As could be seen from the statistics showing the numbers of Radio and TV licences (BBC) there was an amazing growth of television audience and the rise of rating was incredible high. During an early 1950’s there was a rapid expansion of TV set ownership. More than 2 million licences were registered in 1953 and the number was still growing to 15,397 thousands people in 1969. (BBC)
Since the first public regular domestic television service started on 2 November 1936, there was very significant success, for example the huge audience of 10,000 people (source BP) was watching the coronation of King George VI in 1937.
The British television, particularly BBC was created with an idea of ‘the deep sense of responsibility towards the community’ since the very beginning.
(Christopher, D.: British Culture; An introduction’, page: 106)
The BBC broadcasting showed mainly plays, documentaries and everything currently connected to what happened in the society. It was a complete cultural picture of Britain in that period.
Moreover, a timing of its broadcasting was planned to give the parents an opportunity to for instance put their children to the bed. According to Christopher, the BBC acts as a moral guide and ‘the official provider of culture to the community’. (Christopher, D.: British Culture; An introduction’, page: 109)
This example breathtakingly reflects the very strong role of the television in common people’s lives. The television almost ruled people. I should have say that mostly in a positive way. What are the main aims of the television anyway? To inform, educate and entertain people. The British television, especially the BBC broadcasting has done more than that. Even though one can argue that it seems like that the British television, BBC, also called ‘Auntie’, acts like it knew the best what is good for the British people.
The BBC still has very strong ‘reputation for patrician values in broadcasting’ (Christopher, 2001: 109)
Since the very beginning of British television (BBC) broadcasting people trust to what they saw, they programmes which were show on BBC even more forced them to take certain action to improve their society.
For example when the Ken Loach’s film ‘Cathy Come Home’ telling a story about a young became homeless couple trying to find some shelter where both of them can stay together with their children and ends with their children taken away from them by Social Services. According to the newspaper article this ‘groundbreaking film’ had a very significant effect on British society. It is almost unbelievable nowadays, but that film ‘led to debates in Parliament, and a week after the broadcast the homeless charity Shelter was established.’ (By a correspondent The Times 22/7/05 page 29)
That is a clear example of how much TV meant to the people and how seriously its broadcasting was taken. The television was not only one ‘mass- media’ per say at these days, but it was the most powerful one.
People trust to what they have been shown, ‘Cathy come home’ was not the only film which led to the parliamentary debate, for instance ‘Up the Junction’ (by Nell Dunn) showing the terrifying reality of an illegal abortion achieve the same goal.
The BBC’s monopoly holds the British nation traditions as well as brought many great changes. The television audience was growing larger and larger, but during the late 1960s there was a very important breaking point and it was on 22 September 1955 when ITV broadcasting was introduced to the public. The ITV broadcasting brought lots of changes to the traditional programmes produced by the BBC. Although there were popular entertaining series made by BBC already, for example – the most popular police drama ‘Dixon of the Dock Green’; 1955-76, ITV bring a new, fresh air to the British television programming. First and the most striking success made by ITV was the introduction of ‘Coronation Street’ the most successful soap opera. ‘Fifteen to twenty million people of all the different ages in all the parts of the country regularly watched it.’ (Christopher, D.: British Culture; An introduction’, page: 113)
ITV as a commercial television had an absolutely different goals than BBC, it wanted to catch the people’s attention, and they wanted them to watch their advertising, so their main focus was on the entertaining programmes. Instead of creating their own film etc. ITV was mainly buying American shows, for instance westerns such was ‘Gun Smoke’ or ‘Wagon Train’. Despite of this ITV brought some entirely new programmes as well, fantasy, dramas, imaginative and adventurous series.
Getting then over the realism in television, presented by examination of the provincial everyday life, British people will get something a bit different.
And yet we can see how it had changed them.
The Diana Rigg’s Emma Peel in ‘The Avengers’ performed clearly feministic with her chic, intelligent, independent, upper-class female assistant of John Steed, played by Patrick MacNee. All of this symbolised changing, modern attitudes in the pre-feministic times.
In the time when almost all women started to realize that they are not just a piece of furniture or kitchen equipment, this model woman meant lot to them. Many women wanted to be like her, they wanted to change the situation of unhappiness, live without satisfaction and rights. Television was not just forming the nation, but its was a ‘mirror’ of the nation’s mood as well.
Then when the ‘swinging sixties’ came, television was there, watching, controlling and spreading the excitement all over the Britain. Very popular music show ‘Ready, steady, go! Which bring to the people not just live music, but ‘a studio audience dressed in the latest ‘mod’ fashions, dancing latest dances and speaking the latest slang…’ and spread ‘popular culture to audience around Britain’ (Christopher, D.: British Culture; An introduction’, page: 116)
Also the late 1960’s and early 1970’s often called ‘ golden age’ of sitcoms (the most popular and controversial as well was ‘Till death us do part’) with its really huge audience ‘of some 15 million’ BC (Christopher, D.: British Culture; An introduction’, page: 117)
Also there was a rise of satirical shows such as ‘That was the week that was’, ‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus’, ‘Dad’s Army’. Nonetheless a huge number of Gerry Anderson’s puppet shows were also produced, for instance, ‘Fireball XL 5’ or ‘Stingray’.
Source: (20.10.2005)
With the boom of fashion, style, music, fun there is another important event in the live of television and its audience coming. After the addition of the second BBC channel BBC2 in 1964 , there was another, more important thing and it was when two years later (1967) the coloured TV was introduced
Source: (20.10.2005)
And now one would think that this should be a starting point for even greater success and popularity of the British television. It is a paradox, but it did not happen.
Facts are showing that people still were buying TV sets during the 1980s, some of them have even more than one at home, but the great boom of TV buying was definitely gone.
The television was coloured now, more than that there was a real ‘channels boom’, people have wide choice of programmes, the specialized channels were established, and there was something for almost everyone on TV by the 1990s.
There is no wonder that popularity of British terrestrial television was on a decline.
The television itself was not any longer one of the few sources of information, education and entertainment. When internet became to ‘rule the world’ television lost a lot of its position. It is not expensive anymore and because of economical progress there is no need to be limited just to the one television in one room. People also lost their trust to the programmes they see on ‘telly’ nowadays. Because of the huge number of commercial channels the quality of programmes decline as well.
Even thought nowadays people still do watch British terrestrial programmes (BBC, BBC2, ITV etc.) the majority of the nation is already ‘caught’ by the ‘rubbish’ programmes provided by hundreds of commercial channels.
In my conclusion I would like state that to me it really seems that the ‘Golden Age of British Television’, meaning British terrestrial television was taking part since the very beginning of the 1960s, then continued through the 1970s and began to slightly decline during an early 1980s and is still on the decline till nowadays.
The 1960s and 1970s brought a triumphal period for the British television, never before as well as never afterwards was the TV such a powerful tool to ‘rule’ and influenced people, in a good sense I mean.
Because of BBC independence on the advertising, it could have achieved these great goals without problems. They did not have to be bothered with competition and they do not have to fight for the people’s attention. It was a perfect atmosphere for creating such a valuable programmes and producing such magnificent films. I am not really sure if people of those days really appreciate what they have, because they did not really have anything to compare with, but I think that they still knew what did TV brought to them. How it formed their values and how many good things happened because of that impulse television gave to them.
I feel the necessity to mention that despite of the actual decline, despite of the fact that it lost its strong position almost completely, BBC is still trying to hold the classical, television ‘upper-class’ tradition. ‘The Golden Age’ will probably never come back, but I see this as a great attitude and something very valuable.
For some people British terrestrial television means a lot, and that is what counts.