Radio Times Archive

January 8, 1937 - The launch issue.
Television is still in its infancy with people more likely to watch in a public viewing room than the comfort of their own home. Despite restricted airtime, there are several films and news reports during the week, and Outside Broadcasting is featured in the supplement.

January 15, 1937 - Issue 2, Joan Miller from 'Picture Page'.
Includes a feature on television and the films. TV cooks are nothing new, and on Thursday Marcel Boulestin demonstrates how to cook and omelete. Saturday sees the arrival of The White Coons Concert Party to TV. This show had been hugely popular for several years at seaside resorts and on radio and, in this edition, Tommy Handley succeeds Stanley Holloway as schoolmaster.

January 22, 1937 - Issue 3, The Olympic Ice Hockey Team.
Transmissions alternated between rival systems, and those using the Baird system were able to have Ice Hockey explained to them by some fo the British Olympic team. There was light relief from two comedians, Billy Malony and Leslie Watson on Tuesday.

January 29, 1937 - Issue 4, Power at Alexandra Palace.
A few months old, and the staff are grumbling? Not quite, but Leslie Mitchell tells you of his difficulties as a Television Announcer. Dance has always been popular, and viewers were treated to a commentary on the English Style in Dancing on Wednesday. To get you in the right physical shape, the Women's League for Health adn Beauty returned to give a demonstration the day before, and if this wasn't enough, another form of dance, ballet, took the centre spread.

February 5, 1937 - Issue 5, The Day of the Dog.
Crufts comes to television, and A Croxton smoth explains the points of a dog to viewers. It's not Gok, but on Tuesday, Dress Parade offers a display of dresses for the day-time (and a bathe in the morning) at 3pm, and at 9pm, it looks at evening wear. For the technically minded this weeks centre spread gives and artists impression of a recording at the Marconi-Emi studio.

February 12, 1937 - Issue 6, Jasmine Bligh shown on a TV screen.
A sporty start to the week with a demonstration of Horse Riding, and an exhibitions re-play of the finals of the Men's English Table Tennis Open Championship. Andy Pandy and Muffin the Mule were a long way off, but puppets appeared on television right at the start courtesy of John Carr's Jacquard Puppets. Later, Patricia Hilliard appears as Titania opposite D. Hay Petrie's Bottom in Scenes from Shakespeare.

February 19, 1937 - Issue 7, Helping Henry Hall.
There always seems to be someone on television exploring some remote part of the planet, and this week Edward Shackleton tells the story of the Oxford University Expedition to Ellesmere Land, illustrated by his own photographs and films. The centre spread gives an insight into how 'Ally Pally', the home of British Television, was run, and at the end of the week you can learn to play the drums with Gilbert Webster or listen to Henry Hall at the piano.

February 26, 1937 - Issue 8, How Do The Wheels Go Round?
Every boys dream - a demonstration steam train pulls into Alexandra Palace Station ready for Saturday's feature programme, accompanied by a full page article. St. David's Day is celebrated by Clara Novello-Davies's Royal Welsh Ladies Choir on Monday, and the same day sees famous Golf professionals demonstrating shots on miniature links at Alexandra Park. Fashion is back (with the centre spread) as is TV cookery.

March 5, 1937 - Issue 9, Cabaret.
Monday's programme Architecture Today where Professor Walter Gropius is interviewed by E . Maxwell Fry is accompanied by an in-dpeth articel on the centre pages of this issue. The arts are further represented in the latest in a series of talks on pictures, sculpture, etc., currently on exhibition at galleries in London and the full second act of the ballet 'Casse-Noisette.

March 12, 1937 - Issue 10, Henry Hall Looks Back.
Henry Hall and the BBC Dance Orchestra look back on five years of broadcasting in the television programme on Friday night. St. Patricks day is celebrated in Wednesday with a programme of Irish Dance, and later in Cook's Night Out, Marcel Boulestin demonstrates how to prepare Crepe Flambee.

March 19, 1937 - Issue 11, News For Televiewers.
A drop in the page count - half what it started as - shunts the Television round-up feature to the front page but the schedules aren't affected. Whilst Wednesdays Boat Race isn't televised, there is a talk the day before between John Snagge and Tom Brocklebank, illustrated by models and film extracts of high-lights from the Boat Race in past years, and Shakespeare returns to the screens with Scenes from 'Macbeth' featuring Margaret Rawlings and Henry Oscar.

March 26, 1937 - Issue 12, Breaking Through The Pack.
A programme commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of Captain Scott's death in the Antarctic will be presented on Tuesday. Golfing and Ballroom Dancing both return this week, and the popular radio comedian Stanelli, known principally for his noisy Bachelor Parties and his even noisier 'hornchestra' comes to television.

April 2, 1937 - Issue 13, News For Televiewers.
Bob Gregory demonstrates Ju-Jitsu in Weaponless Self-Defence on Monday, and 'Tommy' Glover will describe the life of a film unit on location, their difficulties and adventures, and will show sequences of the devil dance that he shot in Sierra Leone for a recent film starring Paul Robeson.

April 9, 1937 - Issue 14, Starlight Monday.
This week the show has a nautical theme starting with a seasonable parade of clothes for sea travel in Fashions for Cruising, followed by Cabaret Cruise with A. B. Campbell. The first television demonstration of snooker is broadcast on Wednesday and features the expert professionals Horace Lindrum and Willie Smith.

April 16, 1937 - Issue 15, Anona Winn.
The planting of a tree in Alexandra Park in commemoration of the Coronation starts the week, and the Future of Television is discussed: Men and women eminent in various walks of life will be brought on the screen and asked to give their opinions on the future of television. A very great diversity of views will probably be put forward, and it is hoped that pictures both practical and imaginative will be drawn.

April 23, 1937 - Issue 16, News For Televiewers.
Not to be missed on Monday is Kuda Bux 'The Man with X-Ray Eyes', the same day that The Proposal, Tchekov's play, will be televised again with the same cast as before. 'Alice In Wonderland' is specially adapted for television, with Ursula Hanray as Alice, on Thursday, and Picture Page celebrates its 50th edition this week, complete with centre page feature.

April 30, 1937 - Issue 17, The Western Brothers.
With the Coronation looming, there is a special page of news for televiewers and The Future of Television is discussed, once again, as eminent men and women will be invited to give their views on the future of television Regular programmes on fashion, health, dancing, and variety are joined by a demonstration of Billiards.

May 7, 1937 - Issue 18, Their Majesties King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
The Coronation dominates this weeks programming and this edition and the procession itself was televised from the North and South faces of the main arch of Apsley Gate, Hyde Park Corner. The week ends with A Tour Of The London Television Station where television cameras will be used to give viewers an idea of what goes on behind the scenes at Alexandra Palace.

May 14, 1937 - Issue 19, News For Televiewers.
The week after the Coronation and the supplement is down to 4 pages for the first time - a sure sign that its days are numbered. Programming has long been settled and regular shows can be found. This week sees the return of 'The White Coons', The Future of Television, Fashion Parade, Architecture, and Starlight featuring Gracie Fields.

May 21, 1937 - Issue 20, News For Televiewers.
In conjunction with the Camping Club of Britain and Ireland, the highlight of the week has to be Canvas To Cover Us - An outdoor demonstration of camping equipment and practice for all who contemplate a camping holiday, whether by car, by bicycle, or on foot. The magazine programme Picture Page reaches its 58th edition, and Mr. Gillie Potter is back with Punch and Judex - his Joyous Judicial Joke.

May 28, 1937 - Issue 21, Margot Fonteyn.
Ivy St. Helier, makes her television debut in "Queue For Song' alongside Cyril Fletcher and The Charlot Startlets (an early Pan's people). There is a review written by Hans Kafka, and an opera, Polly, by John Gay. On Wednesday The Derby makes its debut - almost. Viewers will hear the National Programme broadcast accompanied by still photographs of scenes connected with the race.

June 4, 1937 - Issue 22, Greer Garson in School For Scandal.
Greer Garson, cover feature, can be seen in Theatre Parade's scenes from Hassan. The story of Hassan of Bagdad and how he came to make the Golden Journey to Samarkand. Poppy Wingate, the only woman golf professional in England, will demonstrate some shots on Monday afternoon.

June 11, 1937 - Issue 23, June 11, 1937 - Playing for Television.
The BBC Television Orchestra at Alexandra Palace. HErcule Poirot will come to life at Alexandra Palace in a hitherto unpublished and unperformed play by Agatha Christie entitled The Wasps' Nest and Agentinita, the celbrated Spanish Dancer appears in Starlight with her pianist and guitarist.

June 18, 1937 - Issue 24, Percy Cornish and a Giant Stage Drum. Two dozen editions in and the supplement is now bereft of advertising, and simply contains a page of news and 3 pages of schedules. The schedules are looking brighter than the future of the supplement as summer is on its way and The Royal Horticultural Society Cactus Show is televised and C. H. Middleton talks, both in and out of the studio, about summer gardening.

June 25, 1937 - Issue 25, Televising The Centre Court.
The experiment of televising play on the Centre Court at Wimbledon by means of the radio link will be continued this week. Transmissions will take place every day during the afternoon programmes or after 4.0 with commentaries by F. H. Grisewood and John Snagge.

July 2, 1937 - Issue 26, From Baghdad to Kensington.
Greer Garson and D. A. Clarke-Smith recently seen in Hassan, return to the screen in 'How He Lied To Her Husband' by George Bernard Shaw. Summer Gardening continues, and this week you are given handy hints on laying crazy paving.

July 9, 1937 - Issue 27, News For Televiewers.
This week the highlights include a behind the scenes demonstration of The Waxworks by Bernard Tussaud, Freddie Dosh, the clever impersonator, and the first outside television broadcast of animals, providing the weather is good, in Friends From The Zoo.

July 16, 1937 - Final Issue, INTERIM.
In order that an overhaul and certain internal adjustments may be carried out at Alexandra Palace, transmissions will be suspended for three weeks, beginning on Monday, July 26. There will, however, be television transmissions from Wimbledon of the Davis Cup on July 26 and Tuesday, July 27, between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., with an extension until 4.30 p.m. if necessary. A useful excuse, and the axe falls on the Television Supplement.