MHP Pick of the Continuity Announcements

Good Evening Televiewers...

Whilst early ITV went for on-screen continuity announcers well into the eighties (and still there on CTV), the BBC have hidden behind a globe or other ident symbol since the sixties. When things go wrong however, there was always a caption on standby.

Syliva Peters, a post-war BBC on-screen continuity announcer.

Listen to how Elizabeth Cowell introduced programmes on the pre-war BBC Television Service

 Sylvia Peters, an early on screen BBC announcer
Apologise for Break in Sound <Groan> The BBC sure know how to spoil a party.
Luckily the good old Home Service were recording it all.
Sometimes things didn't go according to plan Temporary Fault
regret - still not possible and fixing the problem wasn't always the speediest process.
but the BBC always kept you informed... a further period
we are now closing down even if every one else had gone to bed.
A rather alarming message from RTE.
Richard Logue suggests that this was from the 1960's, when Irelands population expanded faster than the electricity network. He writes:

"The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) faced massive power shortages in the mid 1960s due to a huge population expansion and economic boom, and not enough power stations could cope with the load on the national grid. At that time the then single channel RTE service was transmitted from 5 VHF 625 line sites whose service areas roughly corresponded with the regional electricity zones. Perhaps the card was broadcast direct from a transmitter site when the power supply was getting to the point where essential services such as hospitals and industry would not have enough power to continue."

 Power situation in this area is critical. Please switch off your set and all other apparatus.
An Announcement Is being Made In Sound When all else fails, and there is no other slide to hand, this one was the "catch-all" slide. Unless of course the sound failed.

Listen to a vintage announcement from the BBC
These two slides were on standby in event of a breakdown during coverage of the Royal Wedding. The Royal Wedding (b/w)
The Royal Wedding - We Apologise for the Breakdown The question is, "Which one?"

If you think you know, drop me a line!
Some of the captions were less than professional standard. Programmes will commence at 7.55 pm
THAMES - We regret that scheduled programmes have been changed. Two from Thames, from the early 1970s
Schools programmes on ITV were networked from ATV in the seventies, and this was displayed if for some reason it failed. THAMES - Schools Programmes have been temporarily suspended.
ITCA - Stand by for confidential viewing Quick! Close your eyes!

You are not supposed to be watching this!
Monday's Newcomers was the sequence on ITV on Monday mornings, prior to programmes commencing, when they would show the new advertisements that would debut that week.

It was intended for the advertising agencies and clients.

A full desciption of Mondays Newcomers can be found in our FAQ Archive.

 Monday's Newcomers has been cancelled.
This apology caption for a mythical BBC3 is taken from an episode of Dr Who. It is however fairly typical of a late 1960s apology caption.
Pick of the Continuity Announcements

Last Updated 06 Apr 2000