Television's growing popularity in all sections of society as the 1950s began
was reflected by noticeable changes in the social habits of viewers and by the
medium's influence on people in general. This popularity was both the cause and
the effect of an increase in the volume of television available. The Beveridge
Committee's report on broadcasting recommended renewal of the BBC's charter
(continuing its monopoly) with no fixed time limit but with a review of its
workings in five years.
More regional autonomy was suggested, as well as further development of the
television service, with an increased licence fee. One of the most important
proposals in the government's statement on Beveridge's report referred to the
possibility of an alternative television service provided by private
enterprise.
The televising of the Coronation was a significant factor in the increase of
TV sets in public use, and in March 1953 figures for combined sound and
television licences were given as 2,142,452, compared with 1,457,000 a year
previously. The Coronation broadcast (tx. 2/6/1953) lasted for seven hours and
viewers saw the whole service except for the Anointing, the Communion prayers,
and the administration of the Sacrament. Taking into account large-screen
presentations in cinemas, church halls, hospitals and other public venues, it
was estimated that no fewer than 20 million people watched the service in the UK
alone.
During the same year (1953), the BBC decided to replace transmission from
Alexandra Palace with a new and more powerful transmitting station situated in
the grounds of the old Crystal Palace. Meanwhile, the transfer of various
activities from Alexandra Palace to the Lime Grove studios in Shepherd's Bush
continued, and a small part of the proposed television centre at the White City
was also brought into use. Having achieved some measure of centralisation, the
BBC launched a five-year development plan, which included the establishment of
an alternative BBC TV channel and the introduction of colour.
The Conservative Government's Bill proposing the introduction of a commercial
television service aroused a storm of debate in Parliament in early 1954. The
Bill provided for the establishment of a public corporation to operate the new
service, the Independent Television Authority (ITA), which would consist of a
chairman, a deputy chairman and from five to eight other members, of whom three
would represent Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The programmes were to be
"predominantly British in tone and style and of high quality, and nothing was to
be included which offended against good taste or decency or which was likely to
encourage or incite to crime or to lead to disorder or to be offensive to public
feeling."
The controversy and debate about the desirability of commercial television
raged throughout the early 1950s. Nevertheless, the Television Bill became law
at the end of July 1954, and the ITA service, transmitting from its station at
Norwood, was inaugurated on 22 September 1955 when, after a 5-minute documentary
film, the opening speeches made at a Guildhall dinner by the Lord Mayor, the
Postmaster-General, and ITA chairman Sir Kenneth Clark were broadcast.
Independent Television had finally arrived in Britain.
During late October 1954 the ITA had decided to offer station contracts to
three contractors: Broadcast Relay Services and Associated Newspapers, who had
made a joint application, Granada Theatres Ltd. (under the helm of Sidney
Bernstein and partner Alfred Hitchcock), and the Kemsley-Winnick group. A fourth
contactor was later added, the Associated Broadcasting Development Company
(later ATV). Broadcast Relay Services and Associated Newspapers then formed a
subsidiary company to carry out their contract and this company became
Associated Rediffusion.
The first stage in the development of commercial television was completed in
November 1956, when the ITA's new transmitter at Emley Moor near Huddersfield
was opened and brought an additional 5 million viewers within reach of ITV
programmes. In July 1957 the ITA announced the application of a group formed by
the Rank Organisation, Associated Newspapers, and the Amalgamated Press to
provide all programmes for the southern region.
It was estimated, around the end of March 1957, that the adult television
public numbered about 19.5 million, and that viewers spent on average nearly 40
per cent of each evening watching television. Those who had a choice of
programmes spent one-third of the time devoted to television watching BBC
programmes and two-thirds watching ITV programmes.
ITV transmissions began in the London area on 22 September 1955, with the
launch of Associated Rediffusion (weekdays) followed by that of ATV (weekends)
two days later. ATV launched its midlands (weekdays) service the following
February. Associated British Picture Corporation, generally known as ABC TV
(midlands (weekends) and later north of England (weekends)) and Granada TV
(north-west England (weekdays)) followed during 1956, with Scottish Television
(central Scotland) and Television Wales and West (TWW; for South Wales and the
west of England), and Southern Television (south England) all arriving between
1957 and 1958. The latter was generally regarded as the first truly local TV
station in Britain.
January 1959 saw Tyne Tees Television, created by a group formed by the News
Chronicle, impresarios George and Alfred Black and film producer Sidney Box,
begin serving north-east England. The advent the same year of Anglia Television,
for the east of England, meant that ITV now covered 90% of the country, while
Ulster Television, for Northern Ireland, followed before the decade was out.
The ITA also announced in 1955 that news programmes would be dealt with by a
specialist organisation, to be known as the Independent Television News Company
(ITN), which would supply news broadcasts for all the ITV companies.
From 1953 to 1954, the BBC was developing plans to introduce a second
television service when the frequencies became available, even if it meant some
reduction of hours for the first channel. In March 1959, almost four years after
ITV was established, the government was still refusing to authorise a third
television channel until it was decided which line definition system would be
adopted permanently in Britain.
The principal systems in use were the 405-line system in Britain, the
525-line system in America, the 625-line system available in most of Europe, and
the 817-line system in France. While commenting on the proposed third television
channel, the Postmaster-General stated that a colour television service in
Britain was still a long way off.
In December 1959, licences were issued for 10 million combined television and
sound receiving sets in Britain - a number exceeded only in the United States -
and in a report at the end of the decade, Dr W.A. Belson, former psychologist in
the BBC research department, explained to the British Association the effect of
television on family behaviour. TV viewing either produced a disruption of
family affairs during the evening, or brought the family unit together. From the
550 adult viewers questioned for the survey, very few thought that TV's
influence on the family had been bad; about half said that the total effect had
been good for family life.
However, many families hurried through meals in time for viewing, and in many
cases meals were eaten while watching television. Frequently, people carried on
with something else while viewing. In some homes children pleaded to stay up
after their bedtime to view and in some households the wife was left to finish
various jobs while the family went off to view - the latter two situations,
obviously, causing most friction.
The swing of television favourites in the 1950s went from comfortable, cosy
programmes such as Dixon of Dock Green (BBC, 1955-76; drama), The Good Old Days
(BBC, 1953-83; variety), and What's My Line? (BBC, 1951-63; quiz) to the
post-1955 ITV period of Armchair Theatre (ITV, 1956-74; drama), Sunday Night at
the London Palladium (1955-67, 1973-74; variety), and Double Your Money (ITV,
1955-64; game).
The latter part of the decade was particularly influenced by American TV
forms and styles: basic trivia quiz shows became money prize-winning game shows,
filmed drama series were produced in a style to suit American tastes, TV plays
adopted the gritty working-class characters and milieu of such American TV
classics as 'Marty' and 'Tragedy in a Temporary Town', and there was a rush of
imported US cop shows and Western series to supplement the ITV schedules.
While the 1930s and 1940s standard of Sunday night 'theatre' presentations
continued throughout the decade, sharing their popularity with the off-beat
successes of the Nigel Kneale-scripted Nineteen Eighty-Four (BBC, tx. 12/12/1954) and the
Quatermass serials, it was the half-hour, filmed period-action series that soon
became hugely popular on both sides of the Atlantic. This genre of TV
swashbucklers was launched by The Adventures of Robin Hood (ITV, 1955-59),
quickly followed by The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (ITV, 1956-57), The
Adventures of William Tell (ITV, 1958-59), The Buccaneers (ITV, 1956-57), The
Count of Monte Cristo (ITV, 1956), Sword of Freedom (ITV, 1958-60) and
others.
But it was ITV's Armchair Theatre, which had started out in safe theatrical
territory, that changed for ever the look and style (in both writing and
production) of the British TV play, especially after Canadian producer Sydney
Newman took over the programme in 1958. He wisely invested in the work of such
writers as Alun Owen and Ray Rigby, Canadian author Mordecai Richler and
American Rod Serling, to achieve not only the 'original' TV look to his
productions but also to introduce characters and settings with which the
ordinary viewing household could identify.
With a generally higher standard of living in Britain than ever before, for
which the Conservative Government of the day claimed responsibility, the latter
part of the 1950s produced that curious phenomena, the 'Admag' - an advertising
magazine programme which was broadcast in the guise of an actual TV programme.
Now the ordinary viewing household, with their fatter wage packets, could be
entertained while parting with their new-found wealth. Not surprisingly, the
Admags were soon among the most popular items on television, until they were
banned by Parliament in 1963.
Tise Vahimagi
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