Testcard F - BBC Trade Test Transmission

From 24th April 1978. This video is part of a collection of old television clips posted on UK Nova I believe. The originator of the clip who is a collector and got these clips from old Philips N1500 and N1700 video cassettes. When there were no programmes to show, the testcard was shown, with music or a test-tone. This was to aid you or an engineer in setting up your set. There were no auto setup TVs in those days. The girl in the testcard is Carole Hersey, daughter of the late BBC Engineer George Hersey who designed Testcard F. The clock is real, shot in monochrome and with colour added electronically. The clock face would be gray, and the BBC1 logo white with a black background. Black became blue, gray became yellow, and White became electronic white. You will see that the hands cast shadows, and the shadows were coloured in blue.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• testcard
• bbc
• trade
• test
• transmission
• 1970s
• retro
• nostalgia
• tv
• telly
• television
• history
• presentation
• continuity

[dagger86]

That clock looks like it was made from an actual clock mechanism and hands, installed on a green screen background. Too natural looking, I love it!

[ahd2006]

It's a real clock, in Black, White and Gray colours, shot in monochrome and coloured electronically with lumakey.

[sammyreed]

In the US, we had a drawing of an indian. In Britain, they had some kid playing tic-tac-toe beside a jack-in-the-box?!

[ahd2006]

It's not a jack-in-the-box, it's just a clown doll. You have, however, made exactly the same mistake as Jimi Hendrix. He wrote some lyrics about testcard F, something like 'when the jacks are in their boxes'. I don't know the song or the exact lyrics.

[Voxac100b]

@allister1964 yes I remember the advert well but seem to recall it on ITV... but it's going back a bit now! it seemed about 5 mins and a creepy voice explained the castle i always remember the bit about the arrow slits and the hole to pour boiling oil and the camera shots. I have been looking for it to view again but no luck yet!

[JFredUK]

@sammyreed It's not just a kid playing with a doll. This picture was used for a good reason. All the primary colours are there, and the X on the blackboard is actually the centre of the screen.  A child was used because it was felt that the clothing worn would not go out of fashion, and therefore, they wouldn't need to keep updating it. It's done well. It's 44 years since it was first broadcast, and although it's not seen much nowadays, a modified version is still in use today.

[qgloscit]

Its inconceiveable now in this day an age youd get a 15 minute closedown in the middle of the day! we should bring it back.Better to watch this rather than some of the daytime dross ITV and BBC churn out!

[wsxvgy]

@sammyreed Tic-tac-toe is known by its original name, noughts and crosses, outside North America.

[bradhig]

Anyone ever make a screen saver of that clock?

[RobertTheDodger654]

When the continuity announcer said "Now BBC1's returning to a Trade Test Transmission", it sounded like he wasn't in a very good mood; in actual fact, he almost never was during the day.

[TroThug]

how can any1 give this a thumbs down?

[redsnapper1959]

@lollygaggle It's here on YouTube, Lolly . . . "Ride The White Horses" to give it it's full title.

[allister1964]

does anyone remember the public information films, shown on saturday mornings around the mid 1970's regarding Chepstow castle etc?

[documentedtwo]

BTW - if you search for Evoluon the white horses video is in there as well on youtube