First piece of music over the Test Card is La Guinguette by Guy Luypaerts Et Son Orchestre from the Test Card Tape Voy Voy Voy. Then the piece over the BBC-1 Globe is called The Waiting Game (a Roger Webb composition) played by Paul Dupont And His Orchestra on the Chappell Record library.
Remembering the huge brick of a TV being wheeled in the classroom and having to crane your neck to be able to see and hear it. Fabulous. wish it could be the same for kids now. Thank you for reminding me of the good times when i was a lass. looking forward to searching your video's for more fun.
@@digitallifeline162 All the special continuity was to allow teachers to get the room ready. Many schools did not have video recorders. The special continuity was discontinued when most schools had video recorders and more control over when the programmes were shown to the class
@@tommyharris5817 try telling kids and teenagers that though! If the Internet is down 10 minutes, life is sooooooo boring and it's the end of the world....
@@paulsawtell3991 I wanted tv programmes instead of the picture of a testcard and the awful music. They could have shown a trade test film instead of the testcard. But now, the music doesn't sound so bad, especially when compared to the crap that's on tv today. Also, the testcard isn't trying to push a twisted, woke political agenda.
@@pachma405 The films were dropped because the tv trade needed the test card in those days to perform diagnostic tests. As there were more colour progs during the day as time went on, the need for the films diminished and time available for the test card was thus reduced. I am a little curious why you would say the music played with the test card was 'awful'? It may not have been to everyone's taste but that doesn't make it bad in any way. I think as pop made more inroads into the majority's musical consumption it created a low benchmark and unless one was musical, or jolly well determined to make an effort to broaden one's musical horizon, perhaps anything which didn't conform to that narrow spectrum may have been regarded in a negative way? Or if you're on the other hand a seasoned classical devotee it may come over differently again. I always took it for what it was and certainly in the early days there was much to be said in its favour. Much of it had melody and an intelligent use of harmony. It also featured many of the world's finest session musicians and composers too. For example the late great Herb Geller; the gifted writers from the Chandos lodge; Matt Matthews, the accomplished accordionst; the lineup of tremendous British session players in the Oscar Brandenburg orchestra; and so many many more. I always believe liking a piece of music doesn't ipso facto make it 'good' any more than disliking it makes it 'bad' or even 'awful'! For me, back in 1963 the test card music was my musical awakening, and I went on to enjoy a very good and profitable 45-year career as a pro session musician, composer, conductor, and arranger. However I do accept the music was not for everyone. I did enjoy your observation that at least the TC wasn't woke! LOL! Best regards to you, and a genuine thank you for your interest and comments.
@@pachma405 Sacrilege!! There was admittedly a bit of "not so good" stuff, but in the main most of the music played on the test card was high quality material (IMHO)
Blimey that's brought back memories, not heard that for years. Thinking about it I'd watch the schools programmes when i was ill at home , now I can watch whatever i want whenever i want the TVs never on cos it's mind numbing garbage. I don't care who's bought a house to do up in Spain or who's got a b&b worth staying in 😂
I never made the connection at the time that this end tune was played with the diamond sequence before secondary school programmes, and the other one before primary school ones. I just thought they played which one they fancied!! We used to watch "A Year's Journey" with Eric Simms, and that was always preceded by "Sarah's Tune," (the other one). It all makes sense now!
@@paulsawtell3991 Thank you of course. I am a member of the Test Card Circle as I know of course you used to be, so I know that you speak very well indeed on the matter-and well done for your uploads too!
@@brucedanton3669 Thanks Bruce; yes I was instrumental (no pun intended!) in forming the group way back in the late 1980s. Things change and life moves on and now I try to share what I can bearing in mind the vultures from YT are just looking for a chance to pounce and cause bother! It's a subject I have researched and collected for many years; I suppose it began for me back in the mid 1960s and was a powerful influence on me as a young musician who had the great fortune to be able to turn it into a profitable profession. I was a lucky lad being able to work with many of the best musicians in my time.
Fantastic clip Paul, really enjoyed it and it made me hanker for the presentation styles of the past. You have a perfect announcer’s voice by the way. Totally in keeping with the style of the 70s and I wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference. I think you missed your vocation at TVC here. Thanks again.
I am most grateful to you for your kind comment. Coming from the west Midlands I did have to work quite hard to try to rid myself of those dipthongs to hone a sort of RP accent. Although my Midlands accent was not strong, there were other aspects needed to pull it off; you cannot speak as you would with a friend, for example, neither would you use the announcers inflections in a social situation. It was very much trial and error over many months. No tuition, other than my ears and determination! Personally I think the BBC made yet another big mistake when they decided to go lowbrow with their continuity.
PS they wouldn't want anyone like me there now. Charlotte Green was frequently voted the most popular voice on R4 but she eventually left the BBC saying voices like hers were no longer required. I last heard her on Classic FM where no doubt she is appreciated.
@@paulsawtell3991 Sadly, I agree with you Paul. The trouble is your diction is just too clear. I can make out what you're saying. You don't drop your T's and also fail to say BBC Nooze. No place for you in the schedules I'm afraid. Back to the 1970s you go!
@@paulsawtell3991 PS: I haven't heard Charlotte Green on Classic FM but if ever there were a perfect fit away from the R4 microphone, I imagine that would be it. Thanks for the info.
I wondered, are you the same Mr Burton who helped me with a German orchestral LP about 20 years ago? The Cologne Symphonic Sounds Orchestra, to be precise?
@@paulsawtell3991 Cheers Paul, another favourite of mine from Roger Webb was "Smoke Rings" used in the Boddingtons advert in the 1990s took me 20+ years to find out what it was !
The gap was known as the "zero minus (whatever)". Normally it was Z - 2. Following the out of trade tests tx, there would be 30 secs black raster then the globe and continuity, usually along the lines of a welcome to the channel and "Our programmes begin with (whatever) in 2 mins). In the case of the first schools prog of the day it was a Z - 5. I presume this was designed to accommodate the more difficult task of getting classes of school children in and settled down before their prog began, hence the 2 nins globe, 1 min clock and a carefully designed Z -2 vision sequence which would allow teachers to pinpoint how many mins and secs they had left. Generally, viewers were not expected to watch the trade test TX (although many of us did) so the Z -2 was a warm up, following in the footsteps of the very early tuning caption sequences which ran for 5 mins: in those days valves had to warm up. The angel wings featured prominently in many of those and there would also be a clock in the middle, not ticking away but gently moving without a second-hand and again in the early 1950s another final 1 minute (or so) "get ready for it" sequence involving the bats' wings with a celeste ident jingle, and a recorded announcement saying "This is BBC television". I can perhaps post examples of this later if you're interested?
I honestly cannot figure out why anyone wastes time out of their valuable lives watching such drivel. An endless conveyor belt of quizzes, house-bothering, reality (heaven help us) and soaps. Just you wait for Celebrity Bin Day....
First piece of music over the Test Card is La Guinguette by Guy Luypaerts Et Son Orchestre from the Test Card Tape Voy Voy Voy. Then the piece over the BBC-1 Globe is called The Waiting Game (a Roger Webb composition) played by Paul Dupont And His Orchestra on the Chappell Record library.
Hello Malcolm and welcome to my humble efforts here.
@@paulsawtell3991 It's very good Paul and keeps our topic alive. Thank You.
Remembering the huge brick of a TV being wheeled in the classroom and having to crane your neck to be able to see and hear it. Fabulous. wish it could be the same for kids now. Thank you for reminding me of the good times when i was a lass. looking forward to searching your video's for more fun.
Fun is where it's at. Well at least if you're into this kind of obscurity!
And then the teacher puts it on and tries to get reception for the first half of the programme!!!
@@digitallifeline162 All the special continuity was to allow teachers to get the room ready. Many schools did not have video recorders. The special continuity was discontinued when most schools had video recorders and more control over when the programmes were shown to the class
A strange time for a programme to start. 9.38
@@dvidclapperton Another popular start time was 0941
I am watching something on the internet which makes me yearn for life without the internet.
People have lost touch with humanity
@@tommyharris5817 I wish there was some way I could programme natural breaks like this into all our devices.
@@nicolaiqbal6823 We live in an unnatural habitat. No wonder people are so unhealthy physically and psychologically.
@@tommyharris5817 try telling kids and teenagers that though! If the Internet is down 10 minutes, life is sooooooo boring and it's the end of the world....
@@nicolaiqbal6823 like fish out of water lol
I used to hate the test card when I was a kid. Now I find it more enjoyable than most of the programmes on modern tv.
What was there to actually hate, I wonder?
@@paulsawtell3991 I wanted tv programmes instead of the picture of a testcard and the awful music. They could have shown a trade test film instead of the testcard.
But now, the music doesn't sound so bad, especially when compared to the crap that's on tv today.
Also, the testcard isn't trying to push a twisted, woke political agenda.
@@pachma405 The films were dropped because the tv trade needed the test card in those days to perform diagnostic tests. As there were more colour progs during the day as time went on, the need for the films diminished and time available for the test card was thus reduced. I am a little curious why you would say the music played with the test card was 'awful'? It may not have been to everyone's taste but that doesn't make it bad in any way. I think as pop made more inroads into the majority's musical consumption it created a low benchmark and unless one was musical, or jolly well determined to make an effort to broaden one's musical horizon, perhaps anything which didn't conform to that narrow spectrum may have been regarded in a negative way? Or if you're on the other hand a seasoned classical devotee it may come over differently again. I always took it for what it was and certainly in the early days there was much to be said in its favour. Much of it had melody and an intelligent use of harmony. It also featured many of the world's finest session musicians and composers too. For example the late great Herb Geller; the gifted writers from the Chandos lodge; Matt Matthews, the accomplished accordionst; the lineup of tremendous British session players in the Oscar Brandenburg orchestra; and so many many more. I always believe liking a piece of music doesn't ipso facto make it 'good' any more than disliking it makes it 'bad' or even 'awful'! For me, back in 1963 the test card music was my musical awakening, and I went on to enjoy a very good and profitable 45-year career as a pro session musician, composer, conductor, and arranger. However I do accept the music was not for everyone. I did enjoy your observation that at least the TC wasn't woke! LOL! Best regards to you, and a genuine thank you for your interest and comments.
@@pachma405 Sacrilege!! There was admittedly a bit of "not so good" stuff, but in the main most of the music played on the test card was high quality material (IMHO)
Paul, you are a legend bringing these clips to RUclips. Thank you so much.
You are most kind, but I'm no legend. I just enjoyed a mis-spent youth.
Those diamond things are bloody hypnotic, I had to be shaken out of a trance state!
This brings back lovely memories thanks so much Paul 👍🏼
Always my pleasure, many thanks
Bring back BBC1 Schools and Colleges, the diamonds, the dots and all.
Blimey that's brought back memories, not heard that for years.
Thinking about it I'd watch the schools programmes when i was ill at home , now I can watch whatever i want whenever i want the TVs never on cos it's mind numbing garbage. I don't care who's bought a house to do up in Spain or who's got a b&b worth staying in 😂
Nothing to disagree with there
I never made the connection at the time that this end tune was played with the diamond sequence before secondary school programmes, and the other one before primary school ones. I just thought they played which one they fancied!! We used to watch "A Year's Journey" with Eric Simms, and that was always preceded by "Sarah's Tune," (the other one). It all makes sense now!
Thank you so much for this-well done!!
Bless you sir. I enjoy putting smiles on faces!
@@paulsawtell3991 Thank you of course. I am a member of the Test Card Circle as I know of course you used to be, so I know that you speak very well indeed on the matter-and well done for your uploads too!
@@brucedanton3669 Thanks Bruce; yes I was instrumental (no pun intended!) in forming the group way back in the late 1980s. Things change and life moves on and now I try to share what I can bearing in mind the vultures from YT are just looking for a chance to pounce and cause bother! It's a subject I have researched and collected for many years; I suppose it began for me back in the mid 1960s and was a powerful influence on me as a young musician who had the great fortune to be able to turn it into a profitable profession. I was a lucky lad being able to work with many of the best musicians in my time.
@@paulsawtell3991 Thank you of course for that-well done too!
Fantastic clip Paul, really enjoyed it and it made me hanker for the presentation styles of the past. You have a perfect announcer’s voice by the way. Totally in keeping with the style of the 70s and I wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference. I think you missed your vocation at TVC here. Thanks again.
I am most grateful to you for your kind comment. Coming from the west Midlands I did have to work quite hard to try to rid myself of those dipthongs to hone a sort of RP accent. Although my Midlands accent was not strong, there were other aspects needed to pull it off; you cannot speak as you would with a friend, for example, neither would you use the announcers inflections in a social situation. It was very much trial and error over many months. No tuition, other than my ears and determination! Personally I think the BBC made yet another big mistake when they decided to go lowbrow with their continuity.
PS they wouldn't want anyone like me there now. Charlotte Green was frequently voted the most popular voice on R4 but she eventually left the BBC saying voices like hers were no longer required. I last heard her on Classic FM where no doubt she is appreciated.
@@paulsawtell3991 Sadly, I agree with you Paul. The trouble is your diction is just too clear. I can make out what you're saying. You don't drop your T's and also fail to say BBC Nooze. No place for you in the schedules I'm afraid. Back to the 1970s you go!
@@paulsawtell3991 PS: I haven't heard Charlotte Green on Classic FM but if ever there were a perfect fit away from the R4 microphone, I imagine that would be it. Thanks for the info.
@@archibaldchuff3557 There are far worse places to spend in exile...
Love the haunting first number, whose title means "The Tavern". It sounds French or Italian. One of my fave Test Card pieces.
3:05 Uh...paul sawtell What music Is This
Perfect ! thank you for sharing
Thanks for this.
One of Cambcardie's top tunes, lovely lush corny French atmosphere.
Ah, those were the glory days of the BBC...
I wondered, are you the same Mr Burton who helped me with a German orchestral LP about 20 years ago? The Cologne Symphonic Sounds Orchestra, to be precise?
This seems like just yesterday!
It would be nice if it were tomorrow..!
Is this recreated?
You make a great announcer
I am honoured by your kind comment, thank you
Anyone know what the track at 3:03 is please?
Yes, It's called The Waiting Game and was composed by Roger Webb. It was an often-used replacement for the Hazelhurst Montage.
@@paulsawtell3991 Cheers Paul, another favourite of mine from Roger Webb was "Smoke Rings" used in the Boddingtons advert in the 1990s took me 20+ years to find out what it was !
@@gpo746 Roger was a lovely and gifted composer who wrote many library tracks for the Chappell music library.
Fantastic thank you very very much very much appreciated the test card will the BBC be bringing it back again-?
If they did my guess is the music they would choose would be simply awful as was most of the Ceefax offerings.
You can briefly see the test card for a few minutes most mornings before start of programmes on BBC2. No music, though, only sound sync check clacks.
@@nowster I don't think I will be getting up for that! LOL! Anymore than I have any time for today's tv which personally I think is truly appalling.
What's the name of the test card song? Great video, thanks btw
The first one? La something, meaning The Tavern. Have it on a tape somewhere. It's brilliant.
La Guinguette
Is the globe a recreation or the real thing? If a recreation, how was it done?
It's the real thing with the ident coloured yellow by using the premiere 6.5 colour replace feature.
Why’s there a gap between the announcement and the programmes?
The gap was known as the "zero minus (whatever)". Normally it was Z - 2. Following the out of trade tests tx, there would be 30 secs black raster then the globe and continuity, usually along the lines of a welcome to the channel and "Our programmes begin with (whatever) in 2 mins). In the case of the first schools prog of the day it was a Z - 5. I presume this was designed to accommodate the more difficult task of getting classes of school children in and settled down before their prog began, hence the 2 nins globe, 1 min clock and a carefully designed Z -2 vision sequence which would allow teachers to pinpoint how many mins and secs they had left. Generally, viewers were not expected to watch the trade test TX (although many of us did) so the Z -2 was a warm up, following in the footsteps of the very early tuning caption sequences which ran for 5 mins: in those days valves had to warm up. The angel wings featured prominently in many of those and there would also be a clock in the middle, not ticking away but gently moving without a second-hand and again in the early 1950s another final 1 minute (or so) "get ready for it" sequence involving the bats' wings with a celeste ident jingle, and a recorded announcement saying "This is BBC television". I can perhaps post examples of this later if you're interested?
@@paulsawtell3991 Please do.
2:51
It beats Loose Women,that's for sure...
Yeah for real, I can’t stand Loose Women.
Are you the one doing the VO or is this exactly as BBC would have transmitted it? It doesn't sound like a typical BBC announcer.
Continuity announcers these days are not what they were!
5 minutes you say stick on a cartoon ffs.
Kids guffawing would be just what a teacher would want while trying to settle a class down..get real!
Great to see none of the woke anti British. Crap you get on the bias bolsi crap now.
I honestly cannot figure out why anyone wastes time out of their valuable lives watching such drivel. An endless conveyor belt of quizzes, house-bothering, reality (heaven help us) and soaps. Just you wait for Celebrity Bin Day....
2:52