When television reopens again today, the day before the Victory parade in London, it will be nearly seven years since it closed down at the outbreak of war, a much longer time than it was working up to September 1, 1939. ╥Viewers╙ who remember that one of the great events in television was the Coronation Procession of 1937, which is often said to have ╥put television on the map,╙ will find it a happy coincidence that they can get out their sets to ╥see╙ the Victory march as the first big event of the new service.
Television starts where it left off seven years ago, for it is admitted that war-time research has not found any great improvements that could be made immediately. It is worthwhile, then, in order to get an idea of what sort of service was offered, to glance at some typical programmes of the summer of 1939. On September 1 that year the television announcer at the Radio Exhibition at Olympia ended the morning transmission with a list of the programmes for the next week, and they included five full-length plays, solo acts by two ╥stars,╙ two new editions of ╥Picture Page╙ ╤ a popular magazine programme ╤ and outside broadcasts and films. But ten minutes later came the order to ╥close down,╙ and that was the end of television for nearly seven years.
The Programmes
At that time there were about 20,000 viewers, double the number of the year before, and they were mainly in London and the Home Counties, to which television was practically restricted. Among the typical programmes that were seen that year were the Cup Final at Wembley, the Boat-race, the Derby, and Test matches at Lord╒s and the Oval. Television programmes came direct from some London theatres and many plays were produced in the studio. ╥Picture Page╙ was a steady favourite and television had its own farm and its own garden under Mr. Middleton at Alexandra Palace. The hours of listening were few and at fixed times each day, as they will be when the service starts again.
