British TV history: everything you wanted to know

History Extra podcast

Immediate Media

History

4.3 • 4.5K Ratings

🗓️ 26 January 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

From early shows that looked as if they were filmed "in a heavy and persistent shower of rain" to today's multi-platform streaming world, the history of television has been marked by rapid innovation and huge transformation – and has reflected equally rapid social change. In this 'everything you wanted to know' episode, historian David Hendy joins Matt Elton to answer listener questions on a century of British TV. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:38.6	Search for Adobe Express to find out more.
0:46.2	Welcome to the History Extra podcast, fascinating historical conversations from the makers of BBC History magazine.
0:55.7	What were the first ever TV sets like?
0:59.5	Why were early TV presenters given electric shocks?
1:03.3	And what was behind the 1950s appetite for horror plays?
1:08.1	In this Everything You Wanted to Know episode,
1:10.7	historian David Hendy joins Matt Elton to answer
1:14.1	listener questions about a century of British TV, from the Quatermass experiment to Blue Peter.
1:20.7	Together, they explore how the medium reflects a rapidly changing society.
1:25.9	David, could you give us a very brief overview of what the broadcasting landscape was like in the years before television?
	...

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