Television Newsreel
Encyclopedia
Television Newsreel was a British television
programme, the first regular news programme to be made in the UK. Produced by the BBC
and screened on the BBC Television Service
from 1948 to 1954 at 7.30pm, it adapted the traditional cinema newsreel
form for the television audience, covering news and current affairs stories as well as quirkier 'human interest' items, sports and cultural events. The programme's opening title sequence, featuring a graphic of the transmission mast at Alexandra Palace
with the title revolving around it, became a well-known image of the time. The theme tune was Girls in Grey by Charles Williams and played by the Queen's Hall Light Orchestra. It was published by Chappell on one of their mood music records - it was not specifically written for the newsreel but composed during World War Two for the Women's Junior Air Corps.
. Following the resumption of the television service in 1946, after its World War II
hiatus, a BBC Film Unit was set up to produce items on film
, as opposed to the vast majority of the BBC's output of the time which was transmitted live
via the electronic cameras of the Alexandra Palace studios.
The first Television Newsreel was shown on Monday January 5, 1948. Each edition was fifteen minutes long, and would consist of a number of different items, tending to be fewer and longer in length than in cinema newsreels, most of which ran for only ten minutes in total. The items would have different presenters, and would be linked by a narrated voiceover
. The producer was Harold Cox
, D. A. Smith was the editor, the chief cameraman was Alan Lawson and J. K. Byer was head of sound recordists. Editions would initially be broadcast on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday evenings. From April 1950 a special Children's Newsreel edition would be shown on Saturday afternoons, for the benefit of the younger audience.
Items from the United States
produced by the NBC
network there would often be used, as the BBC had a film exchange deal with the American broadcaster where they would swap film reports they had produced. From 1951, a weekly Newsreel Review of the Week was produced to open programming on Sunday evenings, compiling highlights from the previous week's newsreel features. These weekly editions would be presented by Edward Halliday, who sometimes appeared on-screen to link the various items.
Due to the pre-prepared nature of the Newsreel, topicality and coverage of breaking news stories was impossible, and it was not a true news programme as we would understand it today. The final edition was broadcast on Sunday July 4, 1954. The following Monday July 5, 1954, the first BBC News
programme was broadcast, presented live in the studio by a newsreader
(who was, however, initially unseen and unnamed), who linked the reports in the manner now familiar for news broadcasting. The new programme was initially titled News and Newsreel, but after a short while the Newsreel portion was dropped, severing the last link with the Television Newsreel strand.
Many of the reports survive due to the negatives having been donated to the National Film Archive at the British Film Institute
in the early 1950s – the first ever television material to be acquired by the archive, which now has an extensive collection of broadcast programmes. The BBC donated these on condition that they could have access to them whenever they desired, and more recently have taken back copies for their own archives.
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
programme, the first regular news programme to be made in the UK. Produced by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and screened on the BBC Television Service
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
from 1948 to 1954 at 7.30pm, it adapted the traditional cinema newsreel
Newsreel
A newsreel was a form of short documentary film prevalent in the first half of the 20th century, regularly released in a public presentation place and containing filmed news stories and items of topical interest. It was a source of news, current affairs and entertainment for millions of moviegoers...
form for the television audience, covering news and current affairs stories as well as quirkier 'human interest' items, sports and cultural events. The programme's opening title sequence, featuring a graphic of the transmission mast at Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is a building in North London, England. It stands in Alexandra Park, in an area between Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green...
with the title revolving around it, became a well-known image of the time. The theme tune was Girls in Grey by Charles Williams and played by the Queen's Hall Light Orchestra. It was published by Chappell on one of their mood music records - it was not specifically written for the newsreel but composed during World War Two for the Women's Junior Air Corps.
Overview
Previously, the BBC had screened cinema newsreels from British Movietone News as well as sound-only news bulletins from BBC RadioBBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
. Following the resumption of the television service in 1946, after its World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
hiatus, a BBC Film Unit was set up to produce items on film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, as opposed to the vast majority of the BBC's output of the time which was transmitted live
Live television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
via the electronic cameras of the Alexandra Palace studios.
The first Television Newsreel was shown on Monday January 5, 1948. Each edition was fifteen minutes long, and would consist of a number of different items, tending to be fewer and longer in length than in cinema newsreels, most of which ran for only ten minutes in total. The items would have different presenters, and would be linked by a narrated voiceover
VoiceOver
VoiceOver is a screen reader built into Apple Inc.'s Mac OS X, iOS and iPod operating systems. By using VoiceOver, the user can access their Macintosh or iOS device based on spoken descriptions and, in the case of the Mac, the keyboard. The feature is designed to increase accessibility for blind...
. The producer was Harold Cox
Harold Cox
Harold Cox was a Liberal MP for Preston from 1906 to 1909.-Early life:The son of Homersham Cox a County Court judge, Cox was educated at Tonbridge School in Kent and was Scholar and later Fellow at Jesus College, Cambridge where he took a mathematics degree in 1882...
, D. A. Smith was the editor, the chief cameraman was Alan Lawson and J. K. Byer was head of sound recordists. Editions would initially be broadcast on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday evenings. From April 1950 a special Children's Newsreel edition would be shown on Saturday afternoons, for the benefit of the younger audience.
Items from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
produced by the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
network there would often be used, as the BBC had a film exchange deal with the American broadcaster where they would swap film reports they had produced. From 1951, a weekly Newsreel Review of the Week was produced to open programming on Sunday evenings, compiling highlights from the previous week's newsreel features. These weekly editions would be presented by Edward Halliday, who sometimes appeared on-screen to link the various items.
Due to the pre-prepared nature of the Newsreel, topicality and coverage of breaking news stories was impossible, and it was not a true news programme as we would understand it today. The final edition was broadcast on Sunday July 4, 1954. The following Monday July 5, 1954, the first BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
programme was broadcast, presented live in the studio by a newsreader
News presenter
A news presenter is a person who presents news during a news program in the format of a television show, on the radio or the Internet.News presenters can work in a radio studio, television studio and from remote broadcasts in the field especially weather...
(who was, however, initially unseen and unnamed), who linked the reports in the manner now familiar for news broadcasting. The new programme was initially titled News and Newsreel, but after a short while the Newsreel portion was dropped, severing the last link with the Television Newsreel strand.
Archive status
Given that the programmes were pre-shot on film as opposed to being shown live, unlike most of the BBC's output from the late 1940s, examples of Television Newsreel do survive in the archives, some of the oldest extant pieces of BBC-produced television programming. Complete editions with the original linking narration are rare, however, as the individual reports were designed to be re-used in shows such as Newsreel Review of the Week and the end-of-year review Scrapbook, so reports were archived separately rather than as complete editions of the programme.Many of the reports survive due to the negatives having been donated to the National Film Archive at the British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
in the early 1950s – the first ever television material to be acquired by the archive, which now has an extensive collection of broadcast programmes. The BBC donated these on condition that they could have access to them whenever they desired, and more recently have taken back copies for their own archives.