:32:46I'm only halfway. The disc is...

0:32:48 > 0:32:52You're not going to do television with a 20-metre spinning disc.

0:32:56 > 0:33:01Yet they did it. In 1936, they did 240-line television.

0:33:03 > 0:33:08The flying spot's disc was big, but it was nowhere near 20 metres.

0:33:11 > 0:33:13In fact, it was just under one metre in diameter.

0:33:15 > 0:33:20So how on earth did it produce 240 lines of light?

0:33:22 > 0:33:26Well, the Baird team found an ingenious solution.

0:33:32 > 0:33:37They spread their 240 holes across several different spirals.

0:33:39 > 0:33:44The one disc had four spirals of 60 holes.

0:33:46 > 0:33:49But that meant he needed a second disc...

0:33:49 > 0:33:53to block out the holes that he wasn't using.

0:33:53 > 0:33:57Now, the first disc, with the four spirals of 60 holes,

0:33:57 > 0:34:00had to spin four times faster.

0:34:02 > 0:34:04This two disc synchronised system

0:34:04 > 0:34:08meant the larger one had to spin 100 times a second.

0:34:10 > 0:34:14Much faster and it would've been producing shock waves.

0:34:16 > 0:34:19It's a formidable challenge for Hugh's team.

0:34:21 > 0:34:25If I had a couple of years and it was my full-time job,

0:34:25 > 0:34:27yeah, I'd do it.

0:34:27 > 0:34:31But I think it would take that length of time to get it right.

0:34:31 > 0:34:32It's not a trivial task.

0:34:36 > 0:34:40I don't think we can do it. I don't think we can do 240 lines.

0:34:40 > 0:34:41It's really difficult.

0:34:46 > 0:34:50Building a mechanical TV camera to meet our live broadcast deadline

0:34:50 > 0:34:52is looking daunting.

0:34:52 > 0:34:54Just as it did for the Baird team.

0:34:56 > 0:34:59But what about the rival electronic system?

0:35:01 > 0:35:04Work began on the Emitron cameras just a few years

0:35:04 > 0:35:06before the first night.

0:35:08 > 0:35:11But the technology inside was only made possible

0:35:11 > 0:35:13by decades of experimentation,

0:35:13 > 0:35:18trying to harness beams of electrons inside a cathode ray tube.

0:35:18 > 0:35:22So whilst Logie Baird and his team were getting all the limelight

0:35:22 > 0:35:24about their work on the spinning discs,

0:35:24 > 0:35:27I want to show you what the opposition was doing

0:35:27 > 0:35:29with an experiment that is quite fundamental

0:35:29 > 0:35:32- to the birth of the electronic age. - What do we have here?

0:35:32 > 0:35:36I'm making a DIY electron beam.

0:35:36 > 0:35:39- Love it.- In a wine bottle. - I love it even more.- Exactly.

0:35:39 > 0:35:43So what we have on our wine bottle here is just a hole drilled in.

0:35:43 > 0:35:45- We then have some aluminium wire. - OK.

0:35:45 > 0:35:48- And that forms one side of the circuit.- Got it.

0:35:48 > 0:35:52The other side of the circuit is just on a wire here,

0:35:52 > 0:35:56- and we want to create a spark... - Right, OK.- ..through that gap, OK?

0:35:56 > 0:36:00And then you can see this is going off to the vacuum pump,

0:36:00 > 0:36:01cos we're going to give it a vacuum

0:36:01 > 0:36:03- so the electrons can move a bit better.- OK.

0:36:03 > 0:36:05Let's put our goggles on.

0:36:05 > 0:36:08- Right, if you could switch it on, please.- Ready?- Yep.

0:36:10 > 0:36:13So we're actually going to be pushing quite a lot of voltage,

0:36:13 > 0:36:16a few thousand volts, through this

0:36:16 > 0:36:18- so we can see the electron... - Got it.- ..beam.

0:36:18 > 0:36:21- All we now need to do is turn that dial...- OK.

0:36:21 > 0:36:23..and we'll create lightning in the bottle.

0:36:23 > 0:36:27- Could we just bring the lights down a bit, please?- Yep.

0:36:27 > 0:36:28- All right, so...- Right.

0:36:31 > 0:36:33- See?- Oh, my God, look at that!

0:36:33 > 0:36:37- That's fantastic.- That is so good, isn't it?- It's really clear.- Yeah.

0:36:40 > 0:36:44- This was so important in television history...- Yeah.

0:36:44 > 0:36:48..because it's basically the heart of a cathode ray tube...

0:36:48 > 0:36:51- Yeah.- ..and this is what we're trying to show here.

0:36:51 > 0:36:53And, as you know, cathode ray tubes are in televisions,

0:36:53 > 0:36:56- but they're also in the cameras as well.- Yeah.

0:36:59 > 0:37:02Like Paul Nipkow's spinning discs,

0:37:02 > 0:37:06the ideas here date back to 19th-century Germany

0:37:06 > 0:37:10where, in 1897, physicist Karl Ferdinand Braun

0:37:10 > 0:37:13made the very first cathode ray tube.

0:37:14 > 0:37:17- Look at that. You can see it as I just move it across.- Yeah.

0:37:17 > 0:37:20I'm manipulating that beam of electrons.

0:37:20 > 0:37:23'Creating an electron beam was one thing,

0:37:23 > 0:37:27'learning how to control it using electrode magnets was another.'

0:37:30 > 0:37:33It took over three decades to perfect.

0:37:35 > 0:37:38Only then could images be scanned electronically

0:37:38 > 0:37:40to compete with the mechanical cameras.

0:37:49 > 0:37:53The battle lines between the rival technologies were being drawn.

0:37:55 > 0:37:59Now the national broadcaster needed to be convinced

0:37:59 > 0:38:01television was worth its attention.

0:38:05 > 0:38:10When the BBC opened its new flagship headquarters in 1932,

0:38:10 > 0:38:13the dominant medium of the age had no need for pictures,

0:38:13 > 0:38:14thank you very much.

0:38:16 > 0:38:18- Robert.- Hi. Welcome to Broadcasting House.- Lovely to see you.

0:38:18 > 0:38:21- Thank you very much. - I think you've been here before.

0:38:21 > 0:38:22A couple of times,

0:38:22 > 0:38:25and with buildings you know very well, you take it all for granted,

0:38:25 > 0:38:27and it's such a magnificent place.

0:38:27 > 0:38:29- Well, this building is all about confidence...- Yes.

0:38:29 > 0:38:32..in the new magic medium of radio. Basically said radio's arrived...

0:38:32 > 0:38:35- Yes.- ..and you have entered... you, Dallas, have entered the palace

0:38:35 > 0:38:38of the temple of the arts and muses.

0:38:38 > 0:38:41And, basically, it's saying that broadcasting is here for everybody

0:38:41 > 0:38:44and it will change people's lives and create a better world.

0:38:44 > 0:38:46STATIC

0:38:51 > 0:38:54The BBC radio service only started in 1922.

0:38:54 > 0:38:57Studios to right and to left.

0:38:57 > 0:39:02Within eight years, every second home in the country was tuning in.

0:39:03 > 0:39:06So this is the Radio Theatre, this is the big public space, really,

0:39:06 > 0:39:08at the heart of Broadcasting House,

0:39:08 > 0:39:10so this is where audiences would come

0:39:10 > 0:39:13to hear dance bands, variety, comedy shows.

0:39:13 > 0:39:16Now you're going to hear the first performance

0:39:16 > 0:39:19of the new BBC Dance Orchestra, directed by Henry Hall.

0:39:19 > 0:39:22# It's just the time for dancing... #

0:39:22 > 0:39:24'To you, Birmingham.'

0:39:24 > 0:39:26'To you, Manchester.'

0:39:26 > 0:39:29The spoken word ruled the airwaves.

0:39:31 > 0:39:35And the famously resolute first director-general of the BBC,

0:39:35 > 0:39:40Lord Reith, saw no reason for that to change.

0:39:40 > 0:39:42- Just do moral rectitude.- OK.

0:39:42 > 0:39:45IN SCOTTISH ACCENT: "Aye, that's my work done for the day."

0:39:45 > 0:39:47I'd like a rise, sir.

0:39:48 > 0:39:52It's quite odd being in this room, cos you do feel slightly judged

0:39:52 > 0:39:56with that portrait of Reith looking very sternly "doon" at you.

0:39:56 > 0:39:59He would not be happy with us doing this in this room now.

0:39:59 > 0:40:02I mean, he famously hated television, didn't he?

0:40:02 > 0:40:04He did, he did, he absolutely abhorred it.

0:40:04 > 0:40:07- I think there are some good reasons. - Yeah.

0:40:07 > 0:40:11I mean, radio was a new medium, so he wanted radio to be effective

0:40:11 > 0:40:15before he was diverted to this new juvenile medium.

0:40:15 > 0:40:17I think also he didn't trust television.

0:40:17 > 0:40:22- He came from this very Scottish Presbyterian...- Yes.- ..upbringing.

0:40:22 > 0:40:25He came from a church that decried the visual

0:40:25 > 0:40:27and the word was important,

0:40:27 > 0:40:30- and radio was positioned as the serious medium...- Yeah.

0:40:30 > 0:40:32..television was all about populism,

0:40:32 > 0:40:34and that debate still carries on today.

0:40:34 > 0:40:36But he was a great populist, we can't take that away from him.

0:40:36 > 0:40:38- He wanted to...- In his own...

0:40:38 > 0:40:40He was a populist in that he wanted television...

0:40:40 > 0:40:42well, broadcasting to be spread amongst everyone.

0:40:42 > 0:40:45- He did, but it was his idea of broadcasting.- OK, right.

0:40:45 > 0:40:47Quite patrician.

0:40:47 > 0:40:49Ah, here we are. Operatic Gems.

0:40:49 > 0:40:52OPERATIC MUSIC PLAYS

0:40:52 > 0:40:55I think those principles are still...

0:40:55 > 0:40:58I think we've never found a better ethos, and it's memorable,

0:40:58 > 0:41:00it's crisp and it's defining.

0:41:00 > 0:41:02- It's quite... - Inform, educate, entertain,

0:41:02 > 0:41:04it's as true then as it was is.

0:41:04 > 0:41:07Yeah, and straight off the bat, as well, they came up with...

0:41:07 > 0:41:09- He actually borrowed it from someone else.- Oh, did he steal it?

0:41:09 > 0:41:12- But then more mature poets do, as they say.- Yeah.

0:41:15 > 0:41:18Reith may have abhorred the idea,

0:41:18 > 0:41:21but after years of badgering by Baird,

0:41:21 > 0:41:26in 1932, the BBC used his equipment to try broadcasting

0:41:26 > 0:41:28experimental programmes.

0:41:33 > 0:41:37These went out late at night, after the wireless service had shut down,

0:41:37 > 0:41:40using existing radio frequencies

0:41:40 > 0:41:43to transmit low definition 30-line images.

0:41:44 > 0:41:48They were quite literally sending pictures by wireless.

0:41:51 > 0:41:53Those who were watching

0:41:53 > 0:41:57were watching them on home-made sets, and rather like

0:41:57 > 0:42:00in the very early days of wireless broadcasting,

0:42:00 > 0:42:03what you've got is enthusiasts and amateurs

0:42:03 > 0:42:05who are actually, in a way, more interested in the technology

0:42:05 > 0:42:09and the kits and the fact that they were receiving

0:42:09 > 0:42:12a signal at all than in the content.

0:42:14 > 0:42:17By 1934, the government began contemplating

0:42:17 > 0:42:19an official television service.

0:42:21 > 0:42:23National pride was now at stake.

0:42:24 > 0:42:29In America, work on cathode ray technology was racing ahead.

0:42:30 > 0:42:32'Sieg heil. Sieg heil.'

0:42:33 > 0:42:38And in Germany, preparations were under way for a state-run service.

0:42:40 > 0:42:43Programmes deemed suitable by the Nazis

0:42:43 > 0:42:46would be beamed into public viewing parlours.

0:42:48 > 0:42:52There was a national, international vortex whirling up,

0:42:52 > 0:42:55and the fact that Germany had television, not domestically...

0:42:55 > 0:42:56- No.- ..but they had television early,

0:42:56 > 0:42:58and the Second World War was brewing,

0:42:58 > 0:43:00there was a sense of disquiet in the nation

0:43:00 > 0:43:03- that the UK had to get on with it. - Yeah.

0:43:03 > 0:43:05So there was pressure put on Reith

0:43:05 > 0:43:09to be more professionally interested in this new medium.

0:43:09 > 0:43:11And did he ever come round to thinking,

0:43:11 > 0:43:14- "Actually, it's pretty good, television"?- No.- He always hated it?

0:43:14 > 0:43:16- Nope. Do you know what? - He never...?- When he left...

0:43:16 > 0:43:21When he left the BBC, he got given, amongst an array of presents,

0:43:21 > 0:43:25a television set, and he wrote in his diary, "I will never use it!"

0:43:29 > 0:43:33Determined not to be beaten by the Germans or Americans,

0:43:33 > 0:43:35the government lent on the BBC

0:43:35 > 0:43:38to start a regular British television service.

0:43:40 > 0:43:45One condition was that the pictures should have at least 240 lines,

0:43:45 > 0:43:4760 more than the Germans.

0:43:49 > 0:43:52But with Lord Reith at the helm,

0:43:52 > 0:43:57those TV fools were sent to a hill in north London and told to prepare.

0:44:04 > 0:44:07If the launch had happened a few years earlier,

0:44:07 > 0:44:09John Logie Baird's company might have expected to win

0:44:09 > 0:44:12the contract outright.

0:44:12 > 0:44:17But mechanical television was no longer the only show in town.

0:44:17 > 0:44:20In the unlikely setting of rural Nottinghamshire,

0:44:20 > 0:44:24Danielle's on the trail of the electronic opposition.

0:44:24 > 0:44:25Wow.

0:44:26 > 0:44:30Some people might think this is junk.

0:44:30 > 0:44:31But not to me.

0:44:33 > 0:44:38Here, amongst an extraordinary collection of TV memorabilia...

0:44:38 > 0:44:40These cameras. Good grief.

0:44:40 > 0:44:44..engineer Paul Marshall can reveal THE technological

0:44:44 > 0:44:48breakthrough that made electronic television possible.

0:44:52 > 0:44:57So here is a 1948

0:44:57 > 0:45:02camera tube, which is the heart of the camera, the thing that actually makes the pictures.

0:45:02 > 0:45:03It's the same technology

0:45:03 > 0:45:07that was used prewar to produce Iconoscope cameras.

0:45:07 > 0:45:09- Can I hold it?- Yes.

0:45:09 > 0:45:11- Be careful. - HE CHUCKLES

0:45:11 > 0:45:13- Thank you.- It's...

0:45:13 > 0:45:16It's a lot lighter than I thought it was going to be.

0:45:16 > 0:45:20Yes, well, there's a lot of... I was going to say "fresh air",

0:45:20 > 0:45:25- but in actual fact, it's a vacuum. - A vacuum, right. It's beautiful.

0:45:25 > 0:45:28- And very rare, presumably, is it? - Incredibly rare.

0:45:28 > 0:45:32I think there's probably less than six, and I've got four of them.

0:45:32 > 0:45:34- THEY LAUGH - Brilliant!

0:45:39 > 0:45:43The Iconoscope tube was the brainchild of Vladimir Zworykin,

0:45:43 > 0:45:46a Russian engineer working far from home

0:45:46 > 0:45:48at the Radio Corporation of America.

0:45:52 > 0:45:54It was here that he successfully

0:45:54 > 0:45:58manipulated an electron beam inside a vacuum tube

0:45:58 > 0:46:02to scan an image off a plate of light-sensitive photocells.

0:46:07 > 0:46:11This is a prewar Iconoscope.

0:46:11 > 0:46:14Here is the electron beam, so this is what I was trying

0:46:14 > 0:46:16to do with my wine bottle.

0:46:16 > 0:46:18Much more sophisticated here, of course.

0:46:18 > 0:46:20But what's really interesting here

0:46:20 > 0:46:22is you can really see the mosaic plate.

0:46:22 > 0:46:26Now, that plate has actually got millions of tiny photocells on it,

0:46:26 > 0:46:30and that's the thing that will capture the image.

0:46:30 > 0:46:33And, actually, what it's trying to do is mimic the human eye.

0:46:33 > 0:46:35So the inventor, Zworykin,

0:46:35 > 0:46:37that's why he called it "the electric eye".

0:46:37 > 0:46:40- NEWSREEL:- The optic nerve of a camera picture tube

0:46:40 > 0:46:44is the electron beam, controlled by electromagnets.

0:46:44 > 0:46:48The beam scans the picture which is on the plate

0:46:48 > 0:46:51in rapid, sweeping motions from side to side,

0:46:51 > 0:46:52from top to bottom.

0:46:52 > 0:46:56When the beam hits the image, it loses varying amounts of electrons

0:46:56 > 0:47:00and then bounces back to the opposite end of the picture tube

0:47:00 > 0:47:03where it is amplified millions of times.

0:47:03 > 0:47:06It would be so nice to actually see one of these working.

0:47:06 > 0:47:09Well, I think I can help you there.

0:47:09 > 0:47:12- This is our makeshift studio, isn't it?- Yes, it is.- Excellent.

0:47:12 > 0:47:15- After you.- Thank you.

0:47:15 > 0:47:18- Welcome to my test demonstration facility.- Excellent.

0:47:18 > 0:47:20And meet the Image Iconoscope camera.

0:47:20 > 0:47:22That's amazing! Look at it.

0:47:22 > 0:47:27- And there is the innards revealed. - Oh, wow!

0:47:27 > 0:47:31- There we go. - So this is all prewar technology?

0:47:31 > 0:47:33This is absolutely prewar technology,

0:47:33 > 0:47:36apart from the modern electronics which are driving the tube.

0:47:36 > 0:47:38The key thing is the tube.

0:47:40 > 0:47:44The revolutionary tube inside American Iconoscope camera

0:47:44 > 0:47:48was closely emulated by the British Emitron.

0:47:48 > 0:47:53But as there are no working Emitrons left...

0:47:53 > 0:47:57Paul's reconstructed Iconoscope is the closest we'll get

0:47:57 > 0:48:01to seeing the sort of prewar electronic pictures

0:48:01 > 0:48:04that would have been generated at Ally Pally.

0:48:04 > 0:48:07OK, so if I just come in...

0:48:07 > 0:48:09- Yes...- You can sort of see me.

0:48:09 > 0:48:12But these lights are incredibly bright here.

0:48:12 > 0:48:15Ah, well, that's the feature of the Iconoscope technology,

0:48:15 > 0:48:18and it's well recorded how hot the studios at Alexandra Palace

0:48:18 > 0:48:21and other studios around the world got.

0:48:21 > 0:48:23Now, I've just got to adjust the beam focus,

0:48:23 > 0:48:26- and there you are. - Yeah, that's so clear!

0:48:26 > 0:48:28- A little bit on the image focus. - My forehead looks a bit big.

0:48:28 > 0:48:32Yes, well, that's one of the issues of the electron gun

0:48:32 > 0:48:33being off at an angle.

0:48:33 > 0:48:35- OK.- We've got a control for that.

0:48:35 > 0:48:37- We can give you an even bigger head...- Yeah!

0:48:37 > 0:48:39..or we can bring you back down

0:48:39 > 0:48:42to something like you would expect to see yourself in the mirror.

0:48:42 > 0:48:44The cameraman was the tip of the iceberg,

0:48:44 > 0:48:46in that back at the control unit here,

0:48:46 > 0:48:49which was physically much bigger in those days,

0:48:49 > 0:48:51you would've had the racks man,

0:48:51 > 0:48:53who was in charge of all these tilt and bend controls.

0:48:53 > 0:48:56And so if someone was moving in the live broadcast,

0:48:56 > 0:48:59this racks man would have to try and keep up with that as well?

0:48:59 > 0:49:02- Absolutely.- I love this idea of having one cameraman

0:49:02 > 0:49:04and having a rack man and someone running around

0:49:04 > 0:49:06with a soldering iron behind the scenes as well.

0:49:06 > 0:49:08Oh, it was complete seat-of-the-pants stuff,

0:49:08 > 0:49:12because this thing was going wrong frequently.

0:49:14 > 0:49:17The complex geometry of the early camera tubes

0:49:17 > 0:49:21was just one of the problems facing the Marconi-EMI engineers

0:49:21 > 0:49:23in the rush to first night.

0:49:26 > 0:49:32They'd set themselves the hugely ambitious goal of a 405-line image.

0:49:32 > 0:49:38On paper, this would put the Emitron ahead of the 240-line flying spot.

0:49:41 > 0:49:44But the reality was not clear-cut,

0:49:44 > 0:49:46because the pictures from the mechanical camera

0:49:46 > 0:49:49were considered by many to be better.

0:49:58 > 0:50:01With our broadcast now just three weeks away,

0:50:01 > 0:50:04Hugh's flying spot has a long way to go.

0:50:07 > 0:50:11In search of advice, he's visiting a fellow mechanical engineer...

0:50:11 > 0:50:14Hello. Mr Reveley.

0:50:14 > 0:50:18..who has first-hand knowledge of Baird's prewar technology.

0:50:18 > 0:50:22- Very pleased to meet you. - Yes, and I'm glad to see you.

0:50:22 > 0:50:25Now aged 104,

0:50:25 > 0:50:28Paul Reveley was just 21 when he joined Baird Television.

0:50:31 > 0:50:35Within a year, he'd become John Logie Baird's right-hand man.

0:50:37 > 0:50:39I thought you might be interested to see

0:50:39 > 0:50:42my employment contract with Baird Television.

0:50:42 > 0:50:43Look at that.

0:50:43 > 0:50:47"15th day of February, 1932."

0:50:49 > 0:50:52- This is John Logie Baird. - That's him.

0:50:52 > 0:50:56- This is you, Paul.- Yeah. - And this is Miss...?

0:50:56 > 0:50:57Miss Sarbury.

0:50:57 > 0:51:02She was employed for the day just to be a model.

0:51:02 > 0:51:04I can remember she was a very good-looking girl.

0:51:06 > 0:51:10- And you're wearing headphones. - I'm listening to the video signal.

0:51:10 > 0:51:13So, do you think it's good advice to listen to the signal?

0:51:15 > 0:51:17It's a way of monitoring your signal,

0:51:17 > 0:51:20if you don't have a cathode ray available.

0:51:20 > 0:51:23Well, this is quite exciting,

0:51:23 > 0:51:27because I'm trying to produce a mechanical flying spot camera.

0:51:27 > 0:51:29- Well, yes. If you can...- And...

0:51:31 > 0:51:34If you do that successfully,

0:51:34 > 0:51:37you will get a very precise picture.

0:51:37 > 0:51:39What are you going to do, steel disc?

0:51:39 > 0:51:42Well, I'm going to use an aluminium desk.

0:51:44 > 0:51:46- Is that a problem?- Oh...

0:51:46 > 0:51:50Will that be strong enough to take the centrifugal forces?

0:51:50 > 0:51:53Yeah... I'm hoping not to...

0:51:55 > 0:51:57I don't want to run at 6,000rpm.

0:51:57 > 0:52:02- Oh, no, you won't have to do that. - Well, I can run at 1,500rpm.

0:52:02 > 0:52:04You'll have to run at 1,500.

0:52:06 > 0:52:08Paul's knowledge of mechanical television

0:52:08 > 0:52:10remains as sharp as ever.

0:52:15 > 0:52:18But in a little-known twist to the Baird story,

0:52:18 > 0:52:21it turns out neither Paul nor his boss

0:52:21 > 0:52:25actually installed the 1936 flying spot into Ally Pally.

0:52:29 > 0:52:33Desperately short of cash, Baird sold his company four years earlier.

0:52:35 > 0:52:39Soon after, he was ousted in a boardroom coup,

0:52:39 > 0:52:42and overall control was handed to a Captain West.

0:52:46 > 0:52:50So Baird was not involved in Alexandra Palace?

0:52:50 > 0:52:52No, not at all.

0:52:52 > 0:52:56He wasn't even invited to the opening ceremony.

0:52:56 > 0:52:58- That's very sad.- It was very sad.

0:53:00 > 0:53:03The equipment put into Alexandra Palace

0:53:03 > 0:53:07was under Captain West's overview.

0:53:07 > 0:53:11- Did you ever meet Captain West? - Oh, yes, yes.- What was he like?

0:53:11 > 0:53:16He was a much harder kind of personality than JLB.

0:53:18 > 0:53:21And how would you describe JLB?

0:53:21 > 0:53:25You wouldn't imagine JLB being a good works manager.

0:53:25 > 0:53:29- But Captain West was that type of person.- Right.

0:53:33 > 0:53:35With Captain West running the show,

0:53:35 > 0:53:37Baird continued to work on his cameras

0:53:37 > 0:53:41from his home in south London, with young Paul his sole assistant.

0:53:43 > 0:53:46He used to exist in his bedroom.

0:53:46 > 0:53:48He would perhaps...

0:53:48 > 0:53:52Maybe once a day he would come down and say,

0:53:52 > 0:53:55"Have you anything to show me, Mr Reveley?"

0:53:58 > 0:54:02How did he react when things went wrong?

0:54:02 > 0:54:07Well, they didn't go wrong, because we had it all pre-prepared.

0:54:07 > 0:54:08HUGH LAUGHS

0:54:12 > 0:54:17Fuelled by Paul's advice, back in Cambridge, Hugh hits the workshop.

0:54:18 > 0:54:20Right...

0:54:20 > 0:54:22We can cut a 580 circle in here.

0:54:22 > 0:54:25Yeah, just about.

0:54:25 > 0:54:28Because he can't fit 240 holes onto a single disc...

0:54:31 > 0:54:35..he's decided to go for a 60-hole spiral instead.

0:54:38 > 0:54:42To help compensate for the missing lines, Hugh and his team

0:54:42 > 0:54:47need to make sure their flying spot studio is completely lightproof.

0:54:47 > 0:54:51What we've done here is made a box for the presenter to sit in.

0:54:53 > 0:54:57Then the light coming from the window and the disc that's out there

0:54:57 > 0:54:59is going to shine on my face

0:54:59 > 0:55:02and the dot will track across my face like this.

0:55:04 > 0:55:07To try and boost the picture's definition,

0:55:07 > 0:55:09it's time to bring out the big guns.

0:55:10 > 0:55:12These two photomultipliers

0:55:12 > 0:55:16we borrowed from the Cavendish Physics Laboratories in Cambridge.

0:55:16 > 0:55:22They use them for detecting photons from the Large Hadron Collider,

0:55:22 > 0:55:24looking for the Higgs-Boson.

0:55:24 > 0:55:27So they've got a good pedigree.

0:55:27 > 0:55:30We've got to learn how to use them properly.

0:55:30 > 0:55:31Yeah, there's not much time left.

0:55:33 > 0:55:35OK, spinning up the disc.

0:55:38 > 0:55:39METALLIC SCRAPING

0:55:42 > 0:55:43A bit scrapey.

0:55:45 > 0:55:51We'd like to run at 1,500rpm, which is 25 frames per second,

0:55:51 > 0:55:54but we're not going to get that.

0:55:54 > 0:55:56There's a lot of windage.

0:55:58 > 0:56:00If you put your hand here, you feel the wind.

0:56:00 > 0:56:03That's where our energy is being lost,

0:56:03 > 0:56:07and I guess that explains why Logie Baird

0:56:07 > 0:56:09put his disc in a vacuum.

0:56:12 > 0:56:16The 1936 vacuum chamber removed any air resistance,

0:56:16 > 0:56:20allowing the disc to spin four times faster than Hugh's.

0:56:23 > 0:56:26See that's wobbling around?

0:56:26 > 0:56:30Without a vacuum, the air resistance is unbalancing his disc.

0:56:35 > 0:56:37Unless he can maintain a precise speed,

0:56:37 > 0:56:41turning the electrical signals into a live image

0:56:41 > 0:56:43will be almost impossible.

0:56:43 > 0:56:45All right, we're locking you in.

0:56:48 > 0:56:50Annamaria?

0:56:51 > 0:56:54Can you put your hand in front of your left eye?

0:56:58 > 0:57:02It's not so easy to distinguish, but that is her face and her hand.

0:57:05 > 0:57:07The speed's changed a bit, though.

0:57:07 > 0:57:10Got no bloody time to do anything with this.

0:57:13 > 0:57:16If Hugh doesn't get his camera up and running soon,

0:57:16 > 0:57:20our anniversary broadcast will be over before it's started.

0:57:28 > 0:57:31At the studios, rehearsals are about to begin.

0:57:31 > 0:57:33Getting there.

0:57:34 > 0:57:3880 years ago, they obviously believed less is more.

0:57:39 > 0:57:43Many of the early variety shows were under ten minutes long.

0:57:45 > 0:57:47RAGTIME PIANO MUSIC

0:57:49 > 0:57:52On opening night, headliner Adele Dixon

0:57:52 > 0:57:56was followed by American tap-dancing legend John Bubbles

0:57:56 > 0:57:58and his partner, Buck,

0:57:58 > 0:58:02making them the first black artists on television

0:58:02 > 0:58:04anywhere in the world.

0:58:07 > 0:58:09According to the Radio Times listings,

0:58:09 > 0:58:13next up were contortionist plate-spinners from China.

0:58:13 > 0:58:17Sadly, this niche act was dropped shortly before they went live.

0:58:17 > 0:58:20But happily for our show, 80 years later,

0:58:20 > 0:58:24we'll include contortionist pot-spinners from Ghana.

0:58:24 > 0:58:25Eh, close enough.

0:58:27 > 0:58:30What strikes me most about the opening show

0:58:30 > 0:58:33is how light and frothy it all was.

0:58:33 > 0:58:36So was that by accident or design?

0:58:37 > 0:58:40The rush to get television invented

0:58:40 > 0:58:44meant that all the money had been spent on the science,

0:58:44 > 0:58:47- and they hadn't really thought about what to put on it.- Yeah.

0:58:47 > 0:58:49I think Reith and the BBC at the time,

0:58:49 > 0:58:51when they looked at the future of television,

0:58:51 > 0:58:54I think they perceived something like the David Attenborough shows.

0:58:54 > 0:58:57As we know, only a part of television has fulfilled that.

0:58:57 > 0:59:01What really drives television are the low arts, are variety,

0:59:01 > 0:59:04are soap operas, are recurring series.

0:59:04 > 0:59:06The National Programme from London.

0:59:07 > 0:59:10Variety had proved such a success on radio,

0:59:10 > 0:59:12but they had to differentiate it,

0:59:12 > 0:59:15so they made the first programmes very visual.

0:59:17 > 0:59:21So if you look, you've got jugglers on. Juggling doesn't work on radio.

0:59:21 > 0:59:23You've got plate-spinners - doesn't work on radio.

0:59:27 > 0:59:28But there was another concern,

0:59:28 > 0:59:32because they had understood from the experimental service

0:59:32 > 0:59:34that people got eyestrain.

0:59:34 > 0:59:37It was very difficult. You had to concentrate.

0:59:37 > 0:59:40- The picture wobbled somewhat, it wasn't a perfect picture. - That's interesting.

0:59:40 > 0:59:43And so having acts and presentations

0:59:43 > 0:59:45and performances in bite-sized chunks

0:59:45 > 0:59:48meant that you could concentrate for those few seconds

0:59:48 > 0:59:50and then you could relax awhile

0:59:50 > 0:59:52and get ready for the next act to come on.

0:59:56 > 0:59:58The producers' ambition

0:59:58 > 1:00:01for an all-singing, all-dancing live spectacle

1:00:01 > 1:00:05in a brightly lit studio gave the Baird engineers a problem.

1:00:07 > 1:00:11Their mechanical camera was designed to see in the dark.

1:00:13 > 1:00:16The flying spot camera could only work

1:00:16 > 1:00:21if the person is sat absolutely still in a blackened-out box,

1:00:21 > 1:00:23head and shoulders straight to the camera.

1:00:23 > 1:00:24That was its limit.

1:00:24 > 1:00:30But they had a singer, an orchestra and dancers all in that first show,

1:00:30 > 1:00:33so how on earth did they do it?

1:00:33 > 1:00:37Well, the Baird Company had to get a little bit more inventive.

1:00:40 > 1:00:46In desperation, they resorted to a tried and tested technology -

1:00:46 > 1:00:47the movie camera.

1:00:49 > 1:00:52For live TV,

1:00:52 > 1:00:57they needed a way of developing the film as soon as it left the camera,

1:00:57 > 1:01:01so they built a processing lab around it.

1:01:03 > 1:01:05It was totally crazy,

1:01:05 > 1:01:09but at the time, it was the only way to be able to do this.

1:01:11 > 1:01:14Here we have a modern film processor.

1:01:14 > 1:01:16The film runs through the machine here

1:01:16 > 1:01:19to the chemical tanks up the steps here.

1:01:19 > 1:01:22Each of these tanks the film goes through,

1:01:22 > 1:01:25goes up and down through the tanks, all the way through,

1:01:25 > 1:01:28and then comes out into this last tower at the back.

1:01:28 > 1:01:31Baird, with his system,

1:01:31 > 1:01:36managed to get this reduced down to fit under his camera.

1:01:38 > 1:01:42The Baird team miniaturised an entire film lab

1:01:42 > 1:01:46and installed it inside a soundproof booth in the studio.

1:01:49 > 1:01:52But back then, film processing took up to an hour,

1:01:52 > 1:01:54no good for live TV.

1:01:58 > 1:02:00So to speed up the process,

1:02:00 > 1:02:05they made some toxic changes to the developing chemicals

1:02:05 > 1:02:08One of the bars was almost neat cyanide,

1:02:08 > 1:02:11which is the same thing that they use in gas chambers, you know,

1:02:11 > 1:02:13for executing people,

1:02:13 > 1:02:16so it was almost as though the Baird team

1:02:16 > 1:02:19were sitting on a gas chamber.

1:02:21 > 1:02:26After developing, each frame of the still-wet negative film

1:02:26 > 1:02:30was scanned by a spinning disc camera in a process called telecine.

1:02:32 > 1:02:34According to presenter Leslie Mitchell,

1:02:34 > 1:02:38the fastest they managed to turn the film into TV pictures

1:02:38 > 1:02:40was 54 seconds.

1:02:42 > 1:02:46Astonishingly quick, but still not quite live.

1:02:50 > 1:02:53Despite the engineers' ingenuity,

1:02:53 > 1:02:56the telecine camera system was obviously flawed.

1:02:58 > 1:03:02The pictures were not as clear as those of the mechanical flying spot.

1:03:05 > 1:03:10And the film-processing machinery was notoriously unreliable.

1:03:12 > 1:03:16If anything failed, Leslie Mitchell, inside his box,

1:03:16 > 1:03:19would have to be ready to carry the whole show.

1:03:26 > 1:03:27As first night loomed,

1:03:27 > 1:03:31the Baird pioneers had a lot riding on the flying spot.

1:03:37 > 1:03:3980 years later, we're in the same boat.

1:03:43 > 1:03:45- Whoa-ho.- No pressure, Hugh.

1:03:46 > 1:03:48- Wow.- Hi, Hugh.- Hi, Hugh.

1:03:48 > 1:03:52- Hi. This is it, is it?- Yeah. - Great, isn't it?- What do you think?

1:03:52 > 1:03:54- Hi, Danielle.- Hi. Lovely to see you.

1:03:54 > 1:03:57In the back of the van, I've got this booth.

1:03:57 > 1:03:59- Where's it going to go? - It's going to go right here.

1:04:03 > 1:04:07- It's very heavy. - Our spinning disc will be here?- Yes.

1:04:07 > 1:04:10We need a bright light, and that's going to have to be over here.

1:04:10 > 1:04:13Hugh, how lit is it going to be inside?

1:04:13 > 1:04:17- How lit?- Yes.- Lit?! - How lit will Dallas be?- Lit?!

1:04:20 > 1:04:22You're in complete darkness.

1:04:22 > 1:04:26- Then you're going to have... flashing lights.- OK.- Brilliant.

1:04:26 > 1:04:30- And after half an hour of this, you are going to be...- Have a coronary.

1:04:30 > 1:04:31Right, OK. So, roof.

1:04:31 > 1:04:34Are you confident it's going to work?

1:04:34 > 1:04:36Along the way, everything has worked at least once.

1:04:36 > 1:04:40- Brilliant. That's all you can ask for, isn't it?- We've only got to do it once.- Exactly.

1:04:44 > 1:04:48Four hours and a lot of tinkering later...

1:04:50 > 1:04:54..it's time to fire up a BBC flying spot studio

1:04:54 > 1:04:57for the first time in almost eight decades.

1:05:00 > 1:05:02Not plugged in. Ha!

1:05:04 > 1:05:05Getting worried there.

1:05:11 > 1:05:15- Now, with any luck, we should be getting something in there.- Yeah.

1:05:17 > 1:05:20So we'll put the Maltese cross there.

1:05:21 > 1:05:23OK, are we ready?

1:05:23 > 1:05:26- The moment of truth. - The moment of truth.- Exactly.

1:05:26 > 1:05:28- OK?- Yeah!- And...

1:05:28 > 1:05:30THEY EXCLAIM IN ANTICIPATION

1:05:30 > 1:05:31THEY CHEER

1:05:31 > 1:05:36- My God, it works!- That's amazing! - But there is one problem.

1:05:36 > 1:05:40Have you got the image of the photomultiplier stand in the way?!

1:05:40 > 1:05:44Yeah, but it's a small price to pay. Look, it bloody works!

1:05:46 > 1:05:49So it may need a little refining,

1:05:49 > 1:05:52but to obtain a live picture from a spinning piece of metal,

1:05:52 > 1:05:55well, it still seems pretty astonishing.

1:06:01 > 1:06:05The pioneers transmitted the first show 25 miles or more.

1:06:07 > 1:06:12- We're going for a more modest broadcast...- All right.

1:06:12 > 1:06:14..all the way to our greenroom.

1:06:16 > 1:06:18What I want is something that's going to transmit

1:06:18 > 1:06:21- like Ally Pally was transmitting, so...- Yeah, OK.

1:06:21 > 1:06:23- Well, let's try this one.- OK.

1:06:24 > 1:06:28We're using a 65-year-old TV,

1:06:28 > 1:06:32a spring chicken compared to the first cathode ray sets.

1:06:32 > 1:06:34The original domestic sets had to accommodate

1:06:34 > 1:06:36the two rival picture standards.

1:06:38 > 1:06:42This is a television set that people would have actually watched

1:06:42 > 1:06:44the opening night on in 1936,

1:06:44 > 1:06:47and if you open it up here,

1:06:47 > 1:06:50the first thing that you see is a mirror,

1:06:50 > 1:06:52and the reason that you have a mirror is that

1:06:52 > 1:06:57the cathode ray tube which is inside this is so long, so it's upended,

1:06:57 > 1:07:01it points up towards the ceiling, and therefore, you have to have

1:07:01 > 1:07:05a mirror here to actually see what's on the screen.

1:07:05 > 1:07:09And what dates this particular set very, very precisely

1:07:09 > 1:07:13to this moment at the end of 1936 is this switch here.

1:07:13 > 1:07:17There, you see, it's switched to 405, which is 405 lines,

1:07:17 > 1:07:21the Marconi-EMI system, and if I flick that,

1:07:21 > 1:07:25it goes to 240 lines, which is the Baird system.

1:07:29 > 1:07:31Who was watching television?

1:07:31 > 1:07:32How many people had television sets

1:07:32 > 1:07:35and could have tuned in to programme one?

1:07:35 > 1:07:37We're only talking a few hundred,

1:07:37 > 1:07:40- and only in a very small space in the London area.- Yes.

1:07:40 > 1:07:43And, of course, people that could afford sets were rich.

1:07:43 > 1:07:45- The sets were fantastically expensive.- Yeah.

1:07:45 > 1:07:48They differed from about £50 to £80

1:07:48 > 1:07:51when the average wage was about 140.

1:07:51 > 1:07:53INAUDIBLE

1:07:53 > 1:07:59Half the average wage would be like spending £10,000 to £15,000 today.

1:07:59 > 1:08:02That's a lot of money for a prototype gogglebox.

1:08:04 > 1:08:07Even the name "television" seemed to be quite controversial, didn't it?

1:08:07 > 1:08:10Yes. I mean, people thought it's a half-Greek word,

1:08:10 > 1:08:12a half-Latin word, you know, it's not going to...

1:08:12 > 1:08:14- It's not perfect, by any means. - Yeah.

1:08:14 > 1:08:18I mean, I think we had to learn the grammar that you use

1:08:18 > 1:08:20to talk about television.

1:08:20 > 1:08:23They weren't called viewers, they were called "lookers-in".

1:08:27 > 1:08:29- Oh, no!- No, no, we're all right.

1:08:31 > 1:08:34Hugh's been busy honing his pictures,

1:08:34 > 1:08:36but he's also getting sound...

1:08:36 > 1:08:39SQUEAKING ..and not the sort we need.

1:08:39 > 1:08:42- I can fiddle it around to get rid of the squeak. - RATTLING

1:08:42 > 1:08:45But it's a fine line between squeak and rattle.

1:08:47 > 1:08:51A rattling camera tomorrow will derail our entire show.

1:08:53 > 1:08:55Because this is right here in the studio,

1:08:55 > 1:08:58it's going to be impossible to actually hear what's going to go on.

1:08:58 > 1:09:01It's going to be incredibly noisy. Er...

1:09:02 > 1:09:07These are actually the words that I'm going to say tomorrow,

1:09:07 > 1:09:10and it's an amalgamation of a couple of things.

1:09:10 > 1:09:13It's Leslie Mitchell's words, and the chairman of the BBC,

1:09:13 > 1:09:16and there's a lot of it, and it's not like I can actually have this

1:09:16 > 1:09:19in the booth itself, cos it'll be pitch-black,

1:09:19 > 1:09:22and there's no autocue, so I'm just going to have to learn it.

1:09:22 > 1:09:25It's quite a mouthful.

1:09:25 > 1:09:29"This is the BBC television service at Alexandra Palace.

1:09:29 > 1:09:31"We are met, some in this studio..."

1:09:31 > 1:09:35'Apparently, Leslie Mitchell was also handed pages of script

1:09:35 > 1:09:39'to learn just hours before the original broadcast.

1:09:39 > 1:09:44'I'm all for historical accuracy, but this is heavy going.'

1:09:44 > 1:09:45LOUD SQUEAKING

1:09:45 > 1:09:48Well, it's not that one there.

1:09:48 > 1:09:50It can't be that one there.

1:09:50 > 1:09:53- Oh, it's worse! - Yeah, which one is it?

1:09:53 > 1:09:57'Mitchell got so frustrated, he tore up the script,

1:09:57 > 1:09:59'daring the producers to sack him.

1:09:59 > 1:10:01'I feel his pain.'

1:10:01 > 1:10:04So, we're going to have to hacksaw this out.

1:10:11 > 1:10:13It's getting close to the wire now...

1:10:14 > 1:10:16We can't get rid of this squeak.

1:10:16 > 1:10:20..but with Hugh still battling intermittent noises from his disc...

1:10:20 > 1:10:22Right, try that.

1:10:22 > 1:10:25..we haven't rehearsed a single line of the show.

1:10:27 > 1:10:30- Hugh, we need to test this. We need to get on and...- Well, OK...

1:10:30 > 1:10:32We'll switch this off, then.

1:10:32 > 1:10:35- I mean, is it just the noise. - That's it? It's really quiet.

1:10:35 > 1:10:39It's perfectly quiet! It's quieter than my TV at home.

1:10:41 > 1:10:43OK, fire up.

1:10:43 > 1:10:47- And...- Right.- Hold on. - Right, I'm going to...- Yay!

1:10:47 > 1:10:49- Let me see. - HUGH CHUCKLES

1:10:49 > 1:10:51Oh, yeah, excellent!

1:10:51 > 1:10:54It's a good job I'm not epileptic, with this... OK.

1:10:54 > 1:10:56You have to speak up. We can't hear you.

1:10:56 > 1:10:59- LOUDER: Can you hear me now?- Yes. - Yeah, you've got to shout, though.

1:10:59 > 1:11:02SHOUTING: This is the BBC television service...

1:11:02 > 1:11:05But tomorrow, how are we going to cue him?

1:11:05 > 1:11:08Cos we can't be shouting, cos the orchestra's playing as well.

1:11:08 > 1:11:11- I do like the idea of a stick. - I quite like the idea of a stick.

1:11:11 > 1:11:14- Danielle...- Have you got that drill? Let's just...

1:11:14 > 1:11:16Where's the drill with the drillbit? Any old drillbit.

1:11:16 > 1:11:19We can use our 30-hole disc and just... Pow!

1:11:19 > 1:11:22- Right.- ..government... - Hey, Dallas.- Yes?

1:11:22 > 1:11:26- Charlie's about to drill a hole in your back.- Should I move?

1:11:26 > 1:11:28Here we go.

1:11:28 > 1:11:30- OK, I'm leaning forward. - Right, it's in.

1:11:30 > 1:11:34- OK, now, Dallas?- Yeah? - Sit down in your normal position.

1:11:34 > 1:11:36OK.

1:11:36 > 1:11:38Ow! OK, yeah.

1:11:38 > 1:11:40LAUGHTER

1:11:40 > 1:11:44- That is really annoying and distracting.- Well...

1:11:44 > 1:11:46That's going to be your cue tomorrow.

1:11:46 > 1:11:49- How do you feel about that? - Er... Yeah.

1:11:49 > 1:11:50'Back in the day,

1:11:50 > 1:11:54'Leslie Mitchell was cued by a sharp jab to his ribs from an assistant.'

1:11:54 > 1:11:57- Got it.- Have you fallen off your chair?- Just about.

1:11:59 > 1:12:02Then, as now, the flying spot was a cruel mistress.

1:12:15 > 1:12:20On 2nd November 1936, a motley band of engineers,

1:12:20 > 1:12:23ex-radio producers and variety acts

1:12:23 > 1:12:25prepared to make television a reality.

1:12:28 > 1:12:32'We are met, some in this studio at the Alexandra Palace,

1:12:32 > 1:12:36'and others at viewing points miles away.'

1:12:36 > 1:12:40This is the BBC television service at Alexandra Palace.

1:12:41 > 1:12:47We are here, some in this studio, others at viewing points...

1:12:47 > 1:12:50Poor Leslie Mitchell was plastered with high-contrast make-up

1:12:50 > 1:12:53to help the flying spot's primitive photocells

1:12:53 > 1:12:55read the details on his face.

1:12:56 > 1:13:00But I look more like I'm about to step into a circus ring

1:13:00 > 1:13:01than a television studio.

1:13:07 > 1:13:11- Oh, wow!- I know! It's ridiculous! - I didn't recognise you.

1:13:11 > 1:13:14- I don't recognise myself. - Is it the suit? Maybe it's the suit.

1:13:14 > 1:13:16- Well, maybe it's the suit.- Yeah.

1:13:17 > 1:13:21One of the biggest challenges in the Baird studio was coordinating

1:13:21 > 1:13:24the live flying spot camera in the box

1:13:24 > 1:13:29with the film telecine camera that took 54 seconds to produce images.

1:13:31 > 1:13:34The trick was making the lookers-in at home

1:13:34 > 1:13:37think the whole thing was seamless.

1:13:37 > 1:13:40To work out how the pioneers might have done it,

1:13:40 > 1:13:45we'll attempt a 54-second lag between our two cameras.

1:13:45 > 1:13:48And in the spirit of the original live broadcast,

1:13:48 > 1:13:51we'll just have to busk it if anything goes wrong.

1:13:51 > 1:13:55So has someone got a walkie-talkie I could borrow? I'll unplug you.

1:13:55 > 1:13:57Is that all right? Thank you.

1:13:57 > 1:13:59Our intrepid floor manager,

1:13:59 > 1:14:04AKA Danielle, will stage manage what could be pure mayhem.

1:14:04 > 1:14:07- What are you receiving now?- Coming and going. That's not too bad now.

1:14:08 > 1:14:12I felt, like, quietly confident before,

1:14:12 > 1:14:15and now I've sort of gone through the script.

1:14:15 > 1:14:18Blimey, you know, there's the whole timing side of it,

1:14:18 > 1:14:20and it's massive, you know.

1:14:20 > 1:14:22It's really nerve-racking.

1:14:28 > 1:14:31SQUEAKING

1:14:31 > 1:14:34So the noise has come back, and it's very close to the show,

1:14:34 > 1:14:36so we're now doing a number of experiments

1:14:36 > 1:14:39to try and work out what's causing it.

1:14:39 > 1:14:40OK...

1:14:40 > 1:14:43We can't have this while the orchestra are playing and while

1:14:43 > 1:14:45there are dancers going to music, and if we don't get it fixed,

1:14:45 > 1:14:47we kind of ruin everyone else's performance,

1:14:47 > 1:14:49so we're working quite hard to get rid of it.

1:14:51 > 1:14:5580 years ago, as broadcast loomed, the tense studio was under

1:14:55 > 1:14:59the watchful gaze of the government committee overseeing the launch.

1:15:01 > 1:15:03A lot was riding on the opening show.

1:15:05 > 1:15:10- Hello!- 'Our guest of honour is 91-year-old Lily...'- Thank you.

1:15:10 > 1:15:13'..the oldest surviving performer from the earliest days

1:15:13 > 1:15:14'of Ally Pally.'

1:15:14 > 1:15:16- You get the best seat in the house. - Do I?

1:15:16 > 1:15:18In fact, you get the only seat in the house.

1:15:18 > 1:15:22- Because I'm the eldest, you see. - Exactly. We saved the best for you.

1:15:22 > 1:15:24OK, right, this is your seat here. Right.

1:15:24 > 1:15:27- Shall I sit down now? - Yep, please do.

1:15:27 > 1:15:30Right, OK. Now, hopefully, if this all works,

1:15:30 > 1:15:32you will see Dallas appear on there.

1:15:36 > 1:15:41I think we've managed to fix the squeak by oiling it, of all things.

1:15:41 > 1:15:44A little drop of oil. Who'd have thought that would work?!

1:15:45 > 1:15:49I think we're ready for it, and...

1:15:49 > 1:15:51fingers crossed nothing goes wrong at the last minute.

1:15:51 > 1:15:54Everyone, can I have your attention, please?

1:15:56 > 1:16:00Welcome to 2nd November 1936.

1:16:00 > 1:16:02CHEERING

1:16:02 > 1:16:05This is going to be a very difficult and challenging thing,

1:16:05 > 1:16:09to try and get the timings between what happens in that booth

1:16:09 > 1:16:10and what happens in here.

1:16:10 > 1:16:13Danielle is going to also be floor manager.

1:16:13 > 1:16:17Yeah, I'm going to try and manage this live performance,

1:16:17 > 1:16:21so we have to try and put this delay into our broadcast today.

1:16:21 > 1:16:24- LAUGHTER - I know, exactly. What is it?

1:16:24 > 1:16:29So we need to have a 54-second delay towards the end of your speech.

1:16:29 > 1:16:33I then cue the orchestra, and then you can start off.

1:16:33 > 1:16:37As with any live show, the mantra is "keep going".

1:16:37 > 1:16:39We're very much into a journey of the unknown.

1:16:39 > 1:16:41- OK, good luck, everybody.- OK.

1:16:49 > 1:16:51The programme is about to begin.

1:16:51 > 1:16:54Engineers stand by in the control room.

1:16:54 > 1:16:57The producer is waiting at his microphone

1:16:57 > 1:16:59to speak his last word to the artist.

1:17:01 > 1:17:04- I'm, "Argh!" Rabbit, headlights. - You're going to be fabulous.

1:17:04 > 1:17:06- This is all good, it's working? - Yeah.- Lily's plugged in?

1:17:06 > 1:17:08Lily's in place.

1:17:12 > 1:17:14Is everybody ready?

1:17:14 > 1:17:16Excellent, OK. Dallas, you OK?

1:17:16 > 1:17:19- Yeah.- Good luck. See you on the other side.

1:17:20 > 1:17:22OK, PM's live.

1:17:24 > 1:17:27And there we go. Rolling at 15 frames per second.

1:17:28 > 1:17:3015 frames per second.

1:17:30 > 1:17:32Oh, there he is.

1:17:32 > 1:17:37- Dallas.- Oh!- That's Leslie Mitchell.- Silence, everybody!

1:17:38 > 1:17:40Vision and sound are on.

1:17:40 > 1:17:42MAN BLOWS WHISTLE

1:17:42 > 1:17:44The station goes on the air.

1:17:52 > 1:17:56This is the BBC television service from Alexandra Palace.

1:17:58 > 1:18:03We are met, some in this studio, and others some miles away.

1:18:03 > 1:18:07At this moment, at the beginning of television,

1:18:07 > 1:18:13we'd like to thank those whose brilliant and devout research

1:18:13 > 1:18:16have gone on to make television happen.

1:18:16 > 1:18:21As for the future... CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS

1:18:22 > 1:18:24Did it work?

1:18:26 > 1:18:30Now, today's programme will no doubt, in the future,

1:18:30 > 1:18:33be looked back on as being rather primitive,

1:18:33 > 1:18:35but one that we hope today

1:18:35 > 1:18:40will be recorded as an important moment in history.

1:18:41 > 1:18:43Now, ladies and gentlemen,

1:18:43 > 1:18:46we're very lucky to have today Adele Dixon,

1:18:46 > 1:18:51who'll be singing a very appropriate song, simply called Television.

1:18:51 > 1:18:55Following that, we have a performance from Bubbles and Buck,

1:18:55 > 1:18:58who have been delighting audiences all across America,

1:18:58 > 1:19:00and lately, here in London.

1:19:01 > 1:19:03MUSIC STARTS

1:19:05 > 1:19:09- I feel like clapping! - What do you think?

1:19:09 > 1:19:12No-one watching the show 80 years ago recorded whether the film

1:19:12 > 1:19:15from the camera kicked in at the right moment...

1:19:15 > 1:19:21# A mighty maze of mystic, magic rays... #

1:19:21 > 1:19:24..but assuming the pioneers timed it as well as Danielle,

1:19:24 > 1:19:27we think it might have looked a bit like this.

1:19:27 > 1:19:29# And in sight and sound they trace... #

1:19:36 > 1:19:38It's a lovely studio, isn't it?

1:19:38 > 1:19:40In the studio, our performers

1:19:40 > 1:19:44are now running almost a minute ahead of our broadcast.

1:19:44 > 1:19:46# The news will flit

1:19:46 > 1:19:51# As on the silver screen

1:19:51 > 1:19:55# And just for entertaining you... #

1:20:21 > 1:20:33# ..That bring television to you. #

1:20:37 > 1:20:42With just the one film camera, live scene changes were unavoidable.

1:20:44 > 1:20:46PIANO MUSIC

1:20:48 > 1:20:51Some lookers-in, used to the slick editing of the cinema,

1:20:51 > 1:20:52were unimpressed...

1:20:52 > 1:20:55INDISTINCT

1:20:55 > 1:21:00..but no doubt any theatre and variety fans felt right at home.

1:21:00 > 1:21:03Break it up, now! Whoo!

1:21:03 > 1:21:05Because it was bolted to the processing unit,

1:21:05 > 1:21:09the Baird film camera could not follow the performers...

1:21:11 > 1:21:14..so the golden rule was to stay within the frame.

1:21:20 > 1:21:22- Ready?- Yep.- Yes!- Excellent.

1:21:22 > 1:21:24- INDISTINCT SPEECH - Shh-shh. When you go in there, shh.

1:21:24 > 1:21:28The performers also couldn't overrun their allotted slots

1:21:28 > 1:21:29in case the film ran out.

1:21:39 > 1:21:42As our final act begins,

1:21:42 > 1:21:45Buck and Bubbles finish performing to viewers at home.

1:21:46 > 1:21:50The engineers were on constant alert for air bubbles

1:21:50 > 1:21:53inside the film processor, as these would distort the picture...

1:21:56 > 1:21:59..but nothing a sharp kick to the side of the tank couldn't sort out.

1:21:59 > 1:22:02I'm talking about love.

1:22:02 > 1:22:04Yeah!

1:22:04 > 1:22:05DRUMS PLAY

1:22:37 > 1:22:39DRUMS STOP

1:22:40 > 1:22:41SILENCE

1:22:44 > 1:22:46As the studio goes silent,

1:22:46 > 1:22:50the film processor catches up in the almost-live broadcast.

1:22:55 > 1:22:57It is incredible the Baird team

1:22:57 > 1:23:00actually managed to make television this way.

1:23:01 > 1:23:02Hats off to them.

1:23:09 > 1:23:11You've been watching the opening programme

1:23:11 > 1:23:15of the London television service by the Baird system.

1:23:15 > 1:23:18Would you now please switch your television sets

1:23:18 > 1:23:20to the Marconi-EMI system,

1:23:20 > 1:23:24where we will be radiating a signal at a quarter to four.

1:23:24 > 1:23:27Until then, we leave you with a little light music.

1:23:27 > 1:23:30CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS

1:23:32 > 1:23:33Oh, my goodness me!

1:23:35 > 1:23:37We did it!

1:23:37 > 1:23:39Well done, everybody! Well done.

1:23:41 > 1:23:44- It was... That was really quick as well.- That was incredible!

1:23:44 > 1:23:46Well done.

1:23:46 > 1:23:50- What did you think?- Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.

1:23:50 > 1:23:54- It took me back years and years. - Did it?- Oh, yes. Wonderful.

1:23:54 > 1:23:56- It was fantastic. - It was really good.

1:23:58 > 1:24:01It was like going back in time.

1:24:01 > 1:24:05It was wonderful seeing those tap dancers, because I could imagine

1:24:05 > 1:24:08Leslie Mitchell and me doing it all those years ago.

1:24:08 > 1:24:09It really came back to me.

1:24:10 > 1:24:14It was crazy. It was like, "As soon as you walk on, begin!"

1:24:14 > 1:24:16And it was like, "OK!"

1:24:17 > 1:24:21That was just a complete circus. That was absolutely ridiculous.

1:24:21 > 1:24:25The whole thing was insane, but utterly brilliant.

1:24:31 > 1:24:33Well, it's been hard work. We've had...

1:24:33 > 1:24:35RATTLING

1:24:35 > 1:24:37We've had a lot of things not working along the way.

1:24:40 > 1:24:44It's quite emotionally exhausting, because you spent all that time

1:24:44 > 1:24:48in the lead-up, just the tension of it, "Is it going to work?"

1:24:48 > 1:24:52And it's over so quickly. It just worked so well.

1:24:52 > 1:24:56It must have been extraordinary back then in 1936.

1:24:56 > 1:24:57How are you feeling?

1:24:59 > 1:25:00Good.

1:25:02 > 1:25:05The first night of television.

1:25:05 > 1:25:06- ALL:- Cheers!

1:25:06 > 1:25:08- BOTH:- Cheers to the engineers.

1:25:11 > 1:25:13Of course, we did cheat a bit.

1:25:15 > 1:25:18Our film of the variety acts had to travel across London

1:25:18 > 1:25:20to be processed and telecined,

1:25:20 > 1:25:25taking hours to do what the Baird studio managed in under a minute.

1:25:34 > 1:25:38Immediately after the first broadcast, the producers

1:25:38 > 1:25:42and artists traipsed next door into the Marconi-EMI studio...

1:25:45 > 1:25:49..to perform exactly the same show to the electronic cameras.

1:25:52 > 1:25:57This is the BBC's television service at Alexandra Palace.

1:25:57 > 1:26:01- So literally the second thing that was broadcast was a repeat.- Yeah!

1:26:01 > 1:26:03- Nothing changes.- Yeah!

1:26:03 > 1:26:07The government should have entrusted to us the conduct...

1:26:07 > 1:26:11This idea of two studios, two rival systems,

1:26:11 > 1:26:16drove the pioneers of Alexandra Palace crazy, to have to do this.

1:26:18 > 1:26:21And they were pretty clear straight away which system,

1:26:21 > 1:26:24as far as they were concerned, was the better one.

1:26:25 > 1:26:27But politically,

1:26:27 > 1:26:31it was really difficult to extract the Baird system from the equation,

1:26:31 > 1:26:33because Baird had been around for a long time,

1:26:33 > 1:26:36had campaigned a long time,

1:26:36 > 1:26:40and so the idea of a competition was written in to the process.

1:26:42 > 1:26:46The early Emitron cameras were far from perfect,

1:26:46 > 1:26:49but they were mobile and fully live.

1:26:53 > 1:26:56One producer described going back to the Baird studio as,

1:26:56 > 1:27:00"Like using Morse code when there was a telephone next door."

1:27:03 > 1:27:08Baird was a pioneer, but rapidly rotating discs,

1:27:08 > 1:27:12they don't suit themselves to being in a camera, do they?

1:27:14 > 1:27:16I think Baird himself must have realised

1:27:16 > 1:27:21that the time of mechanically rotating things was gone.

1:27:23 > 1:27:26The competition was meant to last six months,

1:27:26 > 1:27:30but after only three, the plug was pulled.

1:27:32 > 1:27:36It was official - the future was electronic.

1:27:41 > 1:27:44From his home, John Logie Baird continued to dream...

1:27:46 > 1:27:50..working on ideas for colour and 3-D television,

1:27:50 > 1:27:53but the age of the lone inventor was over.

1:27:56 > 1:27:58- Ladies and gentlemen... - ..the Television Orchestra.

1:27:58 > 1:28:00CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS

1:28:06 > 1:28:09In the years after first night, the Ally Pally pioneers

1:28:09 > 1:28:12and their freewheeling cameras set about taking

1:28:12 > 1:28:16those magic rays of light beyond the boundaries of north London.

1:28:18 > 1:28:20A beauty.

1:28:20 > 1:28:23Soon, the world would indeed be at their door.

1:28:23 > 1:28:26# There's joy in store

1:28:26 > 1:28:29# The world is at your door

1:28:29 > 1:28:35# It's here for everyone to view

1:28:35 > 1:28:38# Conjured up in sound and sight

1:28:38 > 1:28:42# By the magic rays of light

1:28:42 > 1:28:47# That bring television

1:28:47 > 1:28:55# To you. #