Tag: bbc

When was a British Classic first screened on terrestrial television?

The first British Classic to be screened on terrestrial television was the Derby at Epsom. Indeed, the 1931 renewal of the ‘Blue Riband’ event, staged on Wednesday, June 3, was the subject of the first television outside broadcast or, in other words, the first television programme broadcast live, on location, anywhere in the world. The Baird Television Company, under the auspices of John Logie Baird, the Scottish engineer who became known as ‘The Father of Television’, provided the pictures, which were transmitted by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) via the medium-wave radio transmitter at Brookmans Park, Hertfordshire. BBC Radio had first broadcast the Derby, along with the Grand National, in 1927, but the BBC Television Service was not officially launched until November, 1936.

In any event, the ‘King’s Birthday Derby’, run on the sixty-sixth birthday of King George V, was won by the 7/2 favourite, Cameronian, owned by J. Arthur Dewar, trained by Fred Darling and ridden by Freddie Fox. Television viewers were treated to a thrilling finish, with the 2,000 Guineas winner edging out well-fancied rivals Orpern and Sandwich by three-quarters of a length and the same. The following year, still some years before the advent of public television broadcasts, the Derby was shown, live, on closed-circuit television at the now demolished Metropole Kinema, in Victoria Street, central London.

In which year was the Grand National first televised?

The Grand National was first broadcast on radio, by the BBC, in 1927, but was not televised until 1960. That year, the 114th renewal of the famous steeplechase was broadcast live as part of the ‘Grandstand’ sports programme, anchored by David Coleman. Commentary on the Grand National was provided by Peter O’Sullevan,

Clive Graham and Peter Bromley and the race was won by the favourite, Merryman II, trained by and ridden by Gerry Scott, who won by 15 lengths and 12 lengths from Badenloch and Clear Profit. The inaugural broadcast marked the start of a period of 53 years uninterrupted television coverage of the Grand National by the BBC; the final broadcast, in 2012, attracted a peak audience of 10 million, on average, representing an audience share of 59%.