The 1960s

The first videotape machines in the BBC were the VERAs (read the VERA story in Beginnings) with the first transmission taking place on April 14th 1958. By the Autumn of that year, the first VR1000 two inch recorder had been delivered and VERA faded into history. However, at the start of the decade tape was still in its infancy and film recording was main medium for recording.

The 1960s was the decade of great growth for the BBC and Television Recording. Television Centre, a purpose designed building, was opened, and Television Recording moved into the Basement which would be its home for the next 30 years. It was the decade in which the VR2000, the second generation of quad head machines was launched, possibly the best VTR of its kind, electronic editing began to replace razor blades, colour television began, the Apollo missions took man to the Moon and England won the World Cup.

The menu below will take you to various aspects of Television Recording, 1960s style

Plans The Basement Tel Rec Staff List 1961 Film Recording Telecine Sports Days VT Bowls Hardware The Area People Slomo TV Centre 1965 Ten Years of VT This is the BBC (1) This is the BBC (2) This is the BBC (3) Blue Peter Book Ten Years Mobile VT VT News Ephemera		The development of Television Centre
		How the Basement videotape area grew
		December 1961 Staff List
		FR at Lime Grove and TC by Bob Oakley
		TK at Lime Grove & TC by Bill Tucker
		Sport was a major user of VT from day one
		A June lunchtime in 1964
		A look at the VT machines of the 1960s
		Photographs of cubicles
		Photographs of people in VT
		The age of Action Replay
		Alan Edginton’s film re-mastered
		An article by John Nash in Ariel
		The VT section from "This is the BBC"
		OB and VT section from "This is the BBC"
		The Boat Race from "This is the BBC"
		The Blue Peter Book of Television 1969
		Some video clips of the 60s
		Mobile VT in the 1960s
		News VT in the 1960s
		Pictures that don't fit elsewhere!!

Back