70 YEARS AGO TODAY THE BBC HAD ITS FIRST EVER NEWS BROADCAST - HOW DIFFERENT IT WAS

Today is not only a momentous day in British political history but also marks 70 years since news TV came into the nation’s lives.

On July 5, 1954, the BBC launched its first daily television news programme, News and Newsreel, with presenters Richard Baker and John Snagge.

It is hard to imagine the world without 24/7 coverage, with many high-profile anchors now bleary-eyed after an all-nighter reporting on the General Election, but the 20-minute bulletin was panned.

According to the BBC, News and Newsreel was slammed as ‘absolutely ghastly’ and ‘as visually impressive as the fat stock prices.’

So, what new stories did it actually cover?

The main story was truce talks being held in Hanoi, Vietnam after The First Indochina War, which lasted for a decade between 1946 and 1956. The war was fought between the French and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

Among the BBC’s gaffe are the likes of newsreaders not realising they’re still on air and technical issues leaving the studio in darkness.

Most memorably, the internet went into meltdown when BBC News anchor Maryam Moshiri appeared to give the middle finger live on air last year.

Maryam later apologised for the gaffe, explaining she had jokingly counted down to the bulletin while larking around with some of the crew, and had not expected the moment to air.

‘Again, so sorry it went out on air. It was meant to be a private laugh,’ she wrote on X.

The world is certainly much more colourful now we have TV news.

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2024-07-05T07:43:39Z dg43tfdfdgfd