~ Preserving the televisual past for the digital future ~ Official Twitter channel of the Alexandra Palace Television Society. All enquiries to apts@apts.org.uk
Derby, Derbyshire
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The Desmond Campbell Collection contains over 1,200 photos of BBC TV from 1937 to 1951.
Campbell stored the negs in his garden shed for many years, where they deteriorated.
APTS has restored these images over several years - this channel is the result.
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At 8pm a #WorldOriginSite plaque was unveiled at Alexandra Palace, recognising #AllyPally as the site of the world's first regular public television service.
World Origin Site reference: WOS0126
#BBCTV90 #AlexandraPalace #BBCTelevision #YourAllyPally
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At 3pm exactly 90 years ago today, the #BBCTelevisionService opening ceremony was broadcast to a few hundred viewers within 25 miles of #AlexandraPalace. This clip features the ceremony, with accompanying images.
Events at #AllyPally today commemorate this historic occasion.
#BBCTV90
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In preparation for the 90th anniversary of BBC Television, which is today, the BBC have produced a website which can be found here -
buff.ly/erRQlH8
This has been written by my good friend Jamie Medhurst, Professor of Media and Communication at Aberystwyth University.
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By doing my usual shopping the online retailers have already donated £15 to the W. W. Winter Heritage Trust.
By doing the same you could help preserve the World’s oldest continually operating photography studio with its restoration and digitisation of its photographic archive.
Raise FREE donations for W. W. Winter Heritage Trust EVERY time you shop online using @easyuk.
Over 8,000 retailers will donate including all the big names like eBay, ASOS, Expedia, M&S, Just Eat, Uswitch and more!
Visit: easyfundraising.org.uk/cause…
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I’m looking forward to being part of #BBCTV90 at #AllyPally, a special season celebrating 90 years since BBC television broadcasting began from Alexandra Palace.
Join me for "Desmond Campbell – Behind the Scenes of Early TV" on 2nd Nov, as we explore the people, programmes and pioneering ideas that helped shape television history.
My talk has sold out!
Find out more: buff.ly/CanCP9d
@yourallypally
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APTS Archive retweeted
This December the Heritage Trust are hosting a candlelit "Wine & Say Cheese" fundraiser in our Victorian photography studio.
See the building bathed in candlelight — tickets are limited; so watch for updates. #WineAndSayCheese #Fundraising #CandleLight #PhotographyByCandleLight
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Looking forward to presenting film footage from the Alexandra Palace Television Society Archive on 2nd November of pre & post war television from the former studios at the palace.
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#OTD - 1 Sep 1939.
Ahead of the impending declaration of #WWII on 3 Sep 1939, the #BBCTelevisionService closed down.
No closing announcement was made.
Contrary to claims, the #MickeyMouse cartoon was shown in full, with the transmitters not being powered down for another 20+ minutes.
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APTS Archive retweeted
Your chance to see behind the scenes at the world's oldest continuously operating photography studio for #HeritageOpenDays 2026.
We’ll explore #EverydayHistories of people who sat for photographs at our studio.
Booking essential: call 01332 345224 or email office@wwwinter.co.uk
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@virginmedia we notified you in early July that we would be moving on 31st. You deemed our new address as unserviceable & therefore there would be no early termination fee & to return the kit to you.
I have made in excess of 10 phone calls with your moving home team - amount to several hours getting contradictory information every time I've phoned, depending on who I spoke with.
On Wednesday you took £1,070 from our bank account, causing us to become overdrawn, despite assurances from your moving home team that there was an extension on our account in order to give us time to return the kit, & no early termination fee would be charged. The kit was returned to you on Wednesday morning.
Upon phoning yesterday (yet again), I was dealt with someone that might as well have been a robot, he's inability to listen & constant repeating set phrases over & over again was of little help & particularly annoying.
You have made the issue of moving home particularly difficult and stressful, which for a company of your size I find inexcusable.
I emailed your moving home team on Tuesday & yesterday yet have still not received a reply, despite being told in a phone call my email would be dealt with as a matter or urgency!
I'm resorting to public exposure in the vain hope there will be some action & you will expedite this matter.
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Quick update following my post -
I did have a DM discussion with VirginMedia.
Apparently all refunds are process via cheque payments and posted to you - and I’ve got to wait up to 45 days - yes 45 days for the cheque.
If I’ve not received it by then I’ve got to contact them again and they will investigate why - probably waiting another 45 days.
This is disgusting behaviour @virginmedia, despite it being so called company policy.
You took £1,070 from our account despite assurance the equipment return date had been extended, causing us to be overdrawn, yet you now hang on to our money for up to 45 days!
It doesn’t take 45 days for a computer to print a cheque!
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APTS Archive retweeted
August marks 100 years since the birth of Pat Coombs ... look out for my article in Yours Retro magazine at the end of the month and competition details for a signed copy of her authorised biography @Classicbritcom @britishco
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A unique opportunity to see behind the scene of a Victorian photography that has changes very little in the past 170+ years - and it’s FREE to look round.
Booking essential to secure your place on a tour - 17th to 19th September.
Tour our unique Victorian photographic studio as part of #HeritageOpenDays, looking how everyday lives became #EverydayMemories. #HOD2026 #HeritageOpenDays #DerbyHODs #Winters1852 #WWWinterHeritageTrust #WWWinterLtd
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Such awful news today, #RonnieLeDrew, best known as the man behind #Zippy in the iconic ITV children’s show #Rainbow, has passed away.
A statement from his family was issued this morning.
"We’re devastated to announce that Dad passed away this morning, after a brief illness. We’re all grieving and sorry for our loss of such a sweet beautiful man.
John, Liz and family"
Sending all best wishes to his family for the loss of such a lovely man, and someone I was fortunate to be able to call a friend.
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#OTD 26 July 1937
BBC #TelevisionDemonstrationFilm was transmitted for the first time.
It would be transmitted another 1277 times between 26th July 1937 to 21st October 1939.
Viewers wrote letters to the #RadioTimes, asking for something else rather than the dreaded Demonstration Film, which they had got to learn by heart.
The link is to a very poor copy of the Dem Film, which currently we don't have uploaded on your YouTube channel.
#BBCTV #pre-war television #Alexandra Palace
buff.ly/tB08aBd
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#OTD 26 July 1937.
The #BBCTelevisionService at #AlexandraPalace closed-down on this day, for three weeks, to carry out an overhaul of the equipment.
For the next three weeks only test transmissions were broadcast. Views of Alexandra Palace, the #DemonstrationFilm and Newreels were transmitted.
#OutsideBroadcasts of the #DavisCup from #Wimbledon were transmitted on 26 & 27 July.
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#OTD - 20 July 1953
The Good Old Days began on #BBCTelevision light entertainment programme produced by #BarneyColehan, it ran until 31 December 1983.
It was performed at the Leeds City Varieties and recreated an authentic atmosphere of the Victorian–Edwardian music hall with songs and sketches of the era performed in the style of the original artistes.
The audience dressed in period costume and joined in the singing, especially #DownAtTheOldBullAndBush which closed the show each week. The show was compered throughout its whole run by #LeonardSachs, who introduced the acts from a desk situated at the side of the stage.
In the course of its run it featured about 2,000 performers.
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#OTD - 18th July 1953
The first episode of The #QuatermassExperiment took to the screens.
Broadcast live from studio A at @Yourallypally, written by #NigelKneale, & directed by #RudolphCartier the series changed TV Science Fiction forever.
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This absolutely delight is presented by BabelColour.
If you are interested in photographic history and Autochromes, the earliest form of colour photography, then follow @StuartHumphryes.
His channel is an absolute joy - and his enhancement of original images is sublime. His images are not colourised, they are restored and enhanced original colour Autochromes, and he also posts gems such as this colour film from 1908!
I've pieced together this incredibly rare & precious Edwardian colour movie, filmed 118 years ago at Upton Manor Farm in Southwick, England. This is the Autumn Harvest of 1908, showing rural life in the UK just 7 years after the end of the Victoria Era, when our life and work was considerably less mechanised.
This is amongst the earliest British colour films, which was made via Kinemacolour, developed by George Albert Smith in 1906. It employed a spinning 2-colour filter system of red and green filters to replicate "full colour". The separate colour frames line up pretty well, except fo shots of lateral movement, such as the horse's legs where the individual coloured filters become much more apparent.
The music I've used is the Largo movement from Dvořák's Symphony No. 9, "From the New World", which is rather ironic considering the film shows us scenes of the Old World long gone.
Watch until the end, which leaves us a charming little love story. Though perhaps she waved her fellow off to War on the Western Front 6 years later...
(One of my hobbies is to collect old colour film footage, and if you enjoy this example I might share a few extra videos on my account)
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