Picture Page
Encyclopedia
Picture Page is a British television
programme, broadcast on the BBC Television Service
(now known as BBC One
) from 1936 to 1939, and again after the service's hiatus during the Second World War from 1946 until 1952. It was the first British television series to become a long-running and regular popular hit.
The programme was in a magazine format with two hour-long editions broadcast each week covering a range of interviews with well-known personalities, features on a range of topics and coverage of public events taking place. The main presenter during the pre-war era was Canadian
actress Joan Miller who played the role of a "switchboard operator" similar to that of a telephone
exchange, "connecting" the viewers to the particular guests and items being featured that week. Miller was nicknamed "The Switchboard Girl" in the popular press and became one of the first television celebrities. She would be assisted by Leslie Mitchell
and Jasmine Bligh
, two of the BBC's three in-vision continuity announcers (the other being Elizabeth Cowell
). Following the return of the programme in 1946, first Joan Gilbert and then later Mary Malcolm
took on presenting duties.
Picture Page was produced live
by the BBC from their Alexandra Palace
television studios for the entirety of its run. The first episode was actually broadcast on 8 October 1936, some three and a half weeks before the official opening of the service on 2 November, as part of the ongoing test transmissions in the run-up to the launch date. Until 1949 the series was not recorded and thus none of the pre-1949 programmes exist anymore. Four shows from 1951 have survived in the form of telerecordings.
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
programme, broadcast on the BBC Television Service
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
(now known as BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
) from 1936 to 1939, and again after the service's hiatus during the Second World War from 1946 until 1952. It was the first British television series to become a long-running and regular popular hit.
The programme was in a magazine format with two hour-long editions broadcast each week covering a range of interviews with well-known personalities, features on a range of topics and coverage of public events taking place. The main presenter during the pre-war era was Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
actress Joan Miller who played the role of a "switchboard operator" similar to that of a telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
exchange, "connecting" the viewers to the particular guests and items being featured that week. Miller was nicknamed "The Switchboard Girl" in the popular press and became one of the first television celebrities. She would be assisted by Leslie Mitchell
Leslie Mitchell
Dr Leslie Mitchell is a leading British authority on 18th century history.Mitchell is historian and Emeritus Fellow of University College and a member of the History Faculty at the University of Oxford, England. He has been Dean of the college, appeared in the Univ Revue, and was editor of the...
and Jasmine Bligh
Jasmine Bligh
Jasmine Lydia Bligh was one of the first three BBC Television Service presenters in the 1930s, along with Leslie Mitchell and Elizabeth Cowell, providing continuity announcements and introducing programmes in-vision....
, two of the BBC's three in-vision continuity announcers (the other being Elizabeth Cowell
Elizabeth Cowell
Elizabeth Cowell was a British broadcaster.She was one of the first three BBC Television Service presenters, along with Jasmine Bligh and Leslie Mitchell. She began announcing when the Television Service started in 1936, and returned in 1946 after its nearly seven-year hiatus due to the Second...
). Following the return of the programme in 1946, first Joan Gilbert and then later Mary Malcolm
Mary Malcolm
Helen Mary Malcolm was one of the first two regular female announcers on BBC Television after World War II. She became a household name in the UK during the 1950s.- Biography:...
took on presenting duties.
Picture Page was produced live
Live television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
by the BBC from their Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is a building in North London, England. It stands in Alexandra Park, in an area between Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green...
television studios for the entirety of its run. The first episode was actually broadcast on 8 October 1936, some three and a half weeks before the official opening of the service on 2 November, as part of the ongoing test transmissions in the run-up to the launch date. Until 1949 the series was not recorded and thus none of the pre-1949 programmes exist anymore. Four shows from 1951 have survived in the form of telerecordings.