80 YEARS ON: How The News reported the UK’s first television service broadcast

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Today marks 80 years since the BBC’s first regular high-definition began broadcasting, and The News was there to mark the historic event.

On November 2, 1936, the BBC began broadcasting a dual-system service, making the BBC Television Service - now BBC One - the UK’s first regular high-definition television service.

But as The News’s former guise The Portsmouth Evening News reported on the same day, there were doubts over whether the idea would take off.

The report said: ‘Major G. C. Tryon, the Postmaster General, performed the ceremony, Mr. R. C. Norman (Chairman of the BBC) who presided, said they were confident that television held the promise of unique, if still largely unchartered, opportunities of benefit and delight to the community.

‘British television was undoubtedly ahead of the rest of the world.’