0:00:10 > 0:00:14Good afternoon and welcome to Points Of View
0:00:14 > 0:00:17on this, our fiftieth anniversary.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Yes, the Points Of View programme in its various guises,
0:00:20 > 0:00:23has been broadcasting YOUR feedback
0:00:23 > 0:00:26on the BBC's TV output for 50 years.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30What a wealth of output that has been and it's stored here,
0:00:30 > 0:00:33in this state-of-the-art archive.
0:00:33 > 0:00:38Priceless first appearances from some of the world's greatest actors...
0:00:38 > 0:00:42Yes, that is the coolest James Bond looking very uncool,
0:00:42 > 0:00:47and unique documentary footage from historic international events
0:00:47 > 0:00:48are preserved for all time.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52Recordings ranging from the first test broadcasts,
0:00:52 > 0:00:55transmitted to those rich and reckless souls
0:00:55 > 0:00:58who invested in prototype 1930s televisions,
0:00:58 > 0:01:02to groundbreaking footage of the natural world
0:01:02 > 0:01:05and, indeed, the solar system, are all here,
0:01:05 > 0:01:07in climate-controlled custody.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09In a specially extended show today,
0:01:09 > 0:01:13we'll be looking back at five decades of Points Of View,
0:01:13 > 0:01:16reflecting TV's highs and lows
0:01:16 > 0:01:20and hearing how the audience reacted to the television gems
0:01:20 > 0:01:22stored in the vaults here.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25But what about the stuff that we're broadcasting today?
0:01:25 > 0:01:28Shelf space is tight in a place like this.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32Will the current crop deserve to be stored forever?
0:01:32 > 0:01:34Doctor Who, for example, still going strong,
0:01:34 > 0:01:37although it is two years younger than us.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55Amelia Pond.
0:02:12 > 0:02:17Spooks is finishing after its tenth year. Is it going out on a high?
0:02:28 > 0:02:31- Martha.- Andre.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34- There you are. We need to talk. - It'll have to wait.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55The Body Farm is a spin-off from Waking The Dead,
0:02:55 > 0:02:57which was laid to rest in the spring.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59Mate, don't ignore me.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03I swear, if I have to come out there, Robbie.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08I'm actually really rather busy. I'm working with Old Tom.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12Well, Old Tom can wait. We need you in the lab.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15- We? - Yeah, he's coming in with a body.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Bad scripts and bad acting -
0:03:34 > 0:03:37you really are reading us the riot act on The Body Farm.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41Now, this chilled and air-filtered inner sanctum
0:03:41 > 0:03:43holds precious tapes from the 1960s.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Unlike today's correspondents,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48letter-writers in the '60s were more measured in their feedback.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52A stoic, post-war grin and bear it attitude prevailed,
0:03:52 > 0:03:56as viewers just couldn't overcome that famous British reserve
0:03:56 > 0:03:58and stiff upper lip and let rip.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01It could be that audiences didn't quite believe
0:04:01 > 0:04:03that the empire-wide monolith
0:04:03 > 0:04:05that was the 1960s British Broadcasting Corporation
0:04:05 > 0:04:07would really welcome criticism.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12The early Points Of View was anchored by the late, great Robert Robinson
0:04:12 > 0:04:14and it called for criticism, but in practice,
0:04:14 > 0:04:18the show seemed a little too cosy with the BBC's programme makers,
0:04:18 > 0:04:20so you sensed the audience maybe doubting
0:04:20 > 0:04:22that complaints would go anywhere.
0:04:24 > 0:04:25The swinging '60s.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Huge events - England won the World Cup...
0:04:28 > 0:04:31They think it's all over, it is now.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33..men arrived on the moon...
0:04:33 > 0:04:37That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42..and Points Of View was launched into a slightly less dramatic orbit.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47Good evening. Every Monday, at this time,
0:04:47 > 0:04:49I'm going to read you your own letters.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53I do hope they're going to be highly critical and frightfully disobedient
0:04:53 > 0:04:57and so help save television from one of its besetting sins - complacency.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02The world was shaken by a sexual revolution.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04JFK was in the White House.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07There was nudity, psychedelia.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Points Of View, however, seemed to be on a different planet.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18TAB of London, SE4, says...
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Depends what they write or phone to say.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36Perhaps, as the '60s swung, there was a sense that all of this
0:05:36 > 0:05:38was going just a bit too fast for some people.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Who you going to call? Points Of View, of course.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46We got the counter-revolution. Complaints, for example,
0:05:46 > 0:05:48about this shocking informality.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50A letter from someone who signs herself
0:05:50 > 0:05:53"A Little Bit Of Victoriana from Worksop."
0:05:53 > 0:05:56I wonder if other viewers have noticed and been annoyed
0:05:56 > 0:05:59by those people interviewed on Tonight and similar programmes who,
0:05:59 > 0:06:01although as far as we know,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04have had no previous acquaintance with the interviewer,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07insist upon addressing him by his first name.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Don't they realise how impolite this is?
0:06:11 > 0:06:14We don't get so many complaints about first names, now,
0:06:14 > 0:06:17but one theme that started then is still going strong -
0:06:17 > 0:06:20the disgraceful appearance of presenters.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23Mr JF Smith of North Shields has gone broody
0:06:23 > 0:06:25on the subject of Kenneth Allsop's hairstyle.
0:06:25 > 0:06:30Who does Kenneth Allsop think he is with his flash haircut - Adam Faith?
0:06:30 > 0:06:32A serious charge.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Mr Allsop's personal hairdresser, Mr Stanley Alwyn,
0:06:35 > 0:06:36has come from Soho to answer it.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40A flash haircut? No, definitely not.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44This hairstyle has been designed for the smart, modern man.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46I call it the classic cut.
0:06:46 > 0:06:51Its outstanding features are one, it's very easy to handle,
0:06:51 > 0:06:55two, needs very little dressing and three, it is always neat and tidy.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58Grows on him as natural as ivy.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00And if it wasn't flash haircuts,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03other issues provoked outrage.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07Last Saturday, Stubby Kaye appeared on Juke Box Jury.
0:07:07 > 0:07:08Stand by for blasting, Mr Kaye.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Tonight's Juke Box Jury was spoiled by Stubby Kaye.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13He was disgusting. Betty Wilkinson, Sale.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16What did he do? Use filthy language?
0:07:16 > 0:07:17I was disgusted and horrified
0:07:17 > 0:07:20at the bad manners of Stubby Kaye last Saturday.
0:07:20 > 0:07:21Ann Tallerton, Blackpool.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Did he have some buttons undone?
0:07:23 > 0:07:26We were having a meal whilst watching Juke Box Jury
0:07:26 > 0:07:28and it made us sick to see him. E Hancock, Selling.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Did he belch, perhaps?
0:07:30 > 0:07:32What a revolting spectacle Juke Box Jury presented
0:07:32 > 0:07:36to the viewers watching Saturday's programme. Mrs Cox, Sheerness.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39For those of you who didn't see Juke Box on Saturday,
0:07:39 > 0:07:41we won't keep you in suspense any longer.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Stubby Kaye was chewing bubble gum and blowing great, lathery bubbles.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47All that build up and no clip?
0:07:47 > 0:07:48What a tease!
0:07:48 > 0:07:51But in the '60s spirit of the authoritarian BBC,
0:07:51 > 0:07:54that didn't seem to be a priority.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58However, a certain sports broadcast, with a clip to illustrate,
0:07:58 > 0:08:00had the viewers spitting.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Is it absolutely necessary for the cameras
0:08:02 > 0:08:04to show a boxer's corner between rounds
0:08:04 > 0:08:07and give the viewer an uninterrupted view of gargling, spitting,
0:08:07 > 0:08:10nose-blowing and nose-wiping in the facial towel?
0:08:15 > 0:08:17It isn't pretty. It isn't important.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21But don't you find it illuminating to see how a man spits and gargles?
0:08:21 > 0:08:24To see him doing something as intimate, as unrehearsed as that?
0:08:26 > 0:08:29And one viewer was up in arms about a rather racy reference.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33Finally, an arresting communication from a joker in Kent.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37Last night on BBC television, during a peak viewing hour,
0:08:37 > 0:08:40the word "armpit" was used, quite openly and blatantly,
0:08:40 > 0:08:43at a time when millions of children, not to mention grown adults,
0:08:43 > 0:08:45must have been watching.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Heaven knows there's enough pornography masquerading as art,
0:08:48 > 0:08:50but surely this is going too far.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54If he sent that in for a bet, he won. Good night.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Robert died this year. What a professional.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59A brilliant writer who's missed.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01We've all heard the outcries from fans
0:09:01 > 0:09:06over crucial TV firsts lost forever because tapes were wiped
0:09:06 > 0:09:11and the excitement when long-lost footage turns up at a jumble sale.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15Sadly, there was a scandalous lack of foresight by early BBC producers,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18saving storage space and the recycling of tapes
0:09:18 > 0:09:22was thought to be more important than the priceless content being made.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26But now, when TV gold is unearthed in the most unlikely of places,
0:09:26 > 0:09:31it is sent here, where it's restored and transferred
0:09:31 > 0:09:33onto broadcastable formats for mass viewing once more.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35So, what have we got here?
0:09:35 > 0:09:38Well, this particular film was sent in by a private collector.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40It's from 1964
0:09:40 > 0:09:42and it's called Kipling
0:09:42 > 0:09:45and the reason we're so thrilled to get it back
0:09:45 > 0:09:49is the fact that it stars one of our most famous actors
0:09:49 > 0:09:51in his first credited screen appearance.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55I can recognise him - Ian McKellen.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57- And that was that. - And how big was it?
0:09:57 > 0:10:00Oh, I'd say 11 feet.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02It's a painstaking process
0:10:02 > 0:10:06but it is worth the effort for such iconic content.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08Is TV better than it was?
0:10:08 > 0:10:11Unfair to compare a week now with a decade then,
0:10:11 > 0:10:14but you do wonder if what we're watching these days
0:10:14 > 0:10:17will be remembered so fondly. Masterchef, for example.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21We have made our decision.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26The first person leaving the competition...
0:10:29 > 0:10:33..is Margi. Sorry, Margi.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09And this one's misnamed.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11The Queen's Palaces could, by all accounts,
0:11:11 > 0:11:13be the Fiona Bruce Show.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17Inside, Mary would have found the chateau lavish...
0:11:19 > 0:11:21..with every surface decorated.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43Dinosaurs and digital graphics are a sure-fire winner. Aren't they?
0:11:45 > 0:11:48The most common plant eater in this region
0:11:48 > 0:11:52is the highly social Edmontosaurus.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56They're the largest duck-billed dinosaur in North America...
0:12:05 > 0:12:09..and they are the perfect prey for a very different type of predator.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34You wouldn't think ten years could make such a difference
0:12:34 > 0:12:37to a subject that's been around for millennia.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39But now, let's rewind three decades.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43Behind this high security, climate-controlled portal
0:12:43 > 0:12:45are gems from the 1970s -
0:12:45 > 0:12:49the era when the woefully non-PC sitcom abounded.
0:12:49 > 0:12:54Such blatant sexism, homophobia and cliched hatred of mother-in-laws
0:12:54 > 0:12:57triggers a sharp intake of breath these days.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00But they were guaranteed ratings winners then.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03Right, fairycake!
0:13:03 > 0:13:04Oh!
0:13:04 > 0:13:08Thick people like her next door can't even light a fire for you
0:13:08 > 0:13:10or make a cup of tea or wash a few dishes even!
0:13:10 > 0:13:14Unfortunately, this chink couldn't speak a word of their language, now.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17It's about Mother, Reggie.
0:13:17 > 0:13:18Oh, yes.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24Some excerpts from David Croft's work there, who died this week.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27What was Points Of View up to in this decade?
0:13:27 > 0:13:30Well, after bouncing around the schedules as a filler in the 1960s,
0:13:30 > 0:13:34POV was rested altogether in 1971.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Mind you, Mary Whitehouse was doing the job for us,
0:13:37 > 0:13:41ensuring enough news bulletin space was devoted to TV standards
0:13:41 > 0:13:43to keep them in the public eye.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46After the eight year break, in 1979,
0:13:46 > 0:13:49Barry Took launched a brand new POV.
0:13:49 > 0:13:50This was the punk era
0:13:50 > 0:13:54and whilst Barry did dispense with the '60s stuffed shirt
0:13:54 > 0:13:57and took himself a little less seriously than his forebears,
0:13:57 > 0:13:59missives from the Points Of View studio
0:13:59 > 0:14:02still seem pretty at odds with life on the streets.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06Despite this, those who did write in were no longer shy to voice opinions.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08They demanded their rights to quality programming
0:14:08 > 0:14:12and reflected the 1980s obsessions with working women,
0:14:12 > 0:14:14sex, power and money.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19The '80s - they were all about individual empowerment.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22People with very large phones calling other people.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Did you see that on the TV?
0:14:24 > 0:14:27It was the perfect time for us to be back on your screens.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33And there were television moments you just wouldn't see now.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35Who would ever approve this?
0:14:35 > 0:14:37Like millions of women,
0:14:37 > 0:14:39she's a regular shopper at Marks And Spencer.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43- Do you love their underclothes like the rest of Britain? - Yes. Who doesn't?
0:14:43 > 0:14:46Through their choice of prime minister,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49the voters had made a powerful statement about female equality,
0:14:49 > 0:14:51but TV was yet to catch up.
0:14:51 > 0:14:52We start with this.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09Mr GP Simpson of Crewe also makes a feminist protest about...
0:15:09 > 0:15:13Cricket commentators referring to scoreless overs as MAIDEN overs.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16This is anti-feminine with the sexist inference
0:15:16 > 0:15:18that the batsman has failed to SCORE.
0:15:18 > 0:15:19Get it?
0:15:34 > 0:15:38Thank heavens there's more to television than smut. There's...
0:15:40 > 0:15:44Actually there were some epoch-changing events in the world of charity
0:15:44 > 0:15:47taken by television live to the whole world.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50There are people dying now, so give me the money.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55One thing you do notice from back then, complaints got tougher
0:15:55 > 0:15:58and your presenter occasionally bit back.
0:15:58 > 0:15:59What's the point of Points Of View?
0:16:08 > 0:16:12Mrs Alders, under the impression that I am part of the BBC management team,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15I am not, I am a freelance writer and broadcaster, asks...
0:16:21 > 0:16:24For now, let me say for the last time,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27that Points Of View is here to express opinions, ANY opinions.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31For the last time, I love that.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35Hey, new titles, the programme became informal in the '80s.
0:16:35 > 0:16:36Viewers took no prisoners
0:16:36 > 0:16:39and the presenter didn't take himself too seriously,
0:16:39 > 0:16:41especially between takes.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45OK. Wonderful, it's going to creep in, dear. It's going to creep in.
0:16:45 > 0:16:51If it plunges in, we shall be impervious, we wait till it creeps.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53(Sorry.)
0:16:53 > 0:16:56Imitation is apparently the sincerest form of flattery
0:16:56 > 0:16:59and dear old POV has proved fair game
0:16:59 > 0:17:03to impressionists and comedians alike over the years.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07The temptation to parody has proved just too hard to resist.
0:17:07 > 0:17:08The next topic is...
0:17:11 > 0:17:13Why, oh why, oh why,
0:17:13 > 0:17:17is the structure of my chromosomes.
0:17:17 > 0:17:18Dear BBC, I can't help noticing
0:17:18 > 0:17:21that whenever Terry receives a letter from a woman
0:17:21 > 0:17:24he doesn't seem to take it seriously. As a woman...
0:17:24 > 0:17:26Blah-di-blah.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30And she continues in that vein for 2 1/2 pages.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37Hello, I'm Anne Robinson.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40Welcome to another edition of Pointless Views.
0:17:40 > 0:17:41Right, lads,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44and welcome to another of your old favourite Points Of View.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47Or as it's better-known to the thousands of you
0:17:47 > 0:17:50who've just turned your television on this Sunday afternoon,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53- BLEEP- it, I've missed the EastEnders omnibus again.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56Dear Points Of View, I would like to complain about
0:17:56 > 0:18:00the weird voice you are reading out my letter in.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04Again it makes you compare comedians then and now.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07Were the old ones built to last better,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10or are the new ones sharper, cuter, more original?
0:18:20 > 0:18:24I am currently seeing a hypnotist to cure me
0:18:24 > 0:18:26of my compulsion to visit hypnotists.
0:18:34 > 0:18:39There's always been terrorism. When I was growing up was the Irish.
0:18:39 > 0:18:40The Irish?
0:18:40 > 0:18:41Well...
0:18:41 > 0:18:44Are you sure? The Irish?
0:18:44 > 0:18:47People like Graham Norton and Jedward?
0:19:16 > 0:19:18Hello, welcome. Yes, my name is Rhod Gilbert.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22My job is to answer the questions that keep us all awake at night.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27The 1990s saw the spotlight focus firmly on the viewers.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30Not only were they now replacing professional presenters
0:19:30 > 0:19:33as the new swathe of docusoaps were launched -
0:19:33 > 0:19:35yes, Maureen and co were born -
0:19:35 > 0:19:40but the consumer voice of the angry viewer finally reached full volume.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43The '90s recession had forced us all to chase value,
0:19:43 > 0:19:47and now there was a growing consumer awareness that yes,
0:19:47 > 0:19:50you could return a product and ask for your money back.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54With Anne Robinson at the helm the voice of the viewer
0:19:54 > 0:19:57was finally heard both on and off camera.
0:19:58 > 0:20:03The economic boom of the '80s gave way to recession gloom in the '90s.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07But the launch of the National Lottery gave us all a glimmer of hope
0:20:07 > 0:20:08and helped to spice up our lives.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12And in TV terms the people had the power.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15Normal people rather than celebrities
0:20:15 > 0:20:17were well and truly in the driving seat.
0:20:17 > 0:20:18HORN BEEPS
0:20:23 > 0:20:24Oh, dear.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29We followed drama on the tarmac with the likes of Jeremy Spake in Airport.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32I'm prepared to give you a discount on your excess baggage.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36And a humble Yorkshire lass turned nation's sweetheart
0:20:36 > 0:20:38with The Cruise's Jane McDonald.
0:20:45 > 0:20:50It's another corridor. But this is absolutely beautiful.
0:20:59 > 0:21:04Well, actually being in control of animals made for popular viewing back in the '90s.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Let us briefly return to Trude, the Norwegian student vet
0:21:07 > 0:21:10whose link with getting the hang of things
0:21:10 > 0:21:11was tenuous to say the least
0:21:11 > 0:21:13in Vet School.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15Oh, I'm doing it again!
0:21:15 > 0:21:19'I started to wonder whether I should actually let the BBC use it.
0:21:19 > 0:21:24'I just trust and hope everybody knows that all vets have to train.'
0:21:24 > 0:21:28It happens all the time but I happened to be put on camera doing it.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35And the viewer voyeurism continued with the dawn of the makeover show.
0:21:54 > 0:21:59Dimmock curve around here, or curves.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01I don't know whether to be flattered or not.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04I'll make the curves bigger then!
0:22:05 > 0:22:08The tackier the result, the better the viewing.
0:22:11 > 0:22:12Wow!
0:22:12 > 0:22:17I hate it. I hate skins and prints and things like that.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20It is overtacky, it'll have to go straightaway.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34Makeover TV became such a '90s phenomenon,
0:22:34 > 0:22:38even national headlines gave their points of view.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43As they say in newspapers, correspondence on this is now closed.
0:22:47 > 0:22:48Good night.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50Which brings us to the noughties
0:22:50 > 0:22:53and the reign of someone far naughtier than me,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56my Radio 2 colleague, Sir Terry Wogan.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Terry won't even answer his mobile phone
0:22:58 > 0:23:01although come to think of it maybe he's got me on call barred.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03But despite his aversion to modern technology
0:23:03 > 0:23:07he was the custodian of POV when we all went digital.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10With the launch of BBC Three and BBC Four
0:23:10 > 0:23:12he had double the territory to patrol.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15In 2006 HD gave him the great big
0:23:15 > 0:23:19as well as the very little pixel debate to police.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23And what with iPlayer, red button, programme websites
0:23:23 > 0:23:28and the march of the digital switchover, his inbox was bulging.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30But let's not go there just yet.
0:23:45 > 0:23:50The digital age... more or less landed on my lap.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53And it couldn't have landed on a more receptive lap than mine.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56Because, as is well known,
0:23:56 > 0:24:00even in my declining years,
0:24:00 > 0:24:04I, in fact, am right there on the cutting edge.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07And I knew absolutely nothing about what was going on.
0:24:11 > 0:24:12The BBC started to sprout.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15We were there for the beginning of Three and Four.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Heard about the six new BBC channels?
0:24:21 > 0:24:23Haven't got a telly.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26And, naturally, the public, initially,
0:24:26 > 0:24:30enthusiastic...thinking we have got a bit more variety here,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33a bit more choice, quickly changed their mind.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35And all I can say is Torchwood.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39Yes, all right, quite enough of that.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42As those trails hit fever pitch,
0:24:42 > 0:24:44the Points Of View phone went into meltdown.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58You can never do right for doing wrong.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01The British public pay a licence fee.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04And they know that they are entitled to the best.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07Television was like a moody teenager
0:25:07 > 0:25:11going through incredible changes and shouting at everyone.
0:25:11 > 0:25:12Points Of View copped the flak.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17And with so many new channels, they all needed identifying.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21But on-screen graphics did not go down well with the viewers.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24Why do TV channels insist on putting static logos on our TV screens
0:25:24 > 0:25:26while we are watching?
0:25:29 > 0:25:33When HD started, the British public leapt at it
0:25:33 > 0:25:35and said this is terrific, great definition,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38we can see everything as clear as a bell,
0:25:38 > 0:25:41and oh my god, just look at Terry Wogan's complexion.
0:25:41 > 0:25:46I would like to ask the BBC what criteria they use
0:25:46 > 0:25:51to decide which programmes to record and broadcast in HD, and which not?
0:25:51 > 0:25:54I think they should probably get out more.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00Then came the red button.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04I had to make it clear to the great viewing public
0:26:04 > 0:26:05that it was the other red button,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08because people kept switching the television off.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12The red button is the one that gives you alternative viewing.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17After solving the confusion over the launch of interactive services,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19he found another use for the red button.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Loud background music has long been a bugbear,
0:26:22 > 0:26:25and Terry got viewers the option to turn it off.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28BIRDSONG
0:26:28 > 0:26:31The red button option to switch off the music.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34So if a lot of peak-time BBC One TV
0:26:34 > 0:26:38handed over for you to control is not Points Of View people power,
0:26:38 > 0:26:40I don't know what is.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45Another breakthrough was the iPlayer.
0:26:45 > 0:26:50And frankly I still don't use the iPlayer because I don't know how.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53But I mean, you're talking about an old geezer,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56who is right there on the cutting edge.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00But...it has become enormous.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05The only incident Points Of View was unable to get an apology for
0:27:05 > 0:27:08was a wardrobe malfunction in 2007
0:27:08 > 0:27:10which we won't trouble you with again.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Well, OK, blink and you miss it.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16Good afternoon. There's one thing you can't accuse Points Of View of -
0:27:16 > 0:27:18overkill.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20It was a trick of the light.
0:27:20 > 0:27:21A trick of the light.
0:27:21 > 0:27:26And people claim they saw something that simply wasn't there.
0:27:26 > 0:27:27I know.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29I know.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33But is that must-watch good, or must-watch bad?
0:27:34 > 0:27:38Don't ask me how it happened or why, you know!
0:27:38 > 0:27:40Although it was enormously flattering, of course.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44So, 50 years of Points Of View
0:27:44 > 0:27:48and I am sure that was the quickest TV tour imaginable.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51There is some great television output these days, of course there is,
0:27:51 > 0:27:54but the complaints are getting louder.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56The BBC gets busier,
0:27:56 > 0:28:00and those with something to say say it with more assurance than ever.
0:28:00 > 0:28:01Hey, that's good business for us.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03We are back to normal next week.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06We'd love your views on the BBC's newest programmes.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09We'll be talking about Merlin's magical reappearance
0:28:09 > 0:28:13and Strictly of course, glitter balls and Zoe Balls.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15Do get in touch. You can write to us at this address.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23You are also more than welcome to e-mail. Here is the address for you.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27Or jump on the message board.
0:28:28 > 0:28:33Or phone us. The number is charged as a local rate call from a landline.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35Here it is.
0:28:38 > 0:28:42Now over the 50 years some other presenters occasionally stood in,
0:28:42 > 0:28:46don't want to miss them out, so goodbye from them and from me.
0:28:46 > 0:28:47- I'll bid you farewell.- Bye-bye.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50Me, I'm off to buy myself a silk blouse, good night.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52- Good night.- End of story.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55- It's goodbye from them, and from me. - Good night.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:57 > 0:28:59Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk