Ceefax: the start of interactive television

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 18 December 2024

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 1974, the BBC launched the world's first teletext service.

It provided information, like news and weather, through our TV screens, whenever users wanted, at the push of a button.

Rachel Naylor speaks to Angus McIntyre, son of the late Colin McIntyre, Ceefax's first editor.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: Colin McIntyre, pictured with a television set showing Ceefax, in 1978. Credit: Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, it's Nicola Cochlin. Young people have been making history for years, but we don't often hear about them. My brand new series on BBC Sounds sets out to put this right. In history's youngest heroes, I'll be revealing the fascinating stories of 12 young people who've played a major role in history and who've helped shape our world. Like Audrey Hepburn, Nelson Mandela,
0:22.4	Louis Braille and Lady Jane Grey, history's youngest heroes with me, Nicola Cochlin. Listen on BBC Sounds.
0:35.0	Hello and welcome to the Witness History podcast from the BBC World Service with me, Rachel Nailer.
0:40.0	I'm taking you back 50 years to the launch of the first teletext service.
0:44.7	It was developed by BBC broadcast engineers in the UK, but the technology went on to be used around the world.
0:51.3	I've been speaking to the son of the first ever editor.
0:55.0	In the tranquil setting of this 19th century country mansion, less than 20 miles from the heart of London,
1:01.2	a team of BBC engineers have been helping to plan what can best be described as a revolution.
1:06.9	A revolution, that is, in communication.
1:09.7	And one that will reach straight into the home through
1:12.2	that familiar piece of furniture, the television set.
1:19.8	At the heart of that revolution is Angus McIntyre. It's the 1970s and we're in London in England
1:26.2	and he's just watched a larger new TV set getting delivered into his living room.
1:31.2	This was a new and exciting thing even if I didn't understand what teletext was.
1:35.6	It had a remote control, which was the first remote control I'd ever seen,
1:40.3	with a few switches on top and then three black plastic thumbwheels
1:44.9	that you could use to literally dial in
1:46.9	the page that you wanted.
1:48.3	Like all pre-teen boys,
1:50.0	I was fascinated by devices and so forth.
1:53.2	I'm sure I was proud of being the only kid on the block
1:56.2	with this thing.
	...

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